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I grew up in Boise and lived there till 2004, go back at least four times a year. About once a season really. lol. I live in SoCal now which isn't for everyone...a lot of people are leaving but I like it very much at the moment but realize I probably won't always live here and will likely end up in Boise at some point in the future.
Although I live somewhere else I have a lot of Boise pride. Not just because I grew up there but because it is a great place. As I've mentioned above it has a great outdoor lifestyle. The people are very friendly, which is good and bad. It slows things down for some but I assume being from the Midwest this won't be a shocker. Downtown Boise is great...obviously it doesn't compare to major cities but it is surprisingly vibrant with a lot of great restaurants and shops and it has the feel of a tad bit of Europe mixed with a bit of the Midwest while also being walkable and safe. Furthermore, Downtown Boise has great potential with several mid-rise and high-rise residential projects being built or planned, so it can only get better. Boise just has a great aura about it and it is sort of hard to describe. I love summers with the warm and light till 1030 nights. I love the outdoor dining, downtown or near the river.
The bad...well, above I described the City of Boise. The suburbs have grown at out of control rates and have caused the area to be very congested for a city it's size due to poor planning. I have much less love for the Boise Metro Area. Much of the outer cities are starting to look like the "cheap" sprawling suburbs of Los Angeles with the exception of Eagle which looks like high-end Orange County with river rock.The City of Boise seems to become more and more liberal all the time. However, for the most part the area is still very conservative. I am very fiscally conservative but socially liberal and I think the area is still pretty "red" in the social department. This may be a pro for you, I'm not sure. People will argue that Boise is liberal till their blue in the face because Boise is voting for democrats. Sorry, glares and stares say more than votes and in many cases this is naiveity rather than hate.
Otherwise it is a very nice place to live. I was sort of over the winters but I'm spoiled and you should find Boise winters pretty mild. Although this winter was terrific in Boise...I spent two weeks there and it snowed almost everyday and made me miss what I consider a true winter. That is far better than the inversions you have probably read about.
The political views in Boise is a small concern of mine. I consider myself to be pretty liberal in most matters. Although I can definitely identify with fiscal conservatives as well, just not social conservatives. I don't mind and could even agree with most Libertarians, I could not say the same at all about most Republicans. I realize that most states out west are fairly conservative except the coastal states, I'm not too worried about that unless there are an abundance of right-wing zealots living there or something. I can handle the live and let live attitude, but I can't handle the other people telling me how to live attitude of many conservatives. And as long as the people of Boise are not anything like the bible-belt conservatives of the South, I think I will be just fine. What is it like in ID outside of Boise though? How conservative is ID? I can look at a red/blue state map all I want but that doesn't really tell me much. I did notice that Obama won a huge majority in the ID caucuses, which is a good sign I think!
Idaho is very, very Republican, with a pretty strong libertarian bend. At times it's extremely annoying, but I do like it in a perverse way because it does keep the population down a bit.
Boise isn't as Republican as everywhere else, but there is still a very strong good ol' boy Republican network here, and if you let that type of stuff bother you, you'll likely find Boise very stifling. The politics here are about as subdued as they can be, though, so it's not really in your face, at least socially. It's kind of hard to describe, because it's not exactly a tolerant place, but it isn't intolerant either. The same sort of thing politically - Idaho seems to be a very ambivalent place politically, it seems. Politics here does impact your life and the way you life if you tend to be on the margins anyway, but otherwise it's just something you deal with.
Boi2socal hit it right on with her analysis of Boise. I absolutely love downtown, the river area, East Boise, the North End, the foothills, the BSU area, and parts of Parkcenter, but the rest of it can fall off the face of the earth for all I care. Seriously - there is almost nothing redeeming about any of the Boise metro area once you get west of 36th/Veterans Parkway, or south of Overland. It's sprawl, it's nondescript, it's poorly designed, congested, and just plain forgettable. I try to never leave the areas of Boise I love, because I really do get annoyed when I do.
I don't like the way we're growing, or the way we're planning (or not planning) our growth. I don't like the very corporate, pro-business mentality Boise tends to have, and the winters and springs tend to be a bit long and chilly (not cold). I don't like our absolutely dependency on cars to get everywhere. But other than that I absolutely love it here, more than anywhere else, and I hope I never have to leave.
6. Cost of housing will be very affordable for you- at least for now it is. Two years from now, I couldn't say, as that seems to be when you're thinking of relocating. Condos are readily available and you should have no trouble finding what you're looking for. As of late it seems like they can't give them away, but some of that is due to housing being so affordable, so people choose the house over the condo. They will become more expensive as you get closer to downtown, but that's a given for obvious reasons.
