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This is probably a long shot, but it seems that people on these boards know a lot about many places, so maybe someone can help me out!
My husband and I live in Grand Junction, CO with our 2 year old son (and have a baby on the way). We've lived here for a year, moving from central IL. While we love a lot of things about CO, we have an urge to move. A few reasons:
-HOUSING. This is a major reason. Housing prices are going up by double-digits here, and even if we wanted to spend $250k on a home, you can only find small homes built in the 70's, spotty neighborhoods, and that are lacking a nice community feel. I do know, from looking at craigslist and realtor.com, that the Boise area has beautiful new homes, a few older homes, and a lot of places for young families to find other young families. I don't know that I need a lot of input on this one. lol. Rentals are IMPOSSIBLE To find here and the cost of buying keeps skyrocketing. We miss owning but aren't eager to do it when we'd be spending a premium to own a dump.
-Things to do? We're in a town of 50k-ish, and while it's growing rapidly, there is no good shopping, no nice museums, etc. I also want to go to grad school and know that Boise has a few options in that aspect. Any input on how much there is to do (esp for families) in Boise?
-Weather is roughly the same, right? Maybe a bit harsher in the winter, I would assume, but we're from Illinois. We can handle it. :P Does it get this ungodly hot in the summer? (90-100 every day from May to September).
-Taxes? Property taxes are really low in CO (at least compared to IL...usually under 1000 a year here). State income tax is pretty average. How about Idaho?
-Politics? We're liberal but don't mind living in a red state as long as we don't feel like the other side is hostile or rude. There are over 3 times more Republicans than Democrats in our county, but everyone coexists well and there never seems to be a rude majority.
-Outdoors? My husband is an avid hunter and we love hiking, which there is a ton of here. What about Boise?
Basically, we're looking for a safer, family-friendly, more affordable place with decent shopping, resources, and activities.
Wow.. well this is just my opinion.., i prefer Grand Junction and you probably would too!.. When we went to yellowstone we passed threw there and it was amazing we stayed there for 2 days thats a great city! deff going back.
As it appears you've noticed Boise is home to over 200,000 people while the Metro is well over 600,000 so it is quite a bit larger than Grand Junction. Naturally, shopping, resources and activities are greater with a greater population.
But for a small-medium size city Boise has most of what you're looking for such as outdoor recreation, relatively safe, shopping, commerce, etc. Most cities in the Valley are VERY family oriented and have various activities year round either via church, community groups, or the town itself.
Be mindful of where you live and work because the whole area is growing and congestion is a problem. Compared to LA or other large cities as people often unfairly compare it to it is nothing but coming from a smaller community it may be a bit much. Example: I worked with a lady who moved her family to Boise from Bozeman, Montana and they left in six months because Boise was too big and they viewed traffic as horrible and that was 5 years ago.
Grand Junction:45,299 Metro:189,923
Boise:211,473 Metro:643,650
Grand Junction's Metro is near the population of boise city proper.
But in grand junction.. the schools are the great!, the shopping malls are spectacular
Big Plus.. if your also in for a little bit bigger "mid-sized city" there is albuquerque.. full of rich culture and great economy with awhole lot more to offer.
Albuquerque:518,271 Metro:835,120
Considering all of your questions, Boise would be the extremely obvious choice. Grand Junction is a nice little town, more comparable to say Twin Falls than Boise, but GJ is really small, really isolated. In Boise you have more outdoor options between desert and forest lands, more shopping options, more eating options, more of everything.
Boise is a lot larger than GJ, but still manageable.
bradly- it IS beautiful here! It's a very small town, though, and surrounded by a lot of nothing (people-wise...there's obviously a lot of beautiful things to see, just no shopping, museums, etc.) I love the things around us (the Grand Mesa, the CO Natl Monument, the proximity to amazing towns and mountains) but it all gets a little dull after a while when you're yearning for the things that, right now, we can only see/do if we want to drive 4-5 hours to Denver or Salt Lake. Also, the crime rate is a bit high here, especially violence and sexual abuse towards children, sadly. And with the huge population boom, traffic is no picnic here either! And the town has such a history of booms and busts (and we're currently in a major boom) that buying property when we know it's not our "forever home" is pretty scary. However, the downtown is really fun, the surroundings are unbeatable, the people are friendly, and it's been a really really fun place to spend the past year. I can see why a lot of people love to call it home (especially people two incomes, as I'm a SAHM and housing is expensive!! :P ) but it doesn't quite fit everything we were looking for.
But since you're obviously familiar with both, maybe you can help me out a bit more? What do you think I would dislike about the Boise area? It's helpful to get an opinion from someone who isn't 100% in love with Boise!
Considering all of your questions, Boise would be the extremely obvious choice. Grand Junction is a nice little town, more comparable to say Twin Falls than Boise, but GJ is really small, really isolated. In Boise you have more outdoor options between desert and forest lands, more shopping options, more eating options, more of everything.
