Mixed bag of pros and cons- just too conservative.
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12/13/2019
Moved here on Veterans Day 1998 and have very mixed views. 3.5 Stars. Reviewers are generous with praise and derogation. With it's shortcomings Boise is still a pretty good city. But keep in mind that Idaho is the LOWEST PAYING place from the Mexican border to the North Pole, has poorly educated kids, shuns diversity, aches from growing pains and has unexpected pollution.
Traffic--- Depends on tolerance. Drivers here are goofy; they slow waaaay down when it sprinkles, get in the wrong lane then have to race you to the next light and cut you off, and there are slowpokes and dragsters making things less than smooth. Downtown a charlie foxtrot of epic proportions. That said, people are pretty good at letting you in-assuming you are polite and use blinkers. Growing pains are torture with constant construction in town and on the freeway. Road construction is TERRIBLE here with unfinished jobs EVERYWHERE ALWAYS! Contractors start the job to get initial payment then disappear. But don't speed, there are plenty of police in Boise. On that subject; Boise police are fairly typical, if too visible. The officers I've dealt with were professional, serious and generally real people. Not afraid to chat and a benefit to the community, any controversy notwithstanding. Just too many.
People--- A weak spot in the Boise picture is the nature of the locals, IMO. Not a deal-breaker, but most Idahoans are hyper-competitive conservatives. Still, there are some nice folks- and overall much nicer than Midwesterners. Boise is the most liberal place in Idaho, and still very conservative with their typical focus on children, family and religion-but not outsiders, cultural diversity or spirituality. Taxpayers foot the tax bill for dozens of LDS Palaces worth many billions. Idaho definitely isn't the most conservative state, but is the most Republican voting state in the US, and that is attracting a rush of California conservatives with buckets of cash for houses. Idaho state politics are the pits- a good-ol-boy clan that plays hardball-BE WARNED. Not a good place for critters, indeed, any stray wild animal that crosses into city limits is blown away for "public safety". It's fairly legal to abuse your pets here, but if you are caught with a used roachclip expect to be processed, fingerprinted and looking for a bondsman. There are a lot of people; we wait in line often, but it's usually tolerable. Forget the water park-it needs to be 5 times bigger. Everyplace is busy and needs help. Wages are slowly creeping up for service workers who have climbed above minimum wage for the first time, but can still make $5/hr more 50 miles west in Oregon.
Climate---is middle of the road, IME. Too far from the coast to be mild, but still pretty good. Spring and Fall are wonderful with 2 weeks to 2 months of sunshine, mild temps and unbeatable conditions. Fall is the best. Winter and Summer each last 4 months and tolerance will depend upon a person's experience. Winter has possibly taken a hit from climate change; they are much cloudier and a bit windier and cooler than 20 years ago. Precipitation is likely the same, and it's often dry in winter, snow usually melts and sublimates but it can stick around for weeks under inversion. White Christmas about half the time, and there is a decent (but packed) ski hill that opens around Thanksgiving. Winter temps usually run from teens n 20s mornings to 30s n 40s for highs. Below zero every other year. Summers are warming and maybe too hot for those from the coast with highs 90-100 every day for 3 months. 15-20 days of triple digits. Dry as a bone in July and August. Lows around 60 at night because of low humidity and good for sleeping.
Pollution---is a surprising detractor here.
Air pollution of some sort year-round. Ozone, carbon monoxide and soot from vehicles, regular winter inversions, grass/tree/sage(!) pollen, wood smoke, forest fire smoke, ag dust and other nasties give us the second worst air in the US, behind LA. A COPD nightmare that will worsen. A true dealbreakerfor sensitive people.
Noise pollution depends where you live, but most people have plenty. We live a half mile from I-84 in the approach path (7 miles from) the super busy airport. We get very low flying commercial aircraft, transport aircraft, military fighter jets, and the most helicopters you will ever see in any city under 1M. Sirens can be heard probably 30 times a day and traffic noise from hundreds of giant compensator diesel pickups roaring WFO everywhere. This place vibrates! The areas under the foothills are quieter, but you pay in traffic.
Light pollution ruins the night sky, and under inversions the night sky glows bright enough to read outside (if you could breathe outside). Homeowners are rudely oblivious to their light profile, so home buyers need to look at the prospective home at night.
Water pollution is an issue in any agricultural valley, and Boise gets mediocre numbers. Depending where you get the water it can be anything from great to bad. We have a well pulling water from a shallow aquifer and it has calcium making the hardness bad, we use filters and it is top-notch. No odors or bio cooties.
I highlighted the negatives intentionally. People know what they don't want better than what they do want.
Boise has enough positive aspects to offset the negatives, IMEO. It's clean, safe and stable. Outdoor recreation abounds (bicycling is very weak). The weather is pretty good, traffic a do-able challenge and the people are all over the map. Too far from the ocean for weekend concerts or NASCAR. Lots of places to eat, shop and play. Really great place to visit if you live within a few hours and really not a bad place to live that has an estimable future.
[Edited: After reading the reply, I feel it prudent to respond. The Idaho Humane Society and other local shelters are fabulous, indeed. The best placement numbers in the nation for dogs at one time, and cats do very well also.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund listed Idaho, Hawaii, Kentucky, Mississippi and North Dakota as the worst states for laws protecting pets. Cruelty, neglect or abandonment of animals in Idaho and only 2 other states is NOT a felony. Police animals get far better legal treatment. Attitudes are slowly improving as Idaho becomes more diverse from others moving here.]
Jay | Boise, ID