What do you love and hate about living in Idaho? (Boise: homeowners association, attorneys)

[goldenwings]

Originally Posted by MrJester

I spent 10 weeks during the summer in Idaho Falls.

Pros:
1. Very conservative, pro-gun (I spent another ten weeks the following summer in a very conservative suburb of New Orleans, and even there wasn't as pro-gun as Idaho Falls).
2. Relatively safe
3. Friendly people
4. Melalucca fireworks
5. Affordable real estate
6. Very similar, culturally, geographically to California. Really just a colder, more conservative version of the Central Valley in California. (And yes, California has its own mini-Yellowstone, called Lassen Volcanic Park.) Now Louisiana was a whole different culture from either California or Idaho.

Cons:
1. Far away from the ocean
2. Brutal winters (so I've heard)
3. Too dry in the summer (I actually enjoy humid heat). The dew points are always below 55; I prefer dewpoints near 80 (which is why I enjoyed spending the following summer near New Orleans). Even a 95 degree day in Idaho Falls can cool off to the 50s at night; that's too chilly in the summer for me. I liked being able to walk outside in Louisiana before sunrise and it being almost 80 degrees. Also, it's a real bummer that there's hardly any summer rain in Idaho Falls to cool you off. And because of that, there's hardly any greenery in Idaho Falls (not talking about Yellowstone or the Tetons) in the summer.
4. Boise is probably better, but Idaho Falls was very run down. I had never seen a higher concentration of payday loans in my life (there were some in Louisiana, but paled in comparison to Idaho Falls.)
5. The food is hum-ho. "Idahoan" food is potatoes (what's so special about that?) New Orleans has jambalaya, crawfish, po-boys, red beans and rice, fried okra, oyster rockefeller, etc. Fine, my home state of California doesn't have any distinctive Californian cuisine, either, but at least they have authentic Chinese food on par with what you can get in China.

Having grown up in California and living here in the treasure valley for 5 yrs, I agree with you on the lack of good ethnic food. Its around but the restaurants are not as plentiful as other cities I have lived in such as Austin and Denver. Idaho was never know for its urban appeal but they are trying to make improvements. That Austin Tex-Mex never appealed too much to me- I grew up on authentic Mexican food in Southern California and they just dont have it here. The taco trucks and little side joints just dont compare! I will say that the quality of life in Idaho with our low cost of living and beautiful weather more than make up for that IMO. I dont mind all the influx of new people coming into Idaho from all over the United States. I think it keeps things fun and interesting.

[Syringaloid]

The dining scene in Boise is in a completely different realm compared to Idaho Falls.

Here are just a few of the numerous articles highlighting Boise's evolving dining scene.

https://www.vogue.com/article/boise-...d-travel-guide

http://www.orangecoast.com/oc-traveler/idaho-travel/

[i_love_autumn]

Originally Posted by TheDisillusionist

Well, if you think Tex-Mex food is the same as real Mexican food, I can see how you'd be disappointed. But if you're looking for something besides a cheeseburger in a taco shell, Idaho's Mexican food is awesome. Have you tried looking for it in Nampa and Caldwell? Boise has a few hipster-taco restaurants that do not qualify as Mexican food in the least. We also have good Colombian, Peruvian, and Argentinian restaurants.

LOL, I have never had authentic Mexican food, but I lived in both Texas and Arizona and I absolutely LOVE Tex-Mex! ♥♥♥

[michaeltx9412]

Originally Posted by TheDisillusionist

Well, if you think Tex-Mex food is the same as real Mexican food, I can see how you'd be disappointed. But if you're looking for something besides a cheeseburger in a taco shell, Idaho's Mexican food is awesome. Have you tried looking for it in Nampa and Caldwell? Boise has a few hipster-taco restaurants that do not qualify as Mexican food in the least. We also have good Colombian, Peruvian, and Argentinian restaurants.

Okay, having lived in Northern Mexico (Coahuila) for seven years, Mexican food in Idaho sucks. In Texas, you have San Antonio and all those border towns nearby where you get the "real" Mexican. Idaho is like 90% white and no doubt why just every category of cuisine in that region sucks. As a Korean, I wasn't able to find a good Korean either. I couldn't stand the lack of diversity of the Boise area. It just wasn't for me. Most of my Asian folks hated living there.

