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I'd like to get comments on the pros and cons of living in North End Boise (lets say North 3rd to North 32nd) vs living in Meridian, both North and South Eagle Road. Kids and schools are not an issue. Id be working in the "Boise downtown" area. ANY comments would be appreciated
No comparison, baseball! Boise's North End is arguable the finest neighborhood in Boise, if not the entire Ada County. I've been lucky enough to live there for six years now, and I love it. The houses are mostly older--some dating back to the early 1900's--and the streets are shady and quiet. In the Fall, it's absolutely gorgeous and rivals New England for beautiful leaf colors. And even though it's so quiet you can usually walk oustide and hear nothing but the leaves rustling, it's located only a few blocks from downtown. The onloy downside I can name at all is that the home prices has excalated greatly over the past several years, due to the influx of real estate rich yupsters migrating in from California. Thus, the local realtors priced the in-demand North End homes accordingly so as to take advantage of this. The North End is now seen as a very trendy neighborhood to live in.
The one caveat here is that the local economic downturn has lowered for-sale North End homes a bit, almost brinnging them down to realistic prices. Still, I feel they are, speaking in general terms, usually about 25%-30% higher than they should be. This is just my opinion.
Meridian? Asthetically it's like Gertrude Stein once said about Oakland: "There is no THERE there." The traffic is now worse there than in Boise, even though it's one-eighth the population. It has seen unbelievable sprawl over the past 10 years and has lost most of the charm it once held as a sort of quiet little blue collar and farmer's cowtown 20 minutes west of Boise. Ask any longtime resident of Meridian their thoughts on Meridian's growth. Sure, homeprices are cheaper than the North End, but they have also increased over the years and are not the bargain they once were. The morning commute to Boise also sucks.
No two ways about it, Baseball: the North End is pretty much paradise on earth and if it is within your means you should beat feet here!
For working downtown, the North End, no contest. As has been discussed on other recent forums, the drive from Meridian to Boise is very congested, and while I remember that commute being about 25-35 minutes in traffic, there has been mention of up to 1 hour nowadays. After recent visits to Boise, that doesn't surprise me, as the growth is almost unbelieveable. I was there for the spike in the 90's, but we thought it was temporary then...
Anyway, the drive from the North End would be less than 20 min out toward W. State St and more like a matter of minutes in the teen streets.
Meridian = sterile, boring, modern subdivisions. Bad traffic to town, endless chain stores. The downtown two block-area is nice, though.
North end = Exclusive, old fashioned, character, alive. However, the houses and lots tend to be smaller, mostly on street parking, few garages, overpriced and older homes. Close access to everything, great parks, unparalleled biking, slightly crowded and slow traffic layout (no major thoroughfares, but that's okay - you really don't think about that when you're in the NE).
However, I will add the caveat - there is a stark difference between the Northend of 19th - 5th, State to Hill Road area, and everything west to Collister. Certain entities are trying to advertise this as the Northend to inflate home and property values, but the area is ghetto. It's what the real Northend looked like 20 years ago. The area lacks sidewalks (mostly), and you'll find completely trashy homes next to expensive new infill housing, and the place just lacks any of the character you'll find to the east.
However, I will add the caveat - there is a stark difference between the Northend of 19th - 5th, State to Hill Road area, and everything west to Collister. Certain entities are trying to advertise this as the Northend to inflate home and property values, but the area is ghetto. It's what the real Northend looked like 20 years ago. The area lacks sidewalks (mostly), and you'll find completely trashy homes next to expensive new infill housing, and the place just lacks any of the character you'll find to the east.
That's a good point, and your street boundaries are dead on with what I remember being the case. The demographics of the North End definitely do fluctuate. Wherever you look, you'll want to drive the neighborhood several times in day and evening just to get a sense of potential neighbors. If you see run down rigs parked on the grass or twelve cars squeezed into a driveway/alley, you can likely expect all the issues that come with those little hints. Plus, attempt to ascertain the ratio of renters to owners in your neighborhood. Those who own the houses are likely elderly and family folks, whereas those who rent houses just have higher odds of being young, blue collar/college folks who will seem to multiply like gremlins when one of the residents has a night off or something (no offense to said gremlins, as I was one and still join that fray when I visit Boise).
Boisefan also mentioned Collister. That area around Collister also has many unassuming traffic routes, too, so one would want to sit on streets like Taft or Collister early and/or late on a weekday to assess if they could tolerate that sort of traffic near their home. Although they could trick you, those certainly aren't the streets to add a b-ball hoop to the driveway, that's for sure. On that note, anywhere in the North End it's best to find side streets if traffic bugs you. Most people drive slow and respect the uncontrolled intersections (Boisefan was right on to allude that the North End is a laid back commute), but crazy kids will tear down otherwise quiet streets like 8th, 9th, and 13th.
Lastly, pretty much past 36th a lot of the North End turns into subdivisions intermingled with older neighborhoods and even a few trailer parks, and while this is technically "North End" you'll find few who call it that. The whole area is just more likened to West Boise as far as demographics, which isn't bad to all folks, but just has more of a suburban vibe than the quaint vibe of the North End, and a higher likelihood of the aforementioned undesirable neighbor types.
If you're above middle age and childless like we are, no contest--you'll have a life in the north end you won't find in Meridian. Meridian is mostly for young families.
Re: west of 19th to Collister, the good news is that folks are buying and fixing up homes and spreading west, so the neighborhoods are improving west of 19th rather than deteriorating. Definitely better than it was even just 10 yrs ago, but I agree you have to take each block on its own merit.
But if I can move just two blocks west to save >$50k and still live the 'north end' lifestyle? I think it's worth it.
And Stingray is right--west of 36th, homes are post-1980s, so you might as well be in Meridian at that point.
I concur that if you are working downtown and can afford the North-End that it would be a much better pick on all fronts (location and ease of access, ammenities, unique culture, etc.). Even though the price of homes might be higher there, the potential resale value is also higher (even though schools aren't a concern for you, there is something to say about being in an area with the best rated public schools in the treasure valley). So if you can find a home that fits your needs and you can afford it, I definitely recommend the North End.
The Northend extends beyond 19th Street to more like 25 to 27th. If you drive down Ellis you will notice 20th to 25th is just like the rest of the Northend and the homes are on larger lots. When you cross 27th the neighborhood starts to change. 19th is only two blocks West of Harrison Boulevard and most people I know think that Harrison Blvd west to 25th has some of the nicest Northend Streets and homes.
Can anyone comment on the basic employment possiblities in Boise. My son in law likes to do warehouse work or welding. They have three young boys (1,3,7) and have to get someplace they can afford with a job. My husband is disabled (PTSD) but I will be working or watching the boys. Daughter would love to be a stay at home Mom as long as she can. Meridian has been billed as a little to Mormon. Any more balanced place, decent yet affordable in or near Boise?
Can anyone comment on the basic employment possiblities in Boise. My son in law likes to do warehouse work or welding. They have three young boys (1,3,7) and have to get someplace they can afford with a job. My husband is disabled (PTSD) but I will be working or watching the boys. Daughter would love to be a stay at home Mom as long as she can. Meridian has been billed as a little to Mormon. Any more balanced place, decent yet affordable in or near Boise?
West Boise, before you get into Meridian, is pretty affordable and more "balanced"--to use your terminology, in my opinion. It's not a bad commute to downtown, plus you're close to shopping and the mall.
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