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Tell me about Boise, Idaho

Discussion in 'North West' started by StainlessSteelRatt, Aug 19, 2023.

  1. Dec 25, 2023 at 3:05 PM
    #21
    FishWolf

    FishWolf Well-Known Member

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    There really is lots of stuff to do and see in Idaho, one of the reasons its been the darling of the real estate world for awhile now
     
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  2. Dec 25, 2023 at 3:08 PM
    #22
    SwollenGoat

    SwollenGoat Onwards and Upwards!

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    I used to be a hardcore mountain biker, used roadie bikes to train. The odd thing about that road is, even being named after an Olympic cyclist, is the curb they ran down the shoulder. Not much room for error and dealing with traffic.

    The Ridges to Rivers trail system is great, little too crowded for me though. Don’t really ride the mountain bike all that much anymore. The dirt bike bug bit, and the bicycles sit. The single track here is world class.

    IMG_3658.jpg
     
    Last edited: Dec 25, 2023
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  3. Dec 25, 2023 at 3:15 PM
    #23
    SwollenGoat

    SwollenGoat Onwards and Upwards!

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    Have been there often, usually hit it about 4 times a year, have been all over the Owyhees. Love that you can start in the desert then hit alpine.

    E6BF4781-218E-474E-85CE-8D39A901E1A6.jpg
    IMG_4112.jpg
     
  4. Dec 25, 2023 at 3:27 PM
    #24
    SwollenGoat

    SwollenGoat Onwards and Upwards!

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    Think the only people who complain about not enough to do is the big city type. I can see that, but the outdoor activities are second to none. Don’t really care for the valley, too many people, too much traffic, etc, however it is a good base staging area for getting up into the mountains or out in the desert. That is the other thing, real easy to get to both depending on the mood. The Owyhee reservoir and Leslie Gulch area reminds me of Arizona, head up into the Sawtooths that reminds me of Colorado or the Sierras. Little bit of everything here, and yeah why it has become so popular.

    The Idaho City 100 20 plus years ago is what turned me on to the State. Similar trails to Colorado, but less expensive, less crowds. Of course not quite the case anymore. We used to go Snowboarding/Mountain and Dirt Biking in CO. Was on the list, but Idaho won out.
     
  5. Dec 26, 2023 at 9:45 AM
    #25
    JMcFly

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    the local parks are pretty nice for walks and chilling in the grass when its summer. My wife is from Boise and I've visited a few times. Its a nice town, Id consider living there.
     
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  6. Dec 27, 2023 at 5:47 AM
    #26
    CLT_Rick

    CLT_Rick Well-Known Member

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    We've been in Boise for just over a year - it is a good town, lots of potential. Spring/Summer/Fall are amazing...winters will depend on where else you've lived. I don't mind it, my wife hates it...short days (opposite of excellent long summer days) and the inversion no joke, grey low clouds for weeks. We bought a camper last summer and enjoyed Sawtooth's...think we got up there 5 times and also up near McCall. Ridge to Rivers trail system is excellent, Green Belt is a true gem...we hop on and ride into downtown to hit the food truck park on weekends or to great selection of breweries. Real Estate is still crazy...not quite the sunup from 2020-2022, but you'll pay a premium and the jobs here don't support the price. Boise River is great - I've taken up fly fishing and can be on the river in <10 min for a quick few hours.

    Downsides...anyone that says food is good has never lived in a large metro, although good priced, food is pretty not great with a few (very) exceptions. If you're coming from another mid-size / small-size city, I think you'll be happy. Extremely low diversity...if that's your thing, you'll be happy, if you like all the things that come with diverse population (food, art, etc.) then you'll likely find it a bit bland.

    BL: I love it, my wife does not...I suspect we'll head back to desert SW within 2-3 years.
     
  7. Dec 27, 2023 at 6:23 AM
    #27
    anthemAnathema

    anthemAnathema Well-Known Member

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    I found it funny how bent out of shape "locals" got about pronouncing it Boy-see. I have a bunch of family from Boise, most of who left in the 80s and 90s. They most certainly do not pronounce it Boy-see and would roll their eyes every time I did.

    Anyways, I lived in Boise 2016-2019. Mountain biking is phenomenal, as long as you don't mind fast flow with zero tech. Something like 140 miles of single track accessible from in-town trailheads, can ride from town up to the ski resort all on trail (or road if so inclined) and back again.