Speaking of Downtown, are you familiar with movement down there? Another chat board claims everything sells so quickly and developers are "stupid" for downsizing projects. But what I see online shows another story. Prices seem to be WAY high considering I can get a new condo in a tower in San Diego for not much more than a condo in downton Boise. I've considered buying in the area but don't want to pay a high price because of a temporary fad.
So, also speaking of downtown Boise, how livable is it? Are there lots of condos/apartments? Is it overly expensive? Assuming one did live in downtown Boise, are there places to shop, eat, etc that would be conveniently located to housing? Without having to go through too much research, can anyone give me an average condo price for a nice area in downtown Boise?
So, also speaking of downtown Boise, how livable is it? Are there lots of condos/apartments? Is it overly expensive? Assuming one did live in downtown Boise, are there places to shop, eat, etc that would be conveniently located to housing? Without having to go through too much research, can anyone give me an average condo price for a nice area in downtown Boise?
www.boisecondosandlofts.com - Boise condos, lofts, and real estate including downtown market insight. will have some info for you about condos and prices in downtown. Check the newspaper for apartment rates.
To answer your question, downtown is very livable and blends into the surrounding neighborhoods and many are historic areas. Downtown and those neighborhoods are extremely easy to walk in and through and downtown is full of places to shop, eat, etc. Boise has small city blocks and narrower streets than a lot of other Western cities, so walking and exploring downtown and the neighborhoods is a breeze. Many citizens walk, jog, or ride bikes.
Last edited by TohobitPeak; 03-10-2008 at 08:37 PM..
So, also speaking of downtown Boise, how livable is it? Are there lots of condos/apartments? Is it overly expensive? Assuming one did live in downtown Boise, are there places to shop, eat, etc that would be conveniently located to housing? Without having to go through too much research, can anyone give me an average condo price for a nice area in downtown Boise?
Definitely use the resource above. I love Downtown Boise but I am shocked at condo pricing. There are a few projects that start in the upper 100s/lower 200s on the outskirts of Downtown but most in the core are 300s plus. But compared to the rest of the area is very convenient and has many shops and eateries. Recently many national retailors are coming into Downtown Boise, mixing with the local shops. One tower will actually have a Whole Foods Market at it's base.
Thank you both for your input. Does anyone actually live or has lived in downtown Boise that could maybe share their experiences? I'd love to hear some first hand stories of what it was like living downtown.
While I haven't lived in any of these new condos they've built downtown, I have lived in two apartments downtown - one a complex, the other a converted house.
I will admit it's quite a bit louder than anywhere else I've lived - both places didn't insulate the sound very well. You hear a few more sirens blaring about, cars revving by, people hollering. It's not anything like you hear in larger cities, but it is louder than a house in the suburbs. Of course, that goes without saying...
Parking hasn't been a hassle, nor has vandalism or crime.
While I enjoyed being close to everything, downtown Boise was remarkably empty of any shopping, be it groceries or anything. I still found myself having to drive to Winco or Target or whereever. It's gotten better lately, but you'll need to spend more money to do it, as most of the downtown shopping is more expensive. This is sort of the catch-22 for me - I really don't like support large retailers and big box stores, but at the same time local stores are so much more expensive. I've been able to support the local businesses better as I've made more money (I was a student when I lived downtown), though.
It might be more trouble than its worth with kids and/or pets, but you can still find great places very close to downtown that are more pet and child friendly than the new condos they're putting in.
Thanks Anchorless, my wife and I don't have any children, and don't plan on it either...or at least not for quite some time if we do have any. So the child friendly factor wouldn't really be a concern for us. I would be more concerned about shopping, dining, banking, etc being convenient and walkable from housing areas. Pet friendliness would be much more of a concern for us, as we will be getting a dog.
I agree about supporting local businesses, I do whenever it is economically feasible for us to do so. I avoid Wal-Mart altogether if I can, but I do end up shopping at places like Target, Kohl's, & Best Buy. Also I tend to get groceries at larger chain grocery stores, but I wouldn't be opposed to doing so at a local corner grocery store provide there was a decent selection and it was affordable.
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What is it like in ID outside of Boise though? How conservative is ID? I can look at a red/blue state map all I want but that doesn't really tell me much. I did notice that Obama won a huge majority in the ID caucuses, which is a good sign I think! 
