Do you feel like everyone is mentioning Boise these days? Seriously, a brief scroll through Google will show you that everyone from Forbes, Jetsetter, Livability, Thrillist, and Lonely Planet is talking about why you should visit or relocate to Boise.
If you love mild weather, great cultures, and the excellent outdoors all at a cost that is much more affordable than many of the United States, try moving to Boise. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in the Pacific Northwest.
It is one of those unique locations that offer big-city features for a small-town price. Things in the City of Trees move a bit differently and moving here from another city can feel like a tough task.
Fortunately, we’re available to guide you through the process. And if you are hoping to find more information on relocating to Boise, continue reading to find out why everyone is moving to Boise, what we think about this up-and-coming city and other information about the city.
1. The Natural Beauty of Boise
The first thing you will hear about the reason why people are moving to Boise is its great access to natural beauty. If you are a nature lover, you will find Boise a great place to live.
During the winter, there is a local Bogus Basin to enjoy all your winter recreation, the foothills for unstoppable hiking and mountain biking, and the great Boise River that flows across the city for tubing, kayaking, and fishing.
Not to talk of other wilderness in Idaho that is just a short road trip away. You can get to one of the tallest dunes in North America in just 1-2 hours; relax in a natural hot spring, or check out a 60-ft waterfall swimming hole. Boise is perfect for those who want to enjoy the benefits of the natural world.
With that, Boise is a high desert city. Although it is nicknamed the “city of trees,” avoid being fooled to think that Boise is a lush forest town. You will need to visit Northern Idaho if you hope to enjoy that kind of atmosphere.
2. Boise is Affordable
The city is highly affordable if you moved here in the past 5 years. Sorry to break it to you, but while Boise was one of the places to get affordable homes, the situation has changed over the years.
Home prices in Boise have increased dramatically, and it is now one of the trendiest real estate markets in the United States.
The average home price in Boise as of February 2020 was $255,490, an increase of 11.25 percent from last year. With that, living in Boise is still highly affordable than other expensive cities in the Pacific Northwest. In general, the cost of living in Boise is 1.2% below the country average.
3. Boise is a Mid-Sized City
The population in Boise is estimated at 228,780. We feel that the number is great and that is not too much. Definitely, with Boise as the fastest developing city in the country, those numbers are increasing by the year.
The population in Boise increased by 18.2% in 2010 – 2018, and the population is increasing by about 2 to 3% every year. Interested in crazy info? There is a prediction that Ada County will 2040 have more than 1,000,000 people. Ada County surely consists of more than Boise, but there is no saying that Boise’s population will stop growing.
4. Boise is Highly Car-Dependent
You likely want to drive all the time when you live in Boise. Even with the fact that there is just one freeway in Boise, commute times are below the national average. The freeway has more exits with traffic jams during rush hour.
Unlike any other car-dependent city, such as LA, Boise is a great place for drivers. In addition, Boise always ranks high among Allstate’s Safest Drivers in the U.S, so that is also a perk. Aside from driving, there are not so many great options for getting around Boise.
5. There are Great Neighborhoods in Boise
Everyone wants to feel right in place in their community, but in the obvious north, east, and west locations, there are only a few places with excellent neighborhoods. The North End is a place to find the hottest locations of the city, consisting of beautiful older homes as well as great restaurants.
The East End is situated in the Foothills and offers closeness to a lot of the natural attractions in the city and some of the highly expensive, up-scale homes in Boise.
The Boise Bench is an up-scale area and is located south of Downtown. It is one of the most commonly known developing (yet fairly affordable) areas in Boise. And the West End offers fairly priced suburbs that provide easy access for residents to walking and biking trails in Boise.
6. Dynamic Food Scene
It is not that Boise doesn’t have a good food scene or doesn’t have to serve delicious varieties of meals; it just doesn’t have it in abundance, yet. We also understand that with the increasing development of Boise, there is a huge possibility of a great food scene. There is currently a new 19,000 sq-ft food hall that will be opened downtown in no distant time that will majorly concentrate on renting to local businesses.
There are many great restaurants situated in the downtown area, but they mostly don’t have different food options. There are lots of places to get craft beer, healthy eats, as well as overall American fare.
There is surely a popular craft beer scene, attractive up-and-coming wineries, a lot of coffee shops, and two great farmers’ markets that open up during the spring.
Boise may not be among the list of full foodie cities yet, but given small-time, it will write its name on the list of great places to dine.
