# Boise Idaho ???



## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

Hey Fellow Outbackers,

I have an potential opportunity for a job in Boise. I've never even been in that part of the country before so I have no info. I hear Idaho is a beautiful state, but that's all I know. 
Any Boisians out there that could give me some advise? What areas to look for housing, anything that might prove useful would be appreciated.

Regards, Glenn


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

We have family in the Haley/Ketchum areas and its beautiful. Id love the opportunity to move out there. 
I know this doesn't help you with your question but id be jealous!!

Good luck, if you do end up out there, enjoy !


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

We were there this past summer visiting family and it seemed like a nice area. Like anyplace when we were driving around there were good and bad areas. It's really hard to know which areas to avoid or which ones are nice and stable unless you live there for awhile. If you do decide to move there I would suggest you rent for 6 months or a year to get a feel for what areas you like.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Glenn I don't live and have never lived in Boise, so take what I say with that in mind. If you are into outdoor recreation its a great place, if you are looking for the big city life you probably won't find what you are looking for. From those that I have know that have lived there they said they felt very isolated, they may have just preferred the bigger city feel I suppose. Having moved around some, OR to WA to MO to CA to WA one thing I encourage you to do is take note of things you enjoy in your daily lives and look to see if those choices exist to the same degree or better. One thing I really hated about living in CA was traffic, highway, city streets, etc., you got nowhere fast. With that in mind as we looked to move that was a key thing for me, I didn't want to live anyplace with that much traffic (or people for that matter).

Good luck in you're quest, guess soon it will be GlenninIdaho!


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

My sister and her family live in Boise. It is a really nice big little city. Lots of big city amenities with a small town atmosphere. It is a college town - Boise State, and they have a AAA Baseball team. We've visited there a couple times since they moved there a few years ago from northern Idaho (Kooskia/Kamiah area).

Boise is a day's drive from the Oregon coast, Yellowstone/Tetons, Glacier, and a whole lot of beautiful National Forest areas (Sawtooth Wilderness Area, Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, Bitterroot, etc.). There are also all kinds of ski areas, camping areas, whitewater rafting (Salmon River, Selway, Clearwater, Lochsa, etc.), camping areas, kayaking, backpacking, and - did I mention - camping areas?

The schools there are progressive and modern - the real reason they moved there, as they are both teachers and my nephew is in 8th grade. But I will warn you that property prices are STEEP! As realtors will tell you, it all comes down to location, location, location. And Boise has a lot to offer if you want a modern city that is nestled in the single largest unspolied wilderness area in the 48 states. (There are more people living in the city of Chicago than in the entire state of Idaho.)

If I had my pick of places to live - Boise would be very high on the list. (And not because my sister lives there - but because she lives there, I know quite a bit about the area - for someone that has not lived there.)

There is a nice campground in Boise - River's Edge, I believe - where you could park the Outback for a week or so while you check Boise out. That's what my sister and bro-in-law did, and they decided to stay!

Good luck with your decision.

Mike


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Knowone mentioned the lovely ice storms this area of Idaho gets quite a few times in winter. I have run accross I 84 so many times and had freezing rain and terrible slick roads all the way accross Idaho. Been stuck in blizzards around Burley way to many times.. But thats not a bad thing, its just southern Idaho.

All of southern Idaho is crop and tater country.. Its very agriculture oriented, lots of sileage, alfalfa, sugar beets, potatoes, and veggies come from this area. Its farm after farm from Twin falls to Boise. Lots of dairy, and cow stuff to. Ive hauled potatoes or potato flakes bound for as far away as russia, and the far east from this area.

This area is also known for manufacturing too. Lots of lil factories.

From Boise you can see the mountains off to the north when its clear.. But southern Idaho is for the most part flat with the pretty mountains we all know of Idaho being off to the distance to the north..

One other thing is in summer the I84 stretch accross Idaho is hot and higher in humidity than many parts of the west... But thats why there is so much aggy stuff goin on. Still everything is irrigated though..

The snake river is beautiful though.. Northern Idaho is awesome.

Idaho has never been very friendly to us truckers, so I dont care for it much as far as driving a semi accross the state.. Those dang guys at the ports always want money for something, they are picky.. Shoot they charge us about 50 bucks to even pull a new RV accross I 90 between Mt. and Wa.. I feel thats a rip off. What is it, 60-70 miles? Almost a buck a mile just to cross the state..

All I can say, is its far from the freedom and low taxes you have in Texas and friendly southern hospitality from what Ive learned.. But again this is my opinion.. It will be a change from Marble Falls, Tx.

