Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am new to the Idaho forum. We had been looking at relocating to CO and for several reasons it may not work out for us there, which makes me very sad.
So we are taking a look at Idaho, I know a little but not much about Idaho and have been reading lots of threads here.
Can you tell me which is more scenic , Boise or Idaho Falls? Idaho was second on our list for relocating. Born and raised in Arizona and I can no longer take the summers here,health reasons. Thought about Flagstaff,AZ too. I am not interested in Northern Idaho and would like to know the differences between Idaho Falls and Boise scenic and weather wise. Researching Idaho on weather.com it seems to be very similar to Fort Collins, CO where we were trying to relocate. We do like arid dry, don't mind some snow.
My husband may have a better opportunity job wise for Idaho than Colorado.
We are not Mormon but not apposed to Mormons, would either city be better for my kids in regards to friends and schools.
Boise is more of the banana belt if you will. While they do have four distinct seasons, they tend to not get as much snow as Idaho Falls and SE Idaho. Summers tend to be hotter in Boise than in Idaho Falls. Not to say that IF doesn't have some days in the 90's, we do. Most homes in IF were built without a/c as it wasn't truly needed. I believe the newer ones are built with central air and heat.
If you ask me, both Boise and Idaho Falls hold their own beauty. As for outdoor activity, each area has many venues for fun nearby. Boise is more of your "big city" if you will, while IF has many amenities, we also have Salt Lake City just a few hours away.
Boise is surrounded by more greenery and a short drive to many recreational activities, such as driving up the forested and mountainous Idaho panhandle to the north. Shopping is great, and there are many unique shopping districts and places to choose from. If you can't find something at one store, just hop on the freeway, go down a few exits, and you got yourself another shopping complex. Services are "big city" style here, with the best medical care in the state. You can head east and leave all forms of civilization for quite some time, same if you heard north or south. If you head west deeper into the Treasure Valley, you got loads of suburbs until you hit Oregon, and the civilization ends at Ontario.
Idaho Falls is in a flat scrubland/agricultural area, but at the foot of some very impressive mountain ranges, and close to recreation there as well. Shopping is good, as they have as many box stores as you may want, and a historic downtown. You will get services here, because it is sort of like the "big town" of Eastern Idaho. In Idaho Falls, you are kind of out in the middle of nowhere once you leave the town. Some people don't enjoy that, others love it. It is a long drive to other locations, but close to outdoor activity.
I would personally look around Couer d' Alene as well. It has more greenery, and my personal extra place to look up on if you like a more forested area.
Hi, jamesbndgrl...
I'm an I.F. native, but I lived in the Boise area for 5 years.
Boise is the only real big city in Idaho. It's about 3-4 times larger than any other city in the state, and it's grown a lot since I lived there, but I still go visit friends in Boise and all it's surrounding towns. There is a pretty good night life scene there, and a lot of younger folks, so the social scene is active and vivid. The Boise State Bronchos are really a big deal there, and the Broncs draw huge crowds.
Idaho Falls is a lot smaller in comparison, and a very family-oriented town. It's much quieter here than Boise, and has less night life going on. I.F. has a lot of professional people living here, and it's a better place, I believe, for someone who wants to start a small business, especially one that sells products that could be used at the INL. The arts scene is lively in both places; for it's size, I.F. has more than it's share, including the Museum of Idaho, which mounts major traveling exhibitions, a new art museum, a large and active Arts Center in the heart of downtown, and a brand new Events Center that is now just beginning to be built. When completed, it will be large enough to hold major bands, rodeos, and other big events there. Our Civic Auditorium has been a great venue here for many years.
The Idaho National Lab is headquartered here, and is the leading technological center for alternate energy systems in the country. The lab has been here for over 60 years- it's first mission was designing and testing small reactors for use in the Navy, and later, for testing parts and systems that were intended to be used in commercial electrical power reactors. Over the years the scope of the mission has broadened out to advanced battery systems, solar, hydro and other energy sources.