    Bogus Basin is awesome and cheap, but the weekends were trending shit show the last two winters I was there, can only imagine it's gotten worse.

    We bought a house in 2016 for $220k, sold it in 2019 for $370k. I think that insanity peaked, but damn.

    There is amazing camping and recreation around Idaho. We bought a 3/4 ton truck with slide in camper and spent almost every weekend with nice weather camping near Stanley, Sun Valley, or McCall and would take longer trips to Bend, N. Cascades, Salmon, Missoula, CDL on longer weekends. This was by far the best part of Boise, the amount and variety of outdoors within 3-6 hours of driving is unrivalled.

    Downtown is surprisingly nice with great restaurants. The Basque district is a true gem. Controversial opinion: Idaho microbreweries suck, but luckily a lot of places have good WA and OR beers on tap.

    The weather? Meh, winter inversions suck and the constant overcast/mist/drizzle is depressing af. Summers can be hot, sure, but the wildfire smoke is the biggest bummer. Spring is phenomenal, Fall is mostly non-existent.

    The culture in ID is weird. I always called Idaho the bastard child of Colorado and Alabama aka North Alabama or West West Virginia. Can have a distinct methy feel, which interlaced with CA and TX transplants, just always felt gross.

    Overall, I enjoyed my time in Boise. But I'm a Colorado boy. I left CO reluctantly for the Boise job before being able to come back. I was so happy leave Boise behind for better CO weather, more my type of people, and close access to high alpine terrain.
     
  8. Dec 27, 2023 at 10:01 AM
    #28
    rocknbil

    rocknbil Well-Known Member

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    Though your opinion is appreciated, this is false. I grew up in the ID panhandle or near it, Lewiston/Grangeville/Riggins. I lived in Oregon for 38 years, southern part, in outlying small communities. One of my favorite "things to do" when I didn't have a boat was to drive to any of the surrounding lakes and there was always a boat rental. Not here, the marinas are rented docks for boat owners and the shops sell bait.The only boat you can rent here is from a boat outlet at $200+ per day, then you have to drive it to the lake and back. I'm looking for one, but even for crappy dinghys haven't found one that the cost is justified.

    Camping is only good if you're willing to hike for miles to unmarked grounds, the usual grounds are packed and seems like every single one of them brings their boom box. When you pass a certain age, it's pretty difficult to get the S.O. interested in laying on the ground or in the back of the truck for a night, I guess we've outgrown it.

    Outside of Hannah's, night life is lame. Even so it's a meat market but I like the music there some nights if I feel like dealing with the traffic. Never been one to dig on restaurants, a one off night and a decent meal doesn't qualify as "something to do." There's not even any casinos nearby.

    Karaoke used to be fun (yep, I'm down with it) but that's also a "hobby" that is not well represented. The only place near us has somehow had in-building smoking grandfathered in. Even as a smoker, I can't bear 5 minutes in this place before I have to leave. Like any other surf community, the crew at Whitewater are territorial, not a welcoming environment.

    On the up side, I hear they've recently opened a new RC track near Boise, I got rid of all that a decade ago, now I have to figure out how to re-introduce the hobby to my "financial manager" LOL.

    Live venues, doesn't matter if it's music, plays, whatever, costs are off the hook and usually sold out before I even hear of them.

    Vistas yep, beautiful outside of civilization, yep, lots off offroad fun if you have the toys yep, for the rest of us you can only see so much of that before you start staying home and looking at pictures. :p
     
  9. Dec 27, 2023 at 10:29 AM
    #29
    SwollenGoat

    SwollenGoat Onwards and Upwards!

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    Number one complaint I hear from West Coast big city people moving here, restaurants are sub par, shopping is horrible…night life is what it is. Never been much into that, have found some great holes in the wall. My partner and I aren’t into fine dining.

    Not sure where you are going to camp, but I find it super easy to get away from the crowds. Typical camp trip for me is, head out Sunday, most everyone is heading back, come back Tuesday or Wednesday. Generally don’t run into much of anyone, even Sunday evening is fairly quiet.

    Don’t do casinos or karaoke, not much into concerts anymore. Outside a bunch, ride dirt bikes, hike, snowboard, XC skiing is excellent groomed trails at Bogus, Cascade, backside of Idaho City, can go rent snowmobiles in McCall, Stanley, Atlanta, etc. lots to do!

