Is Bloomington a better place to live than Boise, Id

[emathias]

I'm curious as to why you'd choose between those two.

I live in Chicago, but was born in Boise and my parents still live near it.

I would think you might actually prefer somewhere in Oregon or Washington State west of the Cascade mountains. If you don't want to live in a big city, but want access to at least a mid-sized one, perhaps a place like Newberg, Oregon, or Salem, Oregon, or Olympia, Washington. None of those are huge, but they're close to either Portland or Seattle for times when you want access to a place with a little more variety or an international airport.

Another option, one that would leave you a shorter flight for trips back to Ireland, would be some place like Rhode Island, Massachusetts or Connecticut.

[h2ohzrd]

I've lived in both places. They are different as night is from day and I guess it depends on what you like to do. Here's my take:

Outdoor activities - Idaho has B/N beat by a landslide. Skiing, fishing, biking, rafting...all sorts of things. And the scenery out west is spectacular. Five hours to Yellowstone, 4 hours to Jackson Hole.

City life - Idaho wins again. Alive after 5 in the Grove is a great place to be after work. One of the best farmers market I've ever been to. Plenty of bars and restaurants. Hiking trails along the Boise River. B/N gets a little boring and if you want diversity you would have to travel to Chicago.

Winter - I'm a warm weather person and I would take Boise over B/N in a heartbeat. Not much snow in the valley (but the mountains can get over 450"/year) and that which does fall is very light, low moisture snow. Seriously, I used a leaf blower to clear my driveway. That being said, they don't use salt in ID to clear the roads....they use sand. Expect to repair your windshield every 1-2 years.

Summer weather - Boise gets hot but dry. B/N gets hot and humid.

Precipitation - Approx. 11" annually in Boise. Around 37" in B/N.

Air quality - Definitely B/N. Boise gets terrible inversions, especially in the winter.

Cost of Living - property taxes are much cheaper than B/N. Gas about the same. Groceries about the same. For being in a high desert, water in Boise was much cheaper than B/N.

Golf - My passion...B/N has Boise beat by a mile. Courses are readily accessible and inexpensive.

One last thing. Boise is the most remote large city in the U.S. It's a 6 hour drive to everywhere - Portland, Salt Lake City, Spokane, Seattle, Reno.

"Idaho is a very libertarian state with a live-and-let-live attitude." Uhhh, not sure I would say that. Maybe it's that way in Idaho's panhandle but the folks in the Snake River Plain / Treasure Valley are very conservative.