I.F. has produced it's own electricity for over 100 years. As a result of the INL, we now have advanced bulb turbines that use the water of the Snake River for our power, and our electricity rates are some of the lowest in the nation.
NWbyNW gave a pretty good comparison.
The countryside immediately around Boise is dry and rather barren, and our countryside is mostly large farms that spread westward, out toward the wide Snake River Valley.
Both cities have lots of trees, and both have well developed scenic walkways along their rivers. Boise has the Boise river running through town, and we have the Snake. The 'falls' here are actually a steep cascade, and they lie in the heart of the downtown area.
The area just to the east of Idaho Falls has much more dramatic scenery though. 15 miles outside of town, the South Fork canyon is pretty and very accessible, and it only gets better from there. Further eastward lies the Targhee Natl. forest, which stretches all along the continental divide, and the Tetons are only about 80 miles away. Yellowstone Park is less than 100 miles to the north; close enough a family can easily take a day trip, see part of the park, and by home by dinnertime.
To the west is the Arco desert, which is actually a high steppe. It was the center of a large lava flow that erupted about the time Moses crossed the Red Sea, and the Craters of the Moon is a national monument that was created so folks could go and explore the lavas. Further west lie the highest mountain ranges in the state, and within them are some of the most beautiful lakes to be found anywhere.
To the north is the Island Park caldera, another ancient volcano. It, too, has some wonderful scenery and is very accessible year round. Big Springs, the source water of the Henry's Fork of the Snake is there, as is the Harriman Ranch. Harriman was a private ranch for 80 years but is now a state park. The legend is Harriman and Wrigley flipped a coin to see who would own the ranch- at first, both (and other billionaires) owned the ranch jointly. Wrigley lost and got Catalina Island as the consolation prize.
Idaho Falls is quite a lot higher than Boise. We typically get more snow, and our summers are milder and drier. Boise summers are more humid than Boise's. I.F. is typically breezier as well.
As was mentioned, I.F. is the major supply and shopping area for a huge part of this side of the state. Residents of Jackson Hole commonly come here to shop, as do all the folks up and down the eastern Idaho corridor. We also have the most and most sophisticated medical services south of Boise and north of Salt Lake City.
Living in Boise is much like any large city, while living in Idaho Falls still has the feel of living in a small town. Both are friendly and tolerant, but I.F.'s costs of living are lower than Boise.
The only way to know which place suits you best is to plan a visit to both. Boise is about 3 1/2 hours away by the Interstate. 2 weeks spent cruising around should give you a very good idea of which you prefer most.
If you plan to come, drop me a line- while the Interstate is a pretty good route, there is another that is shorter but slower, and much more scenic and fun to drive.
Thank you so much for all the great and wonderful information! I like a more dry arid environment, I.F. may suit us better. I have tried to search out images of I.F. but what mostly comes up is pictures of the Falls and not really much in the way of mountain views, however when I look up Boise there were more images of mountains. I wasn't sure about I.F. having as much in the way of mountain views as Boise.
Thank you again for all the wonderful information, wiil keep you posted if we plan a trip.
Thank you so much for all the great and wonderful information! I like a more dry arid environment, I.F. may suit us better. I have tried to search out images of I.F. but what mostly comes up is pictures of the Falls and not really much in the way of mountain views, however when I look up Boise there were more images of mountains. I wasn't sure about I.F. having as much in the way of mountain views as Boise.
Thank you again for all the wonderful information, wiil keep you posted if we plan a trip.
I just got on Google images and typed in 'Idaho Falls pictures'. A lot of them popped up, and the pics gave a pretty good overall view of what our housing, hotels and businesses, neighborhoods, etc. look like. one home pictured is next door to a house I owned for a long time!
There are lots of pictures of the falls, of course.
