Boise Area Info (Nampa, Idaho Falls, Meridian: fit in, real estate, for rent)

[elevenhounds]

My husband and I have decided that we are definitely moving our family to Boise this summer. We are from Vermont and will have no opportunity to visit the state before we move so we have some questions about where to settle.

We are Christians, have four children and are in the process of adopting four children from Ethiopia. We are conservative politically. My husband is a auto-tech and I stay at home but will be going back to work once we move. We have three dogs (one is a German Shepherd). One of our children has epilepsy.

It is important to us to find a good neighborhood and a good school that isn't too overcrowded, and be near a great hospital (I hear St. Luke's Epilepsy center is very good). After reading the threads on this board I am more confused than ever although I have ruled out Nampa, am wary of the soccer-mom ritzy-ness of Eagle (we are a bunch of bumkins, really) and have NO clue about Caldwell. Although everyone here seems to agree that Boise city is a pretty good choice.

We plan on renting a home. Does anyone know of any good places to find listings besides Craigslist??

[deem]

Hi
you should look up Idaho Falls - too -for what you are looking for
also look on CItyleases.com, rent.com and just put in homes for rent in (the area you are looking for) nad sites will pop up -
we are moving from AZ this summer to Idaho after hearing and reviewing lots from people - family values, churches, good schools, costs are below etc
great activities for all - fishing, camping, biking
Good Luck

[indraman]

Originally Posted by elevenhounds

My husband and I have decided that we are definitely moving our family to Boise this summer. We are from Vermont and will have no opportunity to visit the state before we move so we have some questions about where to settle.

We are Christians, have four children and are in the process of adopting four children from Ethiopia. We are conservative politically. My husband is a auto-tech and I stay at home but will be going back to work once we move. We have three dogs (one is a German Shepherd). One of our children has epilepsy.

It is important to us to find a good neighborhood and a good school that isn't too overcrowded, and be near a great hospital (I hear St. Luke's Epilepsy center is very good). After reading the threads on this board I am more confused than ever although I have ruled out Nampa, am wary of the soccer-mom ritzy-ness of Eagle (we are a bunch of bumkins, really) and have NO clue about Caldwell. Although everyone here seems to agree that Boise city is a pretty good choice.

We plan on renting a home. Does anyone know of any good places to find listings besides Craigslist??

You will love Boise and fit in great!! It's refreshing to see the leap of faith you are taking in coming out cold turkey for a move. Good for you. We are Christians too and I have three kids (clearly less busy than you ) so I'm going to tell you where I would look. First off, my very good friend's husband is a GREAT neurologist, which it sounds like you may need. He is wonderful and has young kids of his own. If you PM me, I'm happy to send you his name. As for neighborhoods and schools, you are correct about Eagle. It's tougher to get the amount of house you will be desiring. There are parts of Nampa that are great, but I would urge you to find a real estate agent who is very experienced in the Nampa area as there are just as many ghettos there as there are lovely family neighborhoods. I would concentrate on South Boise. This is an older section of Boise that is just now experiencing a re-vitalization by the natives and smart out-of-towners. Since the gigantic population swell in the past few years, all of the suburbs (Meridian, Eagle, Nampa etc) are experiencing classroom swells to match (and property taxes). The Boise district remains below capacity and very gracious to newcomers. Owyhee Elementary school was converted about two years ago to a "harbor school". This curriculum is a back-to-basics very rigorous academic course. The idea behind the school is that it be a "safe harbor" for kids. No teasing etc. and very high academic expectations. Their first couple of years have been a tough go, but with the addition of their new K teacher this year....they will soon be one of the best elems in the district. Property in that area is very affordable. It will be an older house, but large enough to accommodate your family. I'm not crazy about the Junior high in that area, South, but with their new principal and the new uniform policy implemented, I think they will do well in the next few years.
The other area of town to consider is West Boise; specifically any home in the Valley View Elem. area. This is a wonderful school that lots of families drive from all over to bring their gifted kids. It feeds in to Fairmont Junior Hight and Capital High; both good schools. Mountain View Elem. is running a program that uses part of William Bennet's curriculum.
Let me know when you are ready to visit churches as I have a great list of those too. Good luck.

