<p>For no good reason whatsoever, my wife and I have been wondering whether we might try living in Boise for a while. My limited impressions, never having been there nor known anyone who has, are that it’s like Salt Lake City, only less religious. Is that accurate? If not, then how not?</p>
<p>Yes, Kinda like SLC. Old part of town is kinda funky and nice. Then lots of newer sprawl. Mountains in the background–hot summers cold winters. I could live there</p>
<p>The Mormon church is a looming presence over all that goes on in Salt Lake. The non-Mormons who live there seem to be ski enthusiasts and a few other rebels, and they manage to enjoy the city in spite of the religious presence. Boise is the place in Idaho that people migrate to in order to escape a dominant religion, as far as I can tell. It’s more politically balanced, probably a bit less urban in feel, and a lot more like other mid-sized cities throughout the country. I have many friends who have lived there for decades, and they seem to love it.</p>
<p>I love Boise, and have for decades…It is beautiful and clean and energetic. I would love to build a log cabin looking over the hills and stay there for ever…
But, be aware that there used to be a white=nationalist, neo-nazi thing that had been going on in Idaho for the last two decades or more. Not that most people there accept it, but it’s been there. May be totally gone, but I would like to hear from locals that this is no longer a consideration…</p>
<p>^don’t worry, neo nazis have no presence in boise:)</p>
<p>I live kinda sorta near boise. There was a couple of racist flyers going around for some time, but that was at the college in boise and most definately does NOT reflect the mindset of people.
There are a ton of Mormons in Idaho, they even have streets named after people in the book of mormon, but thats not in Boise.</p>
<p>I think that Boise has a lot more diversity religion-wise, so you’ll be perfectly fine.
Meridian and Eagle would also be worth looking into.</p>
<p>Thanks for your comments so far. Please tell me more!</p>
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<p>Are you saying that there is a dominant religion in Idaho outside of Boise?</p>
<p>We lived outside of Boise many yrs ago.</p>
<p>It is a high plains desert. You will have snow in the winter and 100 degree days in the summer. However, since it is a desert you will have no humidity. Don’t fool yourself when it is 100 you can literally feel the heat coming up from the pavement as you walk.</p>
<p>Boise reminds me of 2 other cities we lived in. Raleigh/Cary, NC and Kansas City MO. It is what I would call a “new city”. It has the old districts, but has had a lot of growth in the past 2 decades, i.e. Cary, NC.</p>
<p>If you are an outdoors kind of person and want 4 seasons, than you will love it there. The Snake River is close and beautiful. </p>
<p>If you are coming from a metropolitan area and want to slow down life, it is the place to go. You will still have that “city” feel, but it actually feels more like suburbia in the city. </p>
<p>The one thing to realize is that once you leave Boise, it starts to become barren as far as life is concerned if you are comparing it to either side of the coasts…again high plains desert.</p>
<p>How does it compare to Klamath Falls or Spokane?</p>
<p>Klamath Falls…my moms uncles lived there. I recall going up for their 50th wedding anniversary, and having him critically comment on our Subaru–recalling that those “damn J***” sent him into WWII and took him away from his wife. Good thing we did not drive the BMW up there. Let’s just say he was a colorful individual who was not at all happy about a war he fought in 40 years before.
I am sure he is not representative of the population of KF.</p>
<p>But Klamath Falls is very pretty—and hot in the summer. Nice place.</p>
<p>Way better. Way.</p>
<p>Boise sounds awesome to me!</p>
<p>Mantori - In the rest of southern and central Idaho - except for the Sun Valley area - there’s a strong Mormon presence. I think in Idaho - as opposed to Utah - the smaller the town, the more the church’s influence is felt in politics, community life, etc. In Boise, there are still plenty of politically conservative types, but far less proseletizing than you get in smaller towns. </p>
<p>The area around Boise is stark, but gorgeous: big sky, bright sun and high plains, with stunning rivers and canyons thrown in for good measure.</p>
<p>Spokane is very different, IMO. It’s more woodsy, and feels like an older, more established small city than Boise. A bit more temperate climate, though it can get sizzling hot in the summer.</p>
<p>My company has an office in Hayden Lake, ID (Couer d’Alene basically) but I haven’t been. We can’t pry people out of there. I was in Couer d’Alene in summer (operative word being SUMMER) of 1998 when WildChild was at Junior Nationals track in Spokane and loved it.</p>
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Since you’ve never been there and this looks like an optional move, did you just throw a dart at a map or something to come up with Boise? It seems kind of odd and random (but perfectly fine).</p>
<p>I was wondering if anyone would ask that question.</p>
<p>My wife and I periodically get bored with wherever we are and start thinking about other places we might enjoy exploring for a few years. I’m fortunate to work in an industry (plastics) that’s nationwide, so I’ve been able to find a good job wherever we’ve ended up. Now that our son is out of high school, and our daughter isn’t in high school yet, we don’t really have any ties to our current location. So we’re just dreaming a bit. We’ve done big Midwestern city, small Midwestern city, tiny Midwestern town, and small Southern city. We’re thinking that maybe small Western city could be a nice change of scenery. But no hurry, just dreamin’.</p>
<p>Is Idaho Falls simialr to Boise?</p>
<p>My D was in Boise last summer for a month. We visited and I must say I liked it much better than I expected to. VERY vibrant downtown and city seems quite engaged in developing/hosting activities. Bicycles everywhere, lots of younger people, great farmers market every SAturday and a beautiful river running through the heart of the city. We were there in August and it was hot during the day, but I’m told that is the hottest month. </p>
<p>I couldn’t really tell about the feel in terms of liberalism vs conservatism, but the vibe I felt was a little more liberal than I thought. Also, more diverse than I expected.</p>
<p>Besides being a cool little city, as others have pointed out, it is fabulously located for winter sports. And the drive up the Snake River is stunning. Beautiful areas north of the city. If I were looking for a city to live in out west, I’d definitely consider it. One downside is that the airport isn’t a major one, meaning higher fares and fewer options.
And I know nothing about job opportunities in the area.</p>
<p>Idaho Falls–no. More of a farm town. Conservative Mormons.</p>
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That’s pretty cool! </p>
<p>Along the similar lines - have you looked at places like Medford, Oregon; Prescott or Flagstaff, Az; Santa Fe, NM; Colorado Springs, Co; San Diego (of course), …</p>
<p>I have been to Boise several times, but only in the summer. It reminds me of a large, clean, small town. Everything seems to have a new-ish feel. Please be aware that almost ALL of Idaho has a strong Mormon presence; which isnt apparent when you are just visiting. The more east you travel, the stronger the Mormon influence. The northern counties of Bonners, Kootenai, Benewah, and Latah have much less Mormon presence/influence. I was told Boise has the 2nd largest Mormon Temple in America. The folks I know who live in the Boise area tend to make frequent trips to Portland for cultural events, while enjoying the outdoor recreational activities in Ada and the surrounding counties.</p>
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<p>I agree with this description except the comment about sizzling hot in the summer. I dont remember a summer in the last 25 years when Spokane has had more than a handful of days when the temp was above mid-nineties, and it is never humid. Not being near a large body of water the evening temp always drops in the summer. </p>
<p>While I like Spokane, especially the older more established area of the South Hill, Coeur dAlene would top my list of the best places to live in the Inland Northwest. Actually, anywhere in Kootenai County would make my list. :)</p>