[mustangjoey]

Originally Posted by michaeltx9412

Okay, having lived in Northern Mexico (Coahuila) for seven years, Mexican food in Idaho sucks. In Texas, you have San Antonio and all those border towns nearby where you get the "real" Mexican. Idaho is like 90% white and no doubt why just every category of cuisine in that region sucks. As a Korean, I wasn't able to find a good Korean either. I couldn't stand the lack of diversity of the Boise area. It just wasn't for me. Most of my Asian folks hated living there.

Right, because white people hate good food.

Why is it that whites (mainly white conservative males) are almost always the supposed racists, yet hating an area that is mainly white is ok? Are we working toward being a color blind society or not? I personally don't care what color my neighbors are, as long as they're good people.

It doesn't sound like the local cuisine is your biggest issue.

[Big_Hitter]

Originally Posted by mustangjoey

Right, because white people hate good food.

Why is it that whites (mainly white conservative males) are almost always the supposed racists, yet hating an area that is mainly white is ok? Are we working toward being a color blind society or not? I personally don't care what color my neighbors are, as long as they're good people.

It doesn't sound like the local cuisine is your biggest issue.

he does have a point - the ethnic food here is generally terrible, well except for the basque cuisine

we did finally venture out to kuna and ate at enriques - decent, but not spectacular - definitely the best mexican place in the valley

if it were in houston and close to my house i'd go there occasionally but there are far better mexican food places

[Syringaloid]

There's actually a great newer Korean restaurant on Vista Ave called Mr Wok. One thing to keep in mind is the Asian population is one of the fastest growing ethnic populations in Boise and Idaho and I've seen more Asian restaurants opening around town. The new Trade Viet store on Overland and Five Mile is worth checking out. It seems like Vietnamese/Pho restaurants are popping up all over town. There are plenty of Yelp reviews for these restaurants and many comments from people who have moved here or visit from larger cities comment that the local restaurants stack up to the larger cities.

This is coming soon: https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/...196836569.html

Work starts on Asian supermarket at Boise's new Chinatown mall

As is this: https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/...215087485.html

Korean BBQ restaurant to open soon in Boise

A few new Indian restaurants have opened recently that I have not eaten at yet, but there are two downtown and one of them is just as good as any Indian I've had in larger cities with larger Indian populations. Mount Everest Momo Café on Broadway is also really good.

MADRE - Boutique Taqueria in the Lusk District near downtown is delicious and the owner/chef has been nominated for a James Beard award.

The choice of ethnic restaurants has really grown the past few years and this includes small restaurants that refugees have opened.

[mustangjoey]

Originally Posted by Big_Hitter

he does have a point - the ethnic food here is generally terrible, well except for the basque cuisine

we did finally venture out to kuna and ate at enriques - decent, but not spectacular - definitely the best mexican place in the valley

if it were in houston and close to my house i'd go there occasionally but there are far better mexican food places

I don't think I'd have disagreed with something like, "The ethnic food in the Boise area isn't as good as other places" or even "The ethnic food in Boise sucks in general." I think my problem is more that (s)he seemed to have more of a rant about the percentage of whites, how almost all cuisine sucks and how much his Asian friends hated it.

Boise may not be for everyone, but I don't think the cuisine was the main issue. But, I guess everyone has a right to their opinion.

I now have Enrique's on my list of places to try out.

[Big_Hitter]

Originally Posted by mustangjoey

I now have Enrique's on my list of places to try out.

some good food there for sure!

[Treasurevalley92]

Enrique's is pretty good.

Carniceria Coalcoman on Fairview near Orchard is actually pretty good last I had it.

I currently live in Dallas which has incredible food of all types, but I don't think Boise is too bad for "Ethnic" food.

You can't compare it to Houston. Houston is the 5th largest metro area in the country, well known as a great food city and the city of Houston (not even the metro) is like...two times the population of all of Idaho.

Compared to other cities it's size Boise has pretty decent food selection. I mean there is a half way decent Ethiopian place on State....

There is some pretty good Indian food as well. Not as much selection as the suburb where I live right now where the Indian population is larger than the city of Eagle, but for Boise's size? Not bad.

The Basque food in Boise is good and unique. I haven't found a single decent Basque place in Dallas.