[MomsTn]

This is a good area in Boise.
The homes are older, but, very nice.
If you look into the Nampa area, the Vallivue School District is really good.
There's also a charter school in Nampa, the Idaho Arts Charter School.
http://www.idahoartscharter.org/
The kids get in by lottery.

Another alternative is Home Schooling, and there is a really good homeschooling base in Boise. Very strong.
If you need any info about Home Schooling, you can Pm me.
I had my kids in public school and HomeSchooled.
We are also Christians, and there are a lot of really good churches to choose from.

You will like Boise, it's a great place to live.

Originally Posted by indraman

The other area of town to consider is West Boise; specifically any home in the Valley View Elem. area. This is a wonderful school that lots of families drive from all over to bring their gifted kids. It feeds in to Fairmont Junior Hight and Capital High; both good schools. Mountain View Elem. is running a program that uses part of William Bennet's curriculum.
Let me know when you are ready to visit churches as I have a great list of those too. Good luck.

[indraman]

Originally Posted by IdahoReturn

This is a good area in Boise.
The homes are older, but, very nice.
If you look into the Nampa area, the Vallivue School District is really good.
There's also a charter school in Nampa, the Idaho Arts Charter School.
http://www.idahoartscharter.org/
The kids get in by lottery.

Another alternative is Home Schooling, and there is a really good homeschooling base in Boise. Very strong.
If you need any info about Home Schooling, you can Pm me.
I had my kids in public school and HomeSchooled.
We are also Christians, and there are a lot of really good churches to choose from.

You will like Boise, it's a great place to live.

Absolutely about the homeschooling groups!! Boise has the best. The co-op group at Vineyard is very good....if interested. We have lots of friends who are very happy there.

[elevenhounds]

Thanks for the great info! Also for the encouragement....it's a bit scary moving so far!

These sound like great neighborhoods and schools and exactly what we are looking for. I used to homeschool for five years and this has been our first year in public school! I might be interested in a co-op but I have discovered that I can't do it all myself. I have heard that Idaho has decent homeschooling laws.

I would love more info on churches (we belong to a community church now) and would be looking for a Bible believing church that has a lot of other young families.

Any ideas on realtors to contact? We plan on renting.

Right now we are planning to finish out this school year and move in June or July...as soon as we can sell our house. We are very excited!

[indraman]

You will have no problem finding a real estate agent in Boise. They have filled the valley to the rim . I would urge you to find one that has lived in the area for more than a few months. There are several that I know from church and other associations. I would choose either Barb Gestrin (www.barbgestrin.com) or Scott Dykstra with Coldwell Banker in Meridian. Both are awesome and you will be really happy with them.

[jennifr1966]

We are from S.C. but currently visiting Nampa. I'd love to find out what is in this area, homeschool-related. Are there nearby co-ops?
Thanks!
Jen

Originally Posted by MomsTn

This is a good area in Boise.
The homes are older, but, very nice.
If you look into the Nampa area, the Vallivue School District is really good.
There's also a charter school in Nampa, the Idaho Arts Charter School.
Idaho Arts Charter School
The kids get in by lottery.

Another alternative is Home Schooling, and there is a really good homeschooling base in Boise. Very strong.
If you need any info about Home Schooling, you can Pm me.
I had my kids in public school and HomeSchooled.
We are also Christians, and there are a lot of really good churches to choose from.

You will like Boise, it's a great place to live.

[Jennifer S. Johnson]

Hello... our family MIGHT be moving to Boise... still working on it. I was interested in the post from "ElevenHounds" as we are a Christian family and have 2 adopted Ethiopian children. If we move, it would be awesome to hook up with this family, as it is important to keep these kids connected.

So, here is my question... What would you say the overall attitude towards blacks is in Boise? We can see that there black population is small. Although this is not ideal, we a more concern with how they will be treated.

Can anyone give me any helpful information/guidance? Thanks so much... Blessings, Jennifer S. Johnson...

[kristinl5]

Check out Meridian, which is west of Boise before you reach Nampa...nice area, great schools and great family-oriented area.