What is different about Idaho? Born, raised, & lived in Iowa my whole life. Been a few places over the years, but never lived anywhere else. Is the weather about the same? How about the people? It looks like there is a lot of outdoor stuff to do.
Thinking about moving to Boise
- Thread starter mmiille
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I went there for the Humanitarian bowl and had a ball. Honestly it's the best bowl I've ever been to. There is tons of outdoor stuff, town is plenty big enough (and it has tons of stuff bigger towns have, because there is almost nothing within a long way of it) skiing, and the people were nice. Although, it appears to be an unwritten rule that you need a truck with a dog in the back. Prepare yourself.
Seriously though, get some tire chains for the winter if you're going up in the mountains.
Seriously though, get some tire chains for the winter if you're going up in the mountains.
Idaho has some very well kept secrets as far as outdoors activities and beautiful scenery. I lived near the area for a while and would love to go back if my family would come with me....
First time I went through Boise, I was surprised to see how large it was, yet so remote. Kind of an interesting situation. Close enough to some areas for some nice long weekend trips too. You're 5 hrs for Salt Lake (which is a very cool place, the mormon jokes give it a bad rap), 10 hrs from Glacier National Park, and 8 hrs from Seattle.
First time I went through Boise, I was surprised to see how large it was, yet so remote. Kind of an interesting situation. Close enough to some areas for some nice long weekend trips too. You're 5 hrs for Salt Lake (which is a very cool place, the mormon jokes give it a bad rap), 10 hrs from Glacier National Park, and 8 hrs from Seattle.
Boise seems like it would be a cool city. I always imagined it as a Des Moines surrounded by mountains and nature
My sister lived there for several years and we had a couple of chances to visit. Loved the area -- beautiful surroundings and very clean city. (Seems like a bunch of hippies settled there, so there's a pretty strong green initiative)
If you're into outdoors activities like fishing and hunting, you'll love it. My brother-in-law got several elk, plus there's great salmon fishing to the north.
It's high desert, so I believe the winters are pretty mild in Boise. I wouldn't hesitate...
If you're into outdoors activities like fishing and hunting, you'll love it. My brother-in-law got several elk, plus there's great salmon fishing to the north.
It's high desert, so I believe the winters are pretty mild in Boise. I wouldn't hesitate...
Living out in this neck of the woods (Inland NW) and having visited Boise numerous times - GREAT place to be! No humidity, the city is WELL put together, clean and decent people, Mormon influence is growing... Please visit the Basque district... Great restaurants and all. But for gods sake, DON'T fall for the BSU crap... Still hate those guys. If you have a hankering for a colored field, easy jaunt to Spokane to view Eastern in Spokane - to see their championship trophy and the new red field. Much more palatable on the eyes. Skiing at Bogus Basin right above the city. Rarely snows down low, rarely gets too cold. Lots of hi tech business relocated there over the last decade. The city is aggressive in recruiting big companies through tax incentives and such...
I spent a few days in northern Idaho (Couer d'Alene) last summer, and it was very nice. Not sure about the city aspect of it, but if it's anything like the cities in Montana that I've lived in, you'll greatly appreciate it. I can promise that.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about Boise as I currently live in the area.
The weather is not the same as Iowa. It gets hot here in the summer but it is very dry. Winter in the Valley is more moderate than Iowa as well but there is plenty of snow in the mountains.
One thing that has surprised be about the area is the traffic. Boise is not as big as Des Moines but the traffic is tiring, especially in the suburban areas like Eagle and Meridian.
The weather is not the same as Iowa. It gets hot here in the summer but it is very dry. Winter in the Valley is more moderate than Iowa as well but there is plenty of snow in the mountains.
One thing that has surprised be about the area is the traffic. Boise is not as big as Des Moines but the traffic is tiring, especially in the suburban areas like Eagle and Meridian.
I'll start by saying I've never lived in Idaho, but I've lived in Eastern Washington most of my life and things aren't that much different. I've been to Boise several times and other points in Idaho as well.
Weather, really depends on where you are at as the mountains play a big factor.
In short the weather in Idaho is really nothing like Iowa. Not as many thunderstorms. Dry summers and wet winters. Probably, in general, warmer temperatures than Iowa but not any where near as humid.
It will probably be a big shock to you. In Iowa everything is green during the summer. Around Boise everything is dry. The mountains are a lot closer than they are in Iowa, but you really can't see much from Boise. You will have to drive.
There is a lot more recreation opportunities. When I lived in Iowa I mentioned to my boss that it is hard for me to adjust because Iowa doesn't have much for public lands. He took offense at that. It is hard for people who have never lived elsewhere to comprehend just how much more land there is out west. The population is sparse for the most part and there is a lot of land. Idaho is one of the larger states in the county with one of the smaller population bases.
There are a lot of big names building vacation homes in the Boise area now days. The local economy is really agriculture based though. Logging is a big industry as well and depending on what part of town you are in you might be blessed by the smell of wood processing. I would guess that the next biggest industry is probably tourism.
Last note. Once you get out of Boise, you probably can get into the mountains and a lot of recreation opportunities within an hour. The thing is that you could keep driving though the mountains for hours and hours beyond that. Kinda like cornfields in Iowa.
You don't know Boise very well at all. Mountains are not far away, Boise sits in foothills of the mountains. From Downtown you are 20 minutes to the ski resort at top of mountain. Winters are wet compared to summers (which are blue sky everyday for most of 2nd half of June, July and most of August), but still dry by Iowa standards.
Saying Boise is agricultural is like saying Des Moines or Dallas is Ag. Idaho has big ag economy like Iowa, but it is far from biggest in Boise metro area. Ag in Boise is very different from Iowa, you see more corn now than you used to, but still see a lot of wheat, mint, sugar beets, onions, vineyards & orchards, even a dill field here and there.
Very little logging in this area anymore and have never smelled wood processing here. Tech companies are largest employers in area including HP & Micron.
Downtown Boise is very different from Des Moines. It reminds me of the old market area in Omaha or if the Court Avenue area in Des Moines was representative of all of Downtown Des Moines.
Definitely warmer than central Iowa. Seasonal transition temps are similar, but Dec-Feb is quite a bit warmer (maybe not by this years Iowa winter). Summer is little warmer, but more comfortable because of lack of humidity. Boise area is really a desert brought to life through irrigation. One unique thing many enjoy is going golfing on a Saturday morning in January and then driving 3O minutes up the mountain and going snow skiing from mid afternoon to 10 at night.
