Boise good for young liberal 20somethings? (Meridian, Pierce: cliquey, chapel, houses)

[AllTheWayToMemphis]

While the NW isn't necessarily my ideal place to live, my girlfriend is extremely interested in the area. I like decent-sized cities, but I'm not really interested in Seattle or Portland so I'm looking for other options if we were to potentially move. My girlfriend is kind of the hippie, environmental type, but she also enjoys good nightlife. Is Boise the type of place that offers great hiking, natural sightseeing, etc.? I assume Idaho has plenty to offer as far as that goes. Does Boise get many bands? We don't listen to much mainstream rock; does Boise have much of an underground music or art scene? Neither of us are religious; how big of a deal is Mormonism?

If Boise doesn't sound like the right place, could you recommend somewhere that is? It doesn't have to be strictly Northwest; I would, however, like to avoid the Seattle/SF/Chicago/NY size cities while still keeping it urban. Basically, I guess she really wants somewhere scenic that still knows how to have fun (we ARE in our early 20s, don't forget).

Thanks!

[AllTheWayToMemphis]

Haha I just noticed my thread title says "YOUNG...20SOMETHINGS." Kind of redundant...I guess that's why I should proofread. Anyway, carry on.

[icehole]

So I Can answer some of these.. Major bands dont come to boise.. We get the occasional band taking pitty on us, But most of the good concerts require a trip to Seattle, Salt lake or Denver.. Outdoors stuff is in abundance in all directions when you get past the houses.. As far as Nightlife goes, I have no clue as me & my wife dont do the club thing & if we did we would ahve stayed in vegas instead of moving to the boise area a few years ago..

[icehole]

Oh & There are alot of mormons here but not overwhelming & & Those not belonging to the mormon church get along jsut fine as well

[TohobitPeak]

Originally Posted by AllTheWayToMemphis

While the NW isn't necessarily my ideal place to live, my girlfriend is extremely interested in the area. I like decent-sized cities, but I'm not really interested in Seattle or Portland so I'm looking for other options if we were to potentially move. My girlfriend is kind of the hippie, environmental type, but she also enjoys good nightlife. Is Boise the type of place that offers great hiking, natural sightseeing, etc.? I assume Idaho has plenty to offer as far as that goes. Does Boise get many bands? We don't listen to much mainstream rock; does Boise have much of an underground music or art scene? Neither of us are religious; how big of a deal is Mormonism?

If Boise doesn't sound like the right place, could you recommend somewhere that is? It doesn't have to be strictly Northwest; I would, however, like to avoid the Seattle/SF/Chicago/NY size cities while still keeping it urban. Basically, I guess she really wants somewhere scenic that still knows how to have fun (we ARE in our early 20s, don't forget).

Thanks!

Boise has a pretty large hippie enviro crowd and good nightlife for a city this size. The hiking and biking and natural sightseeing in the surrounding areas cannot be beat.
This city also has a sweet growing underground indie band (Built To Spill is from Boise) and music scene, a lot of clubs downtown book local bands and solo singers as well as many others from around the Northwest. There is always live music going on in numerous clubs and facilities especially in the downtown area. The local indie art scene is great and always expanding. This is an artists town with a good number of museums and art galleries. Many of the coffee shops and wine bars also act as local art galleries and are great assets to the local artistic community. I remember reading once that per capita Boise has one of the largest numbers of museums and art galleries.

I would not worry about the Mormon religion because Boise's largest Christian religion by numbers is the Catholic faith with most of the members of the LDS Church living in the suburbs and moreso Meridian.

[anthonyr]

you should try Athens, Georgia

[AllTheWayToMemphis]

Thanks for the info. Do you know any major music clubs in SLC? Music is a big part of my life so I'd be interested in comparing. I'm not interested in any big name acts...I'm into stuff like Black Lips, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Pierced Arrows, etc. (who have all played in Boise at some time...but I don't know any other bands who have played there).