Not meaning to make any mad, but your came here asking opinions.. This is mine.. Sorry.

Carey


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Well Carey There are always two sides to a coin but it sounds like you just covered the knurled edge of the quarter. Unless Glenn is going to be trucking there that is.

Glenn, Boise has a lot of potential but please tell us where you will work as it can make a BIG difference in where you live. Traffic to and from some of the growing areas such as Eagle are a real mess.

Weather, yes you can have freezing rain but you do not really have much for snow or accumulation in the Boise valley. The location does not lend itself to a lot of rain at any time of year due to the mountains to the west of Boise.

Since you live near Austin you may find that Boise is a lot like Austin, the Boise metro area has about 650,000 (200,000 in the city limits) with Austin having 700,000 they are about the same size.

Google Map the area where your new job is. They have street view on line for much of Boise.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

If you don't take the job, can I?








I'd like to be closer to the Rockies


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## WACOUGAR (Dec 20, 2006)

Regarding property prices, it's all relative to where you are coming from. Personally, being from the Seattle area, I would give anything for the property prices and property tax rates of the Boise area. Idaho also has cheaper gas than Washington by about 30 cents per gallon.

Anyway, Idaho is a beautiful place and I have heard a lot of good about Boise. It is an up and coming area. We have been to Couer d' Alene, Kellogg, Wallace, and most recently I visited Moscow with my daughter to see the University of Idaho. I was very impressed by that area.

Good luck with your decision. I think if you like camping then you will love Idaho.

Kelly


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

Thanks all for your responses.
We are not likely to try to live within the city limits, we prefer to be out in the country more. Right now we live on 10 acres 50 miles out of Austin which is where I worked. The location of the company is in th eNorthwest quadrant of the city, not far from Eagle. The camping and sightseeing opportunities really excite me. I've also looked at the cities demographic data and that seems to be on the good side. Don't like the idea of cold weather and ice, my blood has thinned quite a bit since moving to Tx. We too have moved around a lot in our livetime so this isn't new. Each move is an adventure. 
One thing I noticed when looking at the atlas is that south of Boise, there seems to be nothing, few roads, few towns, just white space. What's up with that?

Again thanks for the feedback, all info is valuable.

Regards, GlenninLimbo


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Guess I'll weigh in with what little (very little) I know...

There are many parts of Idaho, particularly the northern panhandle, that are absolutely gorgeous. Truly God's country. But my impression, from the few times I have passed through, is that southern Idaho is a whole different kettle of kipper. As has been mentioned earlier, it is flat, dusty, hot, windy and really a place that to me is an area to get through as quickly as possible. Admittedly, my impressions are pretty much limited to the I-84 corridor, and I have not been into Boise proper for even as much as a fuel stop, but that is the impression that is stuck in my mind. As far as what Boise is like as a city, or place to live (schools, culture, etc.), I really have no experience, and no thoughts to offer.

Now that said, you don't have to go far to enjoy the really great parts of Idaho. The Sawtooth mountains, Ketchum, Sun Valley (if you are a skier), all fantastic areas for a person that loves the outdoors. And the further north you go, the better it gets. And, as also mentioned earlier, you are a days drive from some of the most spectacular sights this country has to offer.

So, I think Boise is definitely worth a look, as the area has much to offer. I would just be surprised if Boise itself knocked your socks off. When considering any move of this magnitude, I would recommend investing in a plane ticket and at least a weekend, and take a look around for yourself. See what your own first-hand impressions are, and then go from there.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

GlenninTexas said:


> Thanks all for your responses.
> We are not likely to try to live within the city limits, we prefer to be out in the country more. Right now we live on 10 acres 50 miles out of Austin which is where I worked. The location of the company is in th eNorthwest quadrant of the city, not far from Eagle. The camping and sightseeing opportunities really excite me. I've also looked at the cities demographic data and that seems to be on the good side. Don't like the idea of cold weather and ice, my blood has thinned quite a bit since moving to Tx. We too have moved around a lot in our livetime so this isn't new. Each move is an adventure.
> One thing I noticed when looking at the atlas is that south of Boise, there seems to be nothing, few roads, few towns, just white space. What's up with that?
> 
> ...


There are ranchettes around Eagle but the cost will be very high. Going out 50 miles you will find it costs less but the drive into town may wear you down, I know it would get to me.

All that blank area on the map is mountains. There are roads but not the flat straight type you see in Texas. You can take your camper on many of them but you had better scout it out first.


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