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I just enjoyed a short business trip to Boise. I live in Austin. I really enjoyed your city and fell in love right away.
Similarities between Austin and Boise:
State Capital
College Town
River through the middle of town
Great public Parks and Greenbelts
Beautiful topography
Many outdoor activity options close or within a couple of hours
Trees
Small, easy in/out airport
Many tree-lined neighborhoods with distinctive character and "vibe".
Reminds me of Austin 25-30 years ago, before it got "discovered" and became overrun by its own success. It's now close to 2M people and some of the worst traffic in the country for a city its size. And really expensive except in the outer doughnut rings of growth, which are cookie-cutterville, Anywhere USA type subdivisions and strip malls. Might as well live anywhere. Our central core homes that I saw for $300K +/- in Boise are now $800K+ in Austin. Sad. There is still a lot to love about Austin, but it ain't the laid back slacker town I came to in 1985, and that my wife grew up in.
I'm sure you have some of that growth too, and housing price pressure, but at under 300K population, Boise still seems to me so chill, laid back and fun. The people were so nice and unpretentious, friendly. Service in restaurants and hotel was great. And everry other watress doesn't have metal crap all over her face. Can ride a bike into downtown without getting run down. Didn't see herds of hipsters trying to be "seen". My friend drove me around all day in a convertible, so my sunburned forehead was the only downside of the trip.
Anyway, just one guy's opinion. But when we retire and if we bail out of Austin looking for something slower and smaller, Boise is on the list. I really like your little town.
Thanks for giving me another idea!
I am in San Antoinio, which is the armpit of America to me....
Am looking for something smaller, coller but not like Billings, Mt, still has to be reasonable in living cost, although that is different to each.
I will look at it also!
I just enjoyed a short business trip to Boise. I live in Austin. I really enjoyed your city and fell in love right away.
Similarities between Austin and Boise:
State Capital
College Town
River through the middle of town
Great public Parks and Greenbelts
Beautiful topography
Many outdoor activity options close or within a couple of hours
Trees
Small, easy in/out airport
Many tree-lined neighborhoods with distinctive character and "vibe".
Reminds me of Austin 25-30 years ago, before it got "discovered" and became overrun by its own success. It's now close to 2M people and some of the worst traffic in the country for a city its size. And really expensive except in the outer doughnut rings of growth, which are cookie-cutterville, Anywhere USA type subdivisions and strip malls. Might as well live anywhere. Our central core homes that I saw for $300K +/- in Boise are now $800K+ in Austin. Sad. There is still a lot to love about Austin, but it ain't the laid back slacker town I came to in 1985, and that my wife grew up in.
I'm sure you have some of that growth too, and housing price pressure, but at under 300K population, Boise still seems to me so chill, laid back and fun. The people were so nice and unpretentious, friendly. Service in restaurants and hotel was great. And everry other watress doesn't have metal crap all over her face. Can ride a bike into downtown without getting run down. Didn't see herds of hipsters trying to be "seen". My friend drove me around all day in a convertible, so my sunburned forehead was the only downside of the trip.
Anyway, just one guy's opinion. But when we retire and if we bail out of Austin looking for something slower and smaller, Boise is on the list. I really like your little town.
Steve
Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip. Boise has been growing pretty fast for awhile now. Especially right up to the economic downturn, Boise was one of the fastest growing areas in the country. I think one year it was 2nd only to Vegas. Alot of the things you said about Austin, reminded me a bit of Boise, just probably nowhere as bad. Go outside of the city proper, and you start to find nothing but cookie cutter subdivisions and strip malls. Inevitable I guess.
What scares me is how excited people are for Boise's growth... yet everywhere you look there are examples of other great cities now essentially "ruined" by that growth. People love to think it can never happen here.
Boise really likes to compare itself to Austin. It's very interesting that you, as an Austin resident, can speak to those comparisons, but also recognize how that growth and success has had such negative impacts.
Same will happen here at some people... especially with how much so many capitalize on that growth. Sad.
I was in Austin this summer visiting family and I still don't understand what all the hype about this city is. It seems to be rated #1 for many things when you read stuff online. One of the worse parts about it was the downtown. It was very spread out and didn't give you a downtown feel like many cities do. It was also too hot, muggy, and flat for me.
My take on it is that relative to the rest of Texas, Austin is nice. But Texas is horrible - flat, hot, massive sprawling cities, tornados, no public land, very limited outdoor recreation opportunities, high obesity rates, etc. Against that backdrop Austin looks really good.
But compared to the PNW? Not so much.
The one thing I will give Austin is it has a fantastic music scene, which goes much deeper than SXSW or Austin City Limits. That city is turning out some really good music.
Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip. Boise has been growing pretty fast for awhile now. Especially right up to the economic downturn, Boise was one of the fastest growing areas in the country. I think one year it was 2nd only to Vegas. Alot of the things you said about Austin, reminded me a bit of Boise, just probably nowhere as bad. Go outside of the city proper, and you start to find nothing but cookie cutter subdivisions and strip malls. Inevitable I guess.
One of the things that seems like it would limit growth is Boise's isolation. Even flying there it was tough to time it without having to switch flights in Las Vegas and then Phoenix on the way back. Austin is sort of in the middle of a triangle of three huge metros - Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. In fact most of our new residents come from those three cities (contrary to popular believe that all newbies are Californians).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hp1167
What scares me is how excited people are for Boise's growth... yet everywhere you look there are examples of other great cities now essentially "ruined" by that growth. People love to think it can never happen here.
Boise really likes to compare itself to Austin. It's very interesting that you, as an Austin resident, can speak to those comparisons, but also recognize how that growth and success has had such negative impacts.
Same will happen here at some people... especially with how much so many capitalize on that growth. Sad.
It is a quandary for sure. The Texas economy has done quite well even through the recession. Success means more people. Then it seems a tipping point is hit, and people start griping. That really started in Austin in the mid-1980s, then the bust, then again late 1990s, then the tech bust, now it's another wave with all the condo highrises downtown.
A friend of mine sold his business in Austin, bought a motorhome and spent 2 years traveling in 2000-2002. At one point he ran into an old couple in a campground who once lived in Austin but had left because it was "getting too big". He assumed they meant recently, but when he asked, they said they left in 1971.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eye-duh-hoe
I was in Austin this summer visiting family and I still don't understand what all the hype about this city is. It seems to be rated #1 for many things when you read stuff online. One of the worse parts about it was the downtown. It was very spread out and didn't give you a downtown feel like many cities do. It was also too hot, muggy, and flat for me.
Many of us scratch our heads as well. Agree with you about downtown too.
That said, we had dinner with some out of town Vegan clients last week. They said Austin is their favorite city to visit because they can literally eat out every night and never have trouble finding a place that has food that fit's their dietary preferences. I'm not a vegan so I could care less, but to them it was a big deal.
I'm in a running club. On our Saturday morning long run send-offs, there are hundreds of us leaving in waves starting at 5:30AM. It's actually pretty awesome, for me, to have that enegry and such a large and active running community.
Same with Meetups, no matter your interest. The city has something for everyone, no matter your interest.
So there are some upsides.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IdaD
My take on it is that relative to the rest of Texas, Austin is nice. But Texas is horrible - flat, hot, massive sprawling cities, tornados, no public land, very limited outdoor recreation opportunities, high obesity rates, etc. Against that backdrop Austin looks really good.
But compared to the PNW? Not so much.
The one thing I will give Austin is it has a fantastic music scene, which goes much deeper than SXSW or Austin City Limits. That city is turning out some really good music.
True.
I guess for those of us for whom Austin has outgrown itself, we look dreamily for someplace that represents a "reset button" of sorts. A smaller, less frantic place that still offers most of what you want in a big city, but hasn't been ruined by mega-growth and sprawl. Then we want to become part of the growth that will eventually turn that place into what we left. I guess it's a vicious cycle.
I almost feel like I'll owe a big apology to the next great little city I move to, just for coming there. But I'll assuage that guilt by getting involved, doing good works, trying to contribute.
Steve, all of Texas is getting crowded. We moved here from north of Dallas last year and we aren't looking back. Your observations are spot-on. I went to school in San Marcos and I-35 is ridiculous these days.
I have relatives all over Texas including Austin. My Dad was born in Austin in 1931. I always call Austin the most "un-Texas city in Texas". I-35 between Austin and Round Rock is hideous. That being said, if you get out of the major cities, Texas is still an awesome state. Hot and humid but still a great place and you can't beat the BBQ in Lockhart and Luling!!!
Boise was never on our radar until our son started attending Boise State. I expected the surrounding areas and hillside to be more "scenic" but other than that, I fell in love with the area. I especially love all the parks and the river/ponds all over the city. We're coming to to town this Fall for a football game and we're going to be checking around a little bit further. Depending on if my wife decides to continue working, we would probably end up closer to McCall. White-water kayaking is going to be my next hobby
As a devoted whitewater kayaker, I welcome you to the greatest hobby in the world.
Be warned; however... this is not a hobby one can take lightly. The learning curve requires an extraordinary amount of dedication. Once you pass this threshold, it will not let go of you and you will always want to be on the river, every second of every day.
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