Boise is a lot larger than GJ, but still manageable.
GJ IMO has the more interesting topography. Boise deserts are plain,drab and not too interesting, while the desert country around Junction (what the locals call it) is wonderful red rock (which I never even saw until leaving the NW)
You are close to Moab, the Grand Mesa, not too far from the Rockies around Aspen, San Jauns etc
There is a really nice ski area outside of Junction as well (Powderhorn) which gets better snow than Bogus during most seasons(I have skied both)
As far as the towns go-Boise is a wonderful city in many ways. I have not spent too much time in Junction, so cannot comment. But I am sure Boise gets the nod for shopping,dining etc
Both are hot as heck in the summer and fairly mild in the winter-but Junction is probally sunnier over all.
I lived in Grand Junction for about 6 months back in 2003 and thought it was a nice place, beautiful area. Both areas have great scenery but I really appreciate that Boise is so close to so much pristine wilderness. Boise is nearer more spectacular alpine scenery than Grand Junction and great skiing is not too far away. Of course this is just my opinion but I consider myself an advocate for the outdoors and wilderness and the areas near Boise are among some of the most pristine and spectacular anywhere. If you want to spend the afternoon at a high glacial mountain lake and then sit in a natural hot spring along a river, and then enjoy a great dinner or art gallery, then Boise would be your choice You would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful ski area than Brundage in McCall which is a quick drive from the valley.
To really appreciate the desert scenery around Boise you need to leave the valley and head into the Owyhee Mountains and Canyonlands which are just as spectacular if not more so than the desert around Grand Junction and the great aspect of the canyonlands in Southwest Idaho is that they are not over run by tourists, the Owyhee is not as developed, crowded or accessible as the lands around Grand Junction. The Owyhee canyons also have rivers, so whitewater trips are popular in the Spring. The Owyhee Outback is considered one of the most amazing desert canyon landscapes in the Americas and has areas of Mahogany forests, pine forests, and juniper forests. But we are an easy day drive from Moab if that is your fix during the winter months.
I am an avid mountain biker and prefer the rides in Southwest Idaho over Western Colorado and Moab, Utah. If I want the desert fix I head to the Owyhee Outback, and of course the alpine experience is at Boise's back door. The desert canyonlands and tables in Southwest Idaho have hues of pink, red, black but not as red as the deserts around Grand Junction.
These are just my opinions. People are very opinionated about landscape and scenery and I am no different in that regard.
You will need to consider the difference in size of the cities. Boise is a big city compared to Grand Junction.
JLS715, pm me if you would like more information regarding hiking/biking around Boise.
Last edited by TohobitPeak; 07-21-2008 at 06:56 PM..
bradly- it IS beautiful here! It's a very small town, though, and surrounded by a lot of nothing (people-wise...there's obviously a lot of beautiful things to see, just no shopping, museums, etc.) I love the things around us (the Grand Mesa, the CO Natl Monument, the proximity to amazing towns and mountains) but it all gets a little dull after a while when you're yearning for the things that, right now, we can only see/do if we want to drive 4-5 hours to Denver or Salt Lake. Also, the crime rate is a bit high here, especially violence and sexual abuse towards children, sadly. And with the huge population boom, traffic is no picnic here either! And the town has such a history of booms and busts (and we're currently in a major boom) that buying property when we know it's not our "forever home" is pretty scary. However, the downtown is really fun, the surroundings are unbeatable, the people are friendly, and it's been a really really fun place to spend the past year. I can see why a lot of people love to call it home (especially people two incomes, as I'm a SAHM and housing is expensive!! :P ) but it doesn't quite fit everything we were looking for.
But since you're obviously familiar with both, maybe you can help me out a bit more? What do you think I would dislike about the Boise area? It's helpful to get an opinion from someone who isn't 100% in love with Boise!
Well true, true, but i still in ways lean towards grand junction..mmm boise..well well i have been there twice and when i was there, people were nice and some where rude =/ but i guess that happens in every city. Its nice in boise i loved the shopping there and hiking..traffic not to bad , i'm from albuquerque and tell me about boom..here the boom is still booming and i think it will be that way for awhile.. i like it here its a nice place you should look into it too
I've lived in Boise during my university undergrad years (1980's.) Sure it has grown leaps and bounds since then, so I'd be hard pressed to comment on the growth of that city since I moved away. I liked it then however when it was app 100,000 pop. It had enough shopping and things to do.
Considering Grand Junction now for a retirement locale. The draw is the median housing price is affordable and its arid sunny climate. But the violent crime rate is Colorado's highest among all of its cities. Not a positive spin for an otherwise promising destination. That alone is deterrent to keep me looking for somewhere else to set my sights on for retirement. (Sigh...)
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thats a great city! deff going back. 
What do you think I would dislike about the Boise area? It's helpful to get an opinion from someone who isn't 100% in love with Boise! 
