Green Places in Idaho? (Boise, Idaho Falls: best city, how much, to live in)

[Landscaper]

In our travels through southern Idaho, it seems that a large portion of the state is covered with old lava flow. Much of it seemed desolate. Are there areas where trees grow naturally? Do you have to drill holes in the rock to plant trees?

Also, some parts had a constant, unpleasant wind. Is there anywhere I can look to find some statistics on average winds in various areas? Historic wind chill? Does anyone have any comments on the wind in southern Idaho? It seems that the Boise area has less wind than, say, Idaho Falls.

[eyetech]

There is a WONDERFUL site for wind info. as well as all sorts of climate and demographic information. Go to www.city-data.com/ whatever city and state you're looking for. Scroll through the whole thing. You'll be amazed!

[cleosmom]

SE and Southern Idaho is mostly high desert, where there's not lava there's sagebrush. There are areas in and around the southeast area that in fact have plenty of greenery.

You're correct about the wind, you can't live in SE Idaho and allow it to hinder you because well we tend more often to count days without wind than with Makes it quite interesting for a homeowner to treat their own yards. For me, the wind is usually not blowing when I'm at work and blowing when I have the chance to treat them

[jufrbo]

every where but southern idaho is green

[movinfromidaho]

Southern & Northern Idaho are night & day. Lots of trees up North. Beautiful!! Hailey, Sun Valley, Salmon, Couer d' Alene have lots of trees. Southern is mostly desert.

[Torrie]

When people say desert here they mean it's considered high desert, not the type of desert where you have cactus. Just want to make sure that is clear to those not from this area. There is a lot of green here but it is not like the area is surround by the green of the forest like you would see up north of here. There are lots of trees, which is why Boise is called the city of trees. When you fly over you will be able to tell where the river runs as there is a thick belt of trees that runs right alongside it.

[Syringaloid]

Southern Idaho is a high desert with greenery in the cities, along the rivers and in the mountains. Take Boise for instance, it is in a green, very fertile high desert valley but if you look up on top of the mountains, oh my gosh, you see pine trees!!! Boise is the best city in the southern area of Idaho to live in if you want easy and quick access to the forests. Boise is situated where the high desert meets the forests which extend directly north of Boise through out the rest of central Idaho to Canada. In fact the Boise National Forest at Boise's back door is one of the largest forests in the nation. If you drive from downtown Boise into the mountains you can be in deep forest within a 1/2 hour drive. But Boise has been called an Urban Forest because of the thick cover of trees, especially as you drive down the Bench into the central city area----there are tons and tons of trees and wildlife right in the city.
The wind in Boise is almost non existent compared to the wind in Southeast Idaho. But when you leave the desert areas of Southern Idaho, the rest of the state is nothing but Mountains, mountains, more mountains, and rivers, lakes, streams, forests, and some of the largest wilderness areas in the nation, not to mention Idaho has some of the oldest and healthiest forests left in the lower 48.

One of the great aspects about Idaho is the extremes and variations in landscape and some of the most beautiful mountains and greenery anywhere.

[Landscaper]

Thank you, everyone. I'm getting a better picture.

I read that some parts of Idaho have a serious West Nile problem. Where are those places? Do people just wear bug spray all the time?

[Torrie]

They sprayed (aerial sprayed)last year for mosquitos so I'm assuming they're going to spray again this year. Lake Lowell had problems for obvious reasons. I believe they sprayed almost all of Ada county. Canyon county was sprayed but because of winds I don't think they were able to complete the spraying. I'm not sure how much of canyon county was slated to be sprayed. Anyone else know?

[Torrie]

Funny I just came across an article on West Nile. So far the only place in Idaho that it has been detected this year is Gem County. Ada county has indicated a substantial increase in the mosquito species that carries West Nile. This year the species has been found along Maple Grove Road between Ustick and Fairview Ave and west ofEagle Rd between Floating Feather Rd and Idaho 44.

I would guess to say since we didn't have that cold of a winter we can anticipate Mosquitos to be an issue this year.

The article also said the first reported infected mosquito found for Ada county last year was July 11.

Hope this helps.