Boise ice skating and family areas (Meridian, Kuna: lease, homes, safe area)

[newtothesun]

I have a few questions about the Boise area. I've looked through many threads but don't see answers to my questions...I haven't looked everywhere though so I apologize if this is a repeat.

We are planning to move to the Boise area from Phoenix AZ. I have two daughters that love to ice skate and that means we end up at the arena at least three times a week. Is Idaho Ice World really the only ice skating facility around?

We would like to be somewhere with more green/trees but need to be near Boise for business reasons. Are there areas that are better or worse for this? We love the look of the northern foothills area but our budget is going to be more like $300,000 or so. We do plan to rent for a while (a lease option would be ideal) just to get a feel for things. Our business needs won't have us downtown every day - more like once or twice a week...so the commute isn't a huge factor but we don't want to be 90 minutes away either.

We love the idea of a bit of land, but I don't want a fixer upper of a house...we have enough on our plates right now I'd give that up for the right area/price with a decent sized private yard.

I homeschool our kids right now, only because they had some terrible experiences with the school they were in. I would like good schools, but am a big believer that we can get out of that what we put in. Of course a safe area is important.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[zedd]

Idaho Ice World is indeed the only public ice facility available in the area.

[BoiseCam]

Hi New. The North End and the Foothills area are on the pricey end if you don't want some sort of fixer upper. It is do-able for $300K, but you're probably not going to get the land that you would like. Southeast Boise has good schools and there are some areas on the outskirts where you may be able to pick up a half acre lot or so for $300K. Commute-wise, you're not going to be 90 minutes away anywhere in the valley. For more land, you might have to look at South Boise, Kuna, Star, or maybe some of Meridian.

Zedd is right, Ice World is the only facility. It does have two rinks and has a decent amount of public skating, but we could use another one for the Boise-metro area.

Are you going to be visiting up here any time soon?

[newtothesun]

Thanks so much - I thought maybe I was missing something...Boise is a pretty large city to only have one ice skating rink! We are going to try and fit a 'look around' trip in in April or May. Is South Boise a bad thing?

[newtothesun]

I'm reading about other areas near (or maybe they are in?) Boise, like Kuna, Meridian etc. No ice rinks in any of those either?

[zoso1979]

Originally Posted by newtothesun

I'm reading about other areas near (or maybe they are in?) Boise, like Kuna, Meridian etc. No ice rinks in any of those either?

Nope, Idaho Ice World is the only year around rink in the valley. The Village in Meridian has/had a winter seasonal temporary rink over the holidays.

SE Boise has a lot to offer. It has good good neighborhood schools and is not nearly as traffic congested, both on the streets and in the stores. There's also a lot variation in the landscape that in my opinion makes it a bit more physically attactive than Meridian and South Boise.

Sounds like you need to find a good realtor to assist.