Everything else (including info read on other forums) is leading me to believe Boise would be a great place for me. I wish it were a little bit bigger and a little more liberal, but I will visit soon to see how well it works. I've heard very bad things about SLC lately...just how everyone there is really bored.

As far as Athens GA goes...it's a little too flat (don't forget, I like the outdoors-y vibe of Boise) and I always pictured it as being a college town similar to Chapel Hill, NC or Charlottesville, VA (probably my two least favorite places on Earth). Would I be wrong in thinking this?

[boisefan88]

As far as the outdoors stuff - can't beat it, really.

As far as the Mormonism - it's there, but you don't notice it unless you look for it. We have a cross that overlooks the city, so if you consider that to be too in your face, you might not like Boise. I think it doesn't bother most people.

Boise's not a college town like you'd think most college towns are. There is a college presence here, especially during football season, but it's no Athens or Austin or Charlottesville. Downtown, the Northend, and certain areas close to the foothills and Boise River are pretty exciting - the rest is sprawled suburbia like anywhere else.

I had my son answer the rest...

"Boise's nightlife is small but growing - for the college scene you hit up a few of the sixth and main bars and it's fairly incestuous. You can avoid it and find a good time in a number of other bars, but it's more low key and cliquey.

Boise has a decent music scene but it's nothing compared to most other places. Yeah, Built to Spill is from here but they play maybe once a year and it's hard to get tickets. The rest of the local scene is okay but fragmented, and it's always been that way here (although attempts have been made to change that with the recent new Rotating Tongues concert, and Boise Community Radio, etc.). You'll find a decent run of indie stuff that plays at the Neurolux and the VAC. Some punk/bar bands play the Bouquet. Bigger acts play the Knitting Factory and the huge bands will play the Idaho Center. Punk and metal stuff play the Venue. And a few of the other bars will entertain the local bands on a weekly basis (Pengillys, Hannahs, etc.). Local turnout is pretty lacking, though. Some nights local bands will get a hundred or so, other nights it could be 10.

Art scene is okay. Again, check out the Visual Arts Collective (VAC). Boise's Saturday Market. Flying M Coffeehouse (and Coffee Garage). These places are better for local art. The galleries here are really kind of...unremarkable, though there are a lot of them to account for different tastes."

[motomac]

Originally Posted by AllTheWayToMemphis

While the NW isn't necessarily my ideal place to live, my girlfriend is extremely interested in the area. I like decent-sized cities, but I'm not really interested in Seattle or Portland so I'm looking for other options if we were to potentially move. My girlfriend is kind of the hippie, environmental type, but she also enjoys good nightlife. Is Boise the type of place that offers great hiking, natural sightseeing, etc.? I assume Idaho has plenty to offer as far as that goes. Does Boise get many bands? We don't listen to much mainstream rock; does Boise have much of an underground music or art scene? Neither of us are religious; how big of a deal is Mormonism?

If Boise doesn't sound like the right place, could you recommend somewhere that is? It doesn't have to be strictly Northwest; I would, however, like to avoid the Seattle/SF/Chicago/NY size cities while still keeping it urban. Basically, I guess she really wants somewhere scenic that still knows how to have fun (we ARE in our early 20s, don't forget).

Thanks!

Sounds to me like you would be happier in the area from Denver to Ft Collins in Colorado.

[escapethedesk]

The outdoor activities are quite amazing around Boise. Natural hot springs and skiing within an hour of town, hiking in the foothills near town, fabulous alpine hiking 3 hours away in the Sawtooths. Whitewater less than an hour away. Nice desert hiking 2 hours away across the Oregon border. What sort of outdoor activities do you enjoy?

The liberal/conservative atmosphere varies depending upon which area you live. I think you would be happy in the North End of Boise which tends to be more liberal than other areas. Zip code 83702 is the heart of North End.

I don't think you have to be concerned about mormons. They are nice people, and unless you move into a neighborhood which is primarily mormon you will probably not come into much contact with them. They may come to your door to talk to you about their religion, but that could happen anywhere.

I don't know much about the night life and music scene here.