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There are so many variables. I'm retired and have time to enjoy where I live. Younger people would likely see it differently. I find that people born here do not see what I see -- same old same o!d... I moved here purposefully ten years ago and chose not to live in the inner city. I was looking for something different. Things were new and different. Different culture, climate, diversity, food, architecture, scenery, recreation. There was a challenge and a learning curve. Talking to other retired transplants, I get the same positive reaction. Younger transplants have to struggle a little more but see the potential. This could be one of a thousand places but the experience might be much the same based on regional factors.
Most cities, unless economically depressed, are generally full of life and an abundance of opportunities. No place is going to magically make you happy long-term. What you get out largely depends on what you put into it. Be nice, meet people, make friends. Get involved and be active. It takes work.
We love where we live and enjoy it everyday. I wouldn't call Boise a tourist destination, though it's starting to become known and I'm seeing more visitors. In the winter we go skiing, sledding, and snow shoeing. Typically this involves a quick trip up the mountain to our local ski resort (Bogus Basin), though we also enjoy making weekend trips to other resort areas. The trails are finally drying out so I'll soon be mountain biking again even though our ski resort is open until May this year, so I'll probably bike and ski and hike some days. We're in multiple groups at our church, so lots of mid-week meet-ups. Lots of one-on-one coffee time and/or neighborhood walks with friends and neighbors. Plenty of great restaurants and brew pubs. Lots of cultural events around town. We're coming up on the season for festivals and street fairs, which is always fun, almost always something most weekends. Once the river level drops (closer to summer) I'll be on the river a lot fly fishing. I often ride my bike to the river to fish, but sometimes I like to head into the mountains and desert for truly wild areas: North, Middle, and South Forks of the Boise River; Payette River; Owyhee River. After most of the snow melts it's backpacking and camping season. During the hot summer months we'll play pickleball in the cool mornings then during the heat of the day bike to the nearby swimming beach or drive to one of the many lakes or rivers or hot springs. When I'm tired of biking the foothills I'll head to Bogus and ride the lifts with my bike. We'll also make several day trips to Emmett to pick fruit. Fall is hunting season and the best fishing. And as things cool off we'll go wine tasting at the many wineries around the valley, enjoy the fall colors, and dream about the coming ski season.
I have no idea how anyone can be bored here, though it's not for everyone. [Seriously, don't come here just because you heard it's the next hip place, it's not a big city and you're probably not going to like it if you don't enjoy the outdoors.]
I’m sure not, but then again I moved where I am for family purposes, and certainly not out of any burning desire to ever live here. I don’t do winters, there’s a huge chunk of the city which is essentially ghettos, on and on. To be fair, the pizza is great and there’s a fairly vibrant indie (not chain) restaurant scene, so although I don’t always like the cuisine choices here, it’s been my experience that it’s hard to find a low-quality plate of food here. Summers are mild and there’s a LOT of public/open space and lots of festivals as well, so it’s not all bad, but…in general, no, I am most certainly not having fun here.
Where I did have an awesome time is where I grew up in the SF Bay Area. Granted, I didn’t have to adult back then, but house prices hadn’t skyrocketed well past $1m, either. Great canyon roads for driving, awesome weather, beach about an hour away or skiing three hours away. All the different foods you could possibly think of…the list goes on and on and on.
Minor and college league baseball Jan-Aug. Birdwatchung all year. Safe and walkable day/night. Bus routes. International airport 3 hours by Greyhound. College library. Small-town friendliness. Afordable.
I’m sure not, but then again I moved where I am for family purposes, and certainly not out of any burning desire to ever live here. I don’t do winters, there’s a huge chunk of the city which is essentially ghettos, on and on. To be fair, the pizza is great and there’s a fairly vibrant indie (not chain) restaurant scene, so although I don’t always like the cuisine choices here, it’s been my experience that it’s hard to find a low-quality plate of food here. Summers are mild and there’s a LOT of public/open space and lots of festivals as well, so it’s not all bad, but…in general, no, I am most certainly not having fun here.
Where I did have an awesome time is where I grew up in the SF Bay Area. Granted, I didn’t have to adult back then, but house prices hadn’t skyrocketed well past $1m, either. Great canyon roads for driving, awesome weather, beach about an hour away or skiing three hours away. All the different foods you could possibly think of…the list goes on and on and on.
Spend some time in the SE Quadrant(particularly Park Avenue, SouthWedge, Monroe Village, Swillburg and NOTA(Neighborhood of the Arts), Charlotte(includes a beach on Lake Ontario) and Downtown. Keep in mind that the city is only 35.6 square miles, which is small for a city in a metro with over 1 million people(Rochester NY, btw).
I think your question has much more to do with a mindset than it does the city.
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