7. Boise is so much Safe to Live
Regardless of where you live, there will always be some type of crime, but it is necessary to have some views as regards choosing the meaning of the statistics you hear. The crime score in Boise is a strong 25 out of 100 as reported by Neighborhood Scout. That may seem pretty bad, but it is much better than most major cities.
The crime rate in Boise is 10% lesser than the average of the country and lesser than 28% of cities in the country. It is also important to know that crime has been reducing in Boise for the past 10 years. Regardless, it is important to remember that “crime” doesn’t mean “violence”. Just 10% of crimes in the city of Boise are violent.
When comparing cities’ safety, Boise ranks as one of the safest. So, now that you no longer have anything bothering your mind, let us discuss creativities in Boise.
8. There are Lots of Creativities in Boise
When you have a city filled with a thriving arts scene, and creative endeavors are accepted as well as appreciated, we believe this is worth considering as a major factor to the vibrancy of the city. The art scene in Boise is very fantastic. It is a great place for people who are creative and are looking to live among creative people. When you walk around the downtown area, you will find Freak Alley, which is the NorthWest’s largest outdoor gallery.
You will also see the Boise Art Museum, The Boise Jazz Society, the Idaho Shakespeare company, and many great music festivals that find their way in the spring and summer. Treefort, a five-day indie rock festival, is the most popular concert and it covers the entire downtown Boise.
Also, there is Garden City (a city on its own and not in Boise) which is a hipster neighborhood that offers an urban feel together with a bustling live-work-create community, together with great restaurants, wineries, and galleries.
9. Access to Urban Amenities
Boise provides access to everything you could want. Excellent hospitals, thriving local businesses, an international airport, wide selections of restaurants, community events, Boise State University, and all the big box stores you could ever wish for.
10. Things to do in Boise
You may not find Boise exciting at first look, but the city has many more things to offer other than trees and affordable housing. Of course, there is a lot of hiking, skiing, and biking to do here. Some of the best options are highlighted by RootsRated. This Boise is also a great resource for finding nice things to do.
Boise, similar to most cities increasing in popularity, has a nice selection of bars to select from. Spacebar Arcade, the Neurolux Lounge, and Boise Brewing are some local favorites to check out. You also importantly need to know that Boise has a bustling music scene, which is kind of under the radar.
11. Low Traffic
Ask a new resident if there is traffic in Boise and you will get No as an answer, but the reverse is the case when you ask a longtime resident. It is difficult to get anywhere these days. We don’t know how to describe it to you, but the traffic in Boise is not bad. We understand that if you reside here, you would experience a change in commute times, but when compared to the rest of the country, commute time is on the low side.
The United States Census Bureau stated that drivers spend a median time of over 25 minutes in their vehicle. The average commute time in Boise is 17 minutes. The only time we ever experience traffic in the city was in the neighboring cities of Nampa and Meridian. Will traffic in Boise get worse? Maybe! It is evidence of a developed city.
Pros and Cons of Living in Boise, Idaho
Let’s summarize the pros and cons of living in Boise.
Pros ✔
- Genuine, friendly people
- Low Traffic
- Low unemployment rate
- Varieties of outdoor activities
- Burgeoning food and wine scene
- Mild weather
- Family Oriented
Cons ✖
- Increasing growth and house prices
- Air quality
- Low diversity
- No quality public transportation
If you have been attentive to our former summary posts of the cities we’ve been to, you will understand that we have some major “wants” from every city we visit.
Things to Consider When Living in Boise
Hey, you finally made it. You are done with the stressful parts and you now reside in Boise. Now there are a few more instantaneous things you need to look into before you can completely get over your moving mode.
- Voter Registration: This should be your highest priority anytime you move. You may have heard it all before, but voting is highly important and also your civic duty.
- Driver’s license: If you will be driving in Boise (which is almost certain) you will need to update your license.
- Interstate vehicle registration: If you are coming with a car, this is how you switch your plates.
- Trash & Recycling: You need to also read the information here to ensure you know how to dispose of your garbage
- Meeting people and Doing things: Meeting new people in a new city is highly tricky, but there are many resources to assist the process altogether. Meetup is a nice way to make a new connection with new people like minds and relationships in Boise will keep you in the loop on what is happening in the city.
Now That You Are Set To Relocate To Boise
In summary, if you are in search of natural beauty, affordability, a great food scene, human-made beauty, diversity, creative culture, low traffic, access to city amenities, chemistry, a mid-size city, and community feeling, here you come.
Make use of our moving cost calculator to estimate your relocation costs to Boise. In addition, if you are moving from another state, make sure you check out our interstate moving guide for further information and tips. If you are ready to move and need a trusted mover, our long distance moving companies will help.
