What's it like living in Star? (Boise, Nampa: new home, neighborhood, to buy)

[LS35a]

I've been looking hard to buy a house in Eagle (Legacy) but it looks like it might not happen.

How far away is Star from Meridian? Not sure I want to drive 20 minutes just to buy groceries.

Any comments welcome.

[RotseCherut]

Little boring, more chickens than people, but otherwise it's safe, quiet and nice town, not far from Boise or Nampa. THe commute into Boise can be a bit long with some traffic. It's been a few years, so I would only imagine it has gotten worse. One thing I didn't like about Star was no freeway access.. So, if you commute every day to Boise you will have to consider that. I don't recall the commute to Nampa being bad, it's all country driving and not a lot of traffic that way. You are about 30 minutes drive to downtown Boise, so Meridian should be a bit closer. You could also do shopping in Nampa or Eagle, as well.

There is a nice health food store within the town of Star and a cool little market that sells food and gun supplies

P.S.
I notice you live in Hayden, are you moving away because of the job situation? Hayden is a very beautiful area and wouldn't mind living up that way one day.

[LS35a]

Originally Posted by RotseCherut

Little boring, more chickens than people, but otherwise it's safe, quiet and nice town, not far from Boise or Nampa. THe commute into Boise can be a bit long with some traffic. It's been a few years, so I would only imagine it has gotten worse. One thing I didn't like about Star was no freeway access.. So, if you commute every day to Boise you will have to consider that. I don't recall the commute to Nampa being bad, it's all country driving and not a lot of traffic that way. You are about 30 minutes drive to downtown Boise, so Meridian should be a bit closer. You could also do shopping in Nampa or Eagle, as well.

There is a nice health food store within the town of Star and a cool little market that sells food and gun supplies

P.S.
I notice you live in Hayden, are you moving away because of the job situation? Hayden is a very beautiful area and wouldn't mind living up that way one day.

I'm retired. There is just not enough to do here. Summer is fine, lots of hiking and stuff. But winters.... pretty dull. I wouldn't mind if people here were more friendly, but they're not. So between nothing to do and no one to do it with I'm seriously bored.

It would be nice to have a choice of restaurant that isn't burgers, pancakes or pizza.

[FIGHTONSC]

LS35a,

My fly fishing partner and wife bought in a nice tract similar to Legacy in Star last year. I think the luster of living a bit more rural is starting to wear off though. When we had them over for dinner last week the missus mentioned that everything she likes to do is either in Eagle or Boise i.e. walk the green belt, shop, dine, etc.

Yesterday, when returning from a fishing trip, my partner alluded a bit more to me how he wished they had purchased in Eagle, rather than Star, now that the dust has settled.

My wife and I are both retired and very happy with making Eagle our retirement choice. She (wife) has great access to shopping, the hills, river/green belt and are exactly 1/2 hour from the airport when the kids and grandkids come to visit. I like access to the river for both my fly fishing and duck hunting. I also ride or walk the green belt everyday.

Everyone we have met here could not have been nicer or more friendly. My only complaint about Eagle is Eagle Road....it's heavily congested during the rush hours, but we are learning ways to get around the traffic.

So far, so good here in Eagle!

Best regards,

JR

[VandalsLOL]

I agree with the above poster re: Star.

I think if you're retired, or work from home, or don't work, etc., and want a small town, rural experience, Star would be great. I think for most people, there's simply not that much to do and it's quite a jaunt to get into downtown Boise, the airport, the mall, the freeway, etc. Groceries and gas wouldn't be that big of an issue, but the other things are a located more within the core, you're fighting a lot of traffic and surface street lights.

I say it time and time again, while I recognize that everyone's needs and likes are different, there are a few very unique things about living in the Treasure Valley, and most of them are in proximity to the river, foothills, and downtown Boise. When you live away from those things, you just won't take advantage of them as much as you think when planning to move here.

FightonSC lives in Eagle, and is able to walk the Greenbelt and fish the river everyday with ease. I can't impress how awesome that is, over being a 30-40 minute drive from doing those things (if that's up your alley).

[Starman2015]

We love Star. Moved here in August. Fred Meyer (groceries) is just 10 minutes away, Meridian about 15 to 20 minutes and downtown Boise is a 30-35 minute drive. We drive to those areas daily and have no issue whatsoever. We bought a new home in the Pinewood Lakes development and everyone we have met here has been very friendly. Good luck.

[BoiseBound2012]

I like it Star, I've been spending a little more time with friends who live there, and find it quiet, quaint and not quite as "in the sticks" as some claim.

Driving there this past weekend, I drove up 11th, through Centennial GC to 26 to Star Rd. Nice drive! Some lovely homes, with lots of land between...but what caught my focused attention, was one mid-sized, older home that looked like several tornadoes had deposited all the junk from the surrounding four square miles into the front, and side yards. I am fascinated with the personality that "collects".

Anyway, my friends both travel for work and tell me that it generally takes them from 30-35 min. to get to BOI, barring extreme weather or major accidents. And I've driven from Star to Eagle often enough, it's a straight shot East on State. Depending on time of day, yes, it can be busy, but depending on what you're used to, you may find "busy" isn't so bad.

Good luck, keep us posted!

[IdahoBroker]

As others have posted, Star is a bedroom community so there are limited entertainment and shopping options. Most people that live there commute to work elsewhere so they just shop on their way home or stay after work to have dinner instead of going back and forth.

Star is growing rather quickly for it's size based on being much more affordable than Eagle still. For example, I just sold a brand new home in Star last week that is 2484 sq. ft. 4 bedroom 2.5 bathrooms and a 3 car garage for only $270,000. The two previous homes I sold in Star were both for people moving here and retiring and they like the small town feel of Star.

You can pick up some groceries at the Star Merc but major shopping might be done in Boise, Meridian, Eagle or even going the back way to Nampa to the newer Costco there and avoid some of the traffic.

Hope this helps!

[LS35a]

Originally Posted by IdahoBroker

As others have posted, Star is a bedroom community so there are limited entertainment and shopping options. Most people that live there commute to work elsewhere so they just shop on their way home or stay after work to have dinner instead of going back and forth.

Star is growing rather quickly for it's size based on being much more affordable than Eagle still. For example, I just sold a brand new home in Star last week that is 2484 sq. ft. 4 bedroom 2.5 bathrooms and a 3 car garage for only $270,000. The two previous homes I sold in Star were both for people moving here and retiring and they like the small town feel of Star.

You can pick up some groceries at the Star Merc but major shopping might be done in Boise, Meridian, Eagle or even going the back way to Nampa to the newer Costco there and avoid some of the traffic.

Hope this helps!

What neighborhood was this, if I may ask?

[IdahoBroker]

This was a new home in phase 4 of Saddlebrook in Star on the north end of town. The subdivision is mostly built out but there are a few lots here and there still available scattered in the subdivision.