Mountain Home Military Spouses living in Boise? (Mountain Home AFB, Kuna: taxes, vs.)

[sahmusaf]

Hi, We have orders to Mountain Home AFB next spring, and are planning on living in Columbia Village in Boise. I'd like to connect with other MHAFB spouses living in Boise. I've never lived on base but have also never lived so far away from the base, and would love to hear what you have to say about living in Boise. Thanks!

[mpsgirl]

I'm an army spouse (and just happened to move back to Colorado Springs when my husband got home from Iraq) but there are a few small groups that meet in Boise that are all military spouses. You'll find a small group of AF wifes but most of them are going to be nat'l guard that you'll find in Boise. I was living outside of Boise in Kuna while my husband was deployed and the thing you're going to find the hardest about living in town vs. living in mtn home is the commute when you have to get up to base for something. Because there aren't any active duty army bases in the area I always had to drive up to mtn home to do any paperwork, taxes, etc (all the fun military stuff...), and that is the most boring drive you'll make. It's almost 45 min in the middle of nowhere. My suggestion is to get used to taking a road called Simco road. It'll take you in the back way, cuts off only about 5-10 min from your drive time, but at least you don't have to drive through Mtn Home and back track all the way to the gate.

What made you decide to want to live in Boise as opposed to Mtn Home? (besides the obvious that there is NOTHING in Mtn Home.) Something to keep in mind at least for your husband, is sometimes the roads up there can get very bad in the winter driving from Boise to the base. You'll miss having the commissary close too. Do you have kids? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Boise is a bad choice, just wondering what the reasoning is for wanting to live so far because you might find that it's better to live in Mtn Home and commute to Boise when you want something "fun" to do, as opposed to commuting to Mtn Home 5 days/week (or more).

Like I mentioned, there is one large group that meets like once a month in Boise but almost all ANG spouses and the various wives who've moved back to ID while her husband is deployed. If you want the name of them, pm me and I'll send it to you and tell you how you can get in touch with them. I do know a couple wives up on Mtn Home AFB though that live ON base and they always love meeting knew people too.