    Never was into boating, so not much of big deal for me. Lots of rafting and kayaking during the summer months you can go do. May not have the boat rental thing you like, just have to switch your fishing style, plenty of creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes to drop a line in. We are 10 minutes from Lake Lowell, 5 minutes from the Boise river and a couple fishing ponds, and 15-20 from the Snake. Lots of bait shops around too.

    Typical camp spot for me, not a soul around either.

    IMG_3096.jpg
     
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  10. Dec 27, 2023 at 10:37 AM
    #30
    rocknbil

    rocknbil Well-Known Member

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    ^^^^^ SEE? ^^^^^^ I can just look at the pics LOL

    Not about the boating, mostly drop anchor at about 40 deep and lake fishing. Rivers have never been kind to me, the Rogue has (used to have) the best salmon fishing in the lower 48 . . . I discovered really quickly, coming home sunburnt and scratched to shit by blackberries, that I'd get the same result and save a lot of time if I just took out one hook/lure, dumped my tackle box in the river, and fished until that one snagged up :p
     
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  11. Dec 27, 2023 at 11:00 AM
    #31
    SwollenGoat

    SwollenGoat Onwards and Upwards!

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    lol!

    Yeah not much into fishing at all, find it mind numbingly boring. Moved here for the trails, fricken in heaven. Can be on dirt in 30 minutes, sooner if I am not being picky. :)
     
  12. Dec 27, 2023 at 2:54 PM
    #32
    SwollenGoat

    SwollenGoat Onwards and Upwards!

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    lol! Isn’t that the truth, never trust a local that gives restaurant advice. They haven’t been to enough places. Have found some holes in the wall for ethnic cuisine, searching for them is half the fun.

    It is very white bread here, one of my wife’s biggest complaints, really hard to make friends as an outsider. If you don’t have a bunch of kids or are deeply religious, good luck! Not enough diversity for her, but she has lived all over the US and Panama, with travels to Asia.

    Wife does hate it here, but mostly because of her job, she works with a bunch of good ol’ boys and they don’t treat women very well, that and the state’s attitude on women’s rights isn’t very high, some of the worst in the nation. Even their views on free speech is questionable. For a state that is supposedly “constitutional” I don’t really see it.

    I pretty much ignore most of it, but she is wanting to move…where who knows? With all the political extremes that places have become hard to find a place that is in the middle. Looked at Western Oregon and Washington, but too pro drugs for me, because all of the crime comes along with that. Good friend of mine also moved from Tucson, but to Grants Pass, OR. Said it is a shit show over there with illegal drugs. They are looking elsewhere too.
     
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  13. Dec 27, 2023 at 2:57 PM
    #33
    CLT_Rick

    CLT_Rick Well-Known Member

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    Tucson is on our short list…great town!
     
  14. Dec 27, 2023 at 3:02 PM
    #34
    wilcam47

    wilcam47 Keep on keeping on!

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    Too many people there in Boise. I have my opinions that are probably bannable. So ill say yeah scenery is nice people not so much
     
  15. Dec 27, 2023 at 3:18 PM
    #35
    SwollenGoat

    SwollenGoat Onwards and Upwards!

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    It used to be, has gone really downhill since we moved away 9 years ago. The pandemic was not very kind to it. Was there in February after not being there for 5 years, was a little surprised how gritty it has become. It was always a dirty little Southwest town, but has lost its charm. Did have a rental property there with the thought of maybe moving back for retirement, but decided to sell it. Glad I did.

    Still have family there, good place to visit for a week during the winter, don’t think I could live there again. Dunno, driving around today running errands, wife is saying we should move overseas, possibly Europe. Do know if I kick off before her, she would sell everything and move to Thailand. She did just up my life insurance, should I be worried??? :) Lol!
     
  16. Dec 27, 2023 at 3:24 PM
    #36
    SwollenGoat

    SwollenGoat Onwards and Upwards!

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    Yeah too many for me, people are kinda nice to your face. Traffic is nutso. Even 9 years ago people were much more polite driving around, but with such a mass exodus from the West Coast, not that way anymore, friggin cutthroat out there, and I grew up driving back in the East Coast. It is like they brought with them what they were running from. Joke that Meridian and Eagle are “Little California”, everyone is in a hurry…think they forgot the reason they moved here, to slow down and have an easier pace of life.
     

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