Nampa info? (Boise, Meridian, Eagle: short sale, house, neighborhood)

[BoiseBound2012]

Oh...and we have Lake Lowell!

Canyon County - Parks, Recreation & Waterways

Nampa also has a GREAT rec. center that rivals any good gym, incl. a rock climbing wall. Subdivisions, along with farm country, a beet factory (smells like peanut butter when you drive by...weird), and some dairies that give off a nice little aroma now and then, when the wind is right. That's the price you sometimes pay for open spaces.

AND, this is wine country! :-)

[motomac]

Like BoiseBound2012, I also live in Nampa and am perfectly happy with my choice. I retired in 2011 and we moved here. There are plenty of stores scattered all about, and we probably go into Meridian or Boise maybe once every two months for shopping that we can't do here. Being retired means no commuting, so I can't speak on that. The few times I've been caught in the Boise/Meridian "rush hour", I can honestly say that it is nothing compared to virtually any other metropolitian area anywhere in the U.S.

Housing in Nampa seems to be either the 1950's small homes with small yards, to 1990s-onward larger homes with larger lots (and obviously larger price tags). After looking around the whole metro area, we felt that we would get more house for less money in Nampa. We have a new-ish house with a little less than half an acre, that sits on the Wilson Creek greenbelt that runs for several miles through town. It's peaceful and quiet, low traffic noise but lots of birds chirping away.

The only real drawback about Nampa is the sugar beet processing plant that is on the north side of I-84. If the wind is from the north, there can be a noticeable smell. For some reason, women seem to be bothered by the smell more than men. It doesn't bother me a bit, but my wife thinks it is disgusting. There is probably one day out of twenty that we can smell it, and that's only during the season when they're processing the beets.

There is good medical facilities in Nampa (St Luke's just built a new hospital here), and if you need some specialist that isn't here in town, they're generally available in Meridian (about 20 minutes from my house) or downtown Boise (30 minutes away). I think the medical services here are great and have no complaints at all.

So, when you arrive and start looking around, don't overlook Nampa. It has a lot to offer.

[Everdeen]

I would live in Nampa. My husband wanted Boise, though.

He works in Nampa, so his commute is the opposite of the traffic flow.

My primary residence is still in another large metropolitan area, and the crime there is horrible. People talk about the crime rates in Nampa and Caldwell being higher, but it really, it's negligible. Even within Boise there are different neighborhoods and people can be very specific about where they live. I asked someone one time if they lived close by and they replied, "Oh no. I live on the North End." Which, btw, is only 15 minutes from the house we bought.

[motomac]

Originally Posted by Everdeen

I would live in Nampa. My husband wanted Boise, though.

He works in Nampa, so his commute is the opposite of the traffic flow.

My primary residence is still in another large metropolitan area, and the crime there is horrible. People talk about the crime rates in Nampa and Caldwell being higher, but it really, it's negligible. Even within Boise there are different neighborhoods and people can be very specific about where they live. I asked someone one time if they lived close by and they replied, "Oh no. I live on the North End." Which, btw, is only 15 minutes from the house we bought.

Well, okay....I guess. Unless there was a possibility to move to a Boise position in the future, I don't see the logic behind living in Boise and commuting to Nampa. However, I can see where some people would want to live near the downtown because there's more happening there.

Saying one lives "in the North End" is a bragging point for many, used to establish ones place in the overall scheme of things that make the world go round. I've always found it best to ignore that comment, lest I be tempted to reply with "Oh, I'm sorry....."

I'm guessing that you are still living elsewhere at the moment (hence the quote from Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" album). Hope you can join us in Idaho soon...

[VandalsLOL]

While saying you live in the North End is and can be a bragging point, it is unquestionably one of the nicer areas to live in the entire state, if not anywhere. The home prices reflect that.

I can see how it's not for everyone - small, more dense lots, old houses, etc. - but there really isn't anywhere in Canyon County that even compares.

[lovecda]

I wouldn't rule out Nampa. There are nice low-crime neighborhoods, both new and old. I lived there twice. Growing up until middle school, and again during my university years and shortly thereafter, ending 8 years ago. Throughout that time, the places to avoid due to crime were the areas just north of downtown across the railroad tracks and to the west toward Caldwell. Aside from those, I felt safe walking at night in virtually every area of Nampa without fear of a drive-by shooting, mugging or other violent crime. Let's just say, there were no bragging rights for living in the "north end" when I lived there--I assume the reference now means the new (to me) neighborhoods out toward the Idaho Center.

Growing up in Nampa, hardly a week went by without hearing about some sort of major violent crime in the north end of the town, whether it was a drive-by shooting or someone getting shanked with a broken bottle for looking at someone else the wrong way in Karcher Mall (actually witnessed the second as a child). By the time I moved to Nampa for school as an adult, things had calmed down considerably.

Apart from the crime in the above areas, Nampa was a nice place to live. Living there as an adult I rarely found myself needing to go to Boise for any reason, except perhaps once or twice per year to go to the Boise Towne Square Mall or the Boise airport. Of course, I grew up in Nampa and have a distinct distaste for larger cities like Boise. I avoid them whenever possible even now.

Since moving from Nampa, I have made a number of friends in law enforcement or who were formerly LEOs in Idaho, and have learned that due to the Nampa/Caldwell reputation for crime, cars with 2C (Canyon County) plates do tend to be "profiled" in other parts of the state, so mind the traffic laws.

The other concern about Nampa is the smell. Nampa has a distinct set of odors to it. Depending on where the wind is coming from, you have a choice of dairy farms, sugar beet factory, or meat processing plant. A friend of mine who also lived in Nampa once described the combination of smells as "a skunk roasting a marshmallow, peanut butter, and canned dog food sandwich." It's not quite that bad. You get used to it quickly enough.

There are good and bad aspects of living in Nampa, but for my money, it is without a doubt the best place to live in the Treasure Valley.

[VandalsLOL]

North End = Boise, not Nampa.

[benchfan]

Thanks for weighing in, Nampa peeps! This is a nice thread for those researching the area.

There are some great south Nampa neighborhoods not mentioned here. Dallan Woods, The Islands, and Middlecreek subs are three that are top of mind but there are several others.

[lovecda]

Originally Posted by VandalsLOL

North End = Boise, not Nampa.

That makes far more sense.

[Blackbird O'Malley]

To me, the main reason I chose to settle in Boise and not Nampa was just the energy of the two cities. Nampa has the feel of a small town in the country, and many of the Nampa people I've met have prided themselves on being a little bit country. Meanwhile, Boise has a more city-like feel to it, like you have alot of people here (especially downtown, in the North End, and on the Bench) that enjoy being around things, being able to bike instead of walk, hanging out in city parks by the river rather than out in empty fields on the outskirts of town, and generally are just cityfolk living in a small city.

There's nothing wrong with either mindset, country people are great and so are city people, but there's definitely a different "feel" to Nampa and Boise (and if you really love sterile suburban living where everything is hard to get to AND overpriced, there's always Meridian).