Mixed Bag
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6/15/2006
I lived in Boise 10 years and moved to the Denver area 2 years ago. I like it much better in Denver. I spent most of my 20's and first part of my 30's in Boise. While statistics indicate the education level is high with college education the degrees are predominantly from Univ. of Idaho or BSU. It's kind of an inbred thing - the area needs more diversity and more ideas in business, education, government, and the social fabric. BSU is essentially a four year Jr. college - its strongest programs are nursing and education. I wouldn't (and didn't) get an advanced degree there - that's why I moved to Denver. I completely agree with a previous poster that it would be a great place to live being married. Being single there was not fun. Intelligent conversations and single, intelligent females without kids were scarce. Lots of single moms. The Boise pattern for 20-30 year olds is to marry young, have a couple kids, get divorced, and start college when you're 30. People are into their dogs - the dog must go everywhere with them so they can fuss over the dog. I also found a cliquish atmosphere among the Boise natives. The religious component is strong enough to effect your personal life (even if you aren't) and possibly your business life. It's predominantly LDS, but even other religions were somewhat in your face. The neighborhoods are definitely not homogenous. You can find a $400,000 house next to a mobile home and anything in between next to one another. I owned a house on the east side of Boise and I'll think at least twice before owning another house in a subdivision again - anywhere. If you're an apartment renter expect to get screwed on the deposit when moving out - unbelievable - even the carpet cleaning guy was complaining about it when I left. High wage employment is thin unless you own your own business, are a doctor, a lawyer, or are in sales. The semiconductor plant supposedly has higher salaries, but generally sounds like a miserable place to work. I lived there for 10 years, but ultimately found that the so called quality of life advantages did not justify the low salary. New graduates in Denver are making as much as or more than I was in Boise after 10 years (in the same non-tech field). A friend of mine just moved to the midwest and got at least a $25,000 (50%) jump for a similar position and cost of living. A low salary can definitely restrict your recreational opportunities. Although Boiseans are quick to throw the 4x4,
Bret | Golden, CO