Typing in 'bonneville county idaho' brought up many views of the scenery that's here within our county boundaries. That one also showed a lot of our law enforcement past and present and some local mug shots from the more recent past.
I hope these help. Not all the pics are local, but the majority are. Everything you see on both pages is within an easy day's drive at the farthest.
Idaho Falls is situated very close to surrounding foothills. The most open view is to the west, but if you travel just outside of town to the north, the Tetons are easily visible. A bike ride up one of the many roads that crisscross the foothills will also present some big vistas to the east.
Boise is much the same. A person has to get a little elevation before they can really see the mountains.
Thank you so much for all the great and wonderful information! I like a more dry arid environment, I.F. may suit us better. I have tried to search out images of I.F. but what mostly comes up is pictures of the Falls and not really much in the way of mountain views, however when I look up Boise there were more images of mountains. I wasn't sure about I.F. having as much in the way of mountain views as Boise.
Thank you again for all the wonderful information, wiil keep you posted if we plan a trip.
Boise is built against the foothills which form the backdrop to the city. There are a lot of neighborhoods in the foothills. The foothills are almost adjacent to downtown, they are right there and not off in the distance. The foothills rise up to the ridge of mountains above Boise. Anywhere you are in Boise you see the foothills/mountains as they dominate the skyline.
Thank you again banjomike, I will research the google maps for the county pictures. I do like the fact that I.F. is located near Jackson WY. It alos sounds beautiful that Boise is nestled right in the foothills.
I see your zip code is Chandler. Yeah, Chandler summers are just about as bad as it gets. So think about a little trip up north when temps in ol' AZ start heating up...
You could plan a great back-country trip and see some of the sights of the area while getting a good impression of both IF and Boise. If you fly into Boise you can rent a car and spend a few days there, then go up 21 (beautiful wiggly mountain road, closed in bad weather and sometimes during fire season) to Stanley, and down through Sun Valley. Then go east on 20/26 south of Bellevue and follow 20 all the way to IF. Then 15-86-84 back to Boise. Or, if you're doing a road trip, go up 15 (or 93) to 84 to Boise, do the 21-to-20 trip, and go back south on 15.
You'll find out which community is more to your liking. But I would agree with NWbyNW that perhaps you shouldn't rule out Coeur d'Alene...
Idaho Falls and the Treasure Valley (Boise area) are both wonderful places if you're looking for an arid environment and a place with pretty much any service you could need.
When being perfectly honest, they equal each other out as far as scenery and outdoor opportunities go, though Idaho Falls might have a slight edge, because it's reasonably close to Grand Teton National Park, and practically close enough to make parts of Yellowstone National Park a day trip.
But forested mountains are more accessible north of Boise, to the southeast you have the Bruneau Sand Dunes and some very impressive scenery and hiking opportunities near the Snake River to the south.
The areas are demographically similar, except in Treasure Valley schools your children are more likely to have greater religious diversity amongst their friends and classmates.
If you like to ski, there are resorts close to both cities. It's less than 20 miles from Boise to Bogus Basin and less than 30 miles from Idaho Falls to Kelly Canyon. I've never been to Kelly Canyon, so I don't know what it offers, but Bogus Basin isn't bad. They sometimes have to use a lot of artificial snow, something our resorts up here in North Idaho typically have no need for.
If Coeur d'Alene suddenly became uninhabitable and I was forced to leave, the top three places in Idaho on my list would be Moscow, Idaho Falls and the Treasure Valley. I'm getting too old for the college town life, so Moscow's probably out unless I wanted to continue to pursue my Master's. I do have friends there and it is a nice place. I love Idaho Falls, and there are bonus points because I have family there, but I also have family in the Treasure Valley, which is probably where I would end up going. Partially because I have so many friends established there and partially because I enjoy having a "big city" (Boise) nearby to go for various events. I wouldn't live in Boise itself though. I'd choose something on the outskirts of Meridian or (southern) Nampa.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
