Moving to Boise need Current Advice :) (rentals, high crime, employment)

[QueenMab06]

I have seen this question asked in the forums before but they are all dated from 2009 and before.

My family is relocating to the Boise area due to job loss (from Portland-Vancouver Area). My parents live there and I will be attending college to finish my RN while my husband tries to find a full time job.

Is there a lot of crime in Boise? What would you say about job availability my husband is a production/graphic artist usually works in sign shops. How are the elementary schools? What is the cost of rental housing and what areas would you say are best for families with small children? I have looked on craigslist and it seems the rentals are relatively inexpensive but I am concerned about being in a high crime area. I need to be able to walk my kids to the park and not worry.

If you had one bad thing to say about Boise what would it be? If you had one good thing to say about Boise what would it be?

We were going to go to California but I couldn't stand the thought of living in the Central Valley as the crime there is ridiculous and the schools are horrible.

Thanks for your help and time I really appreciate it!

[grmi66]

Crime in Boise is pretty non-existent, can't think of a single neighborhood in Boise proper that I would feel really uncomfortable if my family had to walk through at night. Our experience with elementary schools in Boise is that they are not great, but not bad either. Pretty much middle of the road.

I used to sell printing and in my current job buying printing is one of my tasks. There is not enough business for someone to sell graphic design in Boise and if you work for a local print shop or sign shop you are looking at earning $10-$12 an hour. Boise has too many sign shops and print shops for a town this size, I'm surprised as many of them have been able to hold out this long without shutting down. Not to be really negative, but overall it is just plain tough to find a decent job in Boise. So it is not just the graphic design industry. There is a group called Capital City Communicators that meets once a month (you can Google it) and it is a networking group for PR and marketing people. There are a handful of graphic designers who attend the meeting, so your husband may want to attend a meeting to see what the current market in Boise is really like.

[zoso1979]

I know several experienced and award winning graphic designers who have been looking for permanent employment for over a year.