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ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH TECH
Population: 568,086
Population Growth Since 2000: 18.2%
Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 33.2%
Cost-of-Living Index: 95.5 (100 being national average)
Median Household Income: $49,833
Income Growth Since 2000: 16.6%
How do folks get any work done around here? The skiing, snowboarding, fishing, biking and kayaking in and around Boise are an almost irresistible temptation to desert your desk. Glance northward from the city's orderly downtown business and shopping district, and the majestic slopes of the Boise foothills beckon.
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Those in search of classy entertainment may be surprised. Says Susan Thayer, who relocated four years ago from Albany, Ore., to run sales for Episciences, which makes Epionce skin products: "The city has evolved into a magnet for the arts." She and her spouse, Terry, frequent the theater, as well as Boise's own symphony, opera and dance companies.
When they're not casting a line or taking in a show, a growing number of Boisians work for local high-tech businesses, the fruits of which make up the state's biggest exports. Micron Technology and Hewlett-Packard are the Boise Valley's two largest employers. But the area also cradles smaller technology and e-commerce firms, which come to make the most of low business costs -- about a third less than in California or Washington.
Employers know they'll find a high proportion of college graduates here (37%, compared with the national average of 27%) and that new hires will find plenty of affordable housing. Explore Boise's eclectic mix of old and new neighborhoods and you'll find homes with a median price of $235,000. The average work commute is 18 minutes.
For those in search of a small-but-happening feel, the burgeoning suburb of Eagle is the place to go. Lloyd Mahaffey, previously an executive at Honeywell, Apple Computer and Verifone, moved to the former farming town in 2004, hoping to find a laid-back place where his kids could hunt and play tennis while he dabbled in winemaking and developed real estate.
Eagle's soil tests perfectly for the cultivation of red-wine grapes. Now Mahaffey is developing ten homes reminiscent of Italian villas, each with its own 4-acre vineyard. After visiting him in Eagle, several friends are planning to relocate to the area. Be advised: "When you first arrive, you have to downshift and adjust to a more relaxed pace," says Mahaffey.
NEXT: No. 5 -- Colorado Springs
Reader Comments (13)
Posted by: retired at 05/30/2008 01:36:12 PM
Boise suffers from being in Idaho. If you are not a cowboy, lumberjack or miner, you are not represented in...state government. It is particularly bad for mid-level professionals and retirees. Our taxes are among the highest in the country and there are no limits on how fast they can increase. Retirees are being forced out.
Posted by: LTB at 05/30/2008 09:33:22 PM
Is this for real? There isn't a first rate: hotel, college, law school, medical school, ski area, museum or library in Boise.None of that stuff is located within the city itself. It's all second rate (at best) Furthermore you mispelled "Boiseans" not Boisians ;)...Idaho is the gem-Boise is just the mall, street corner and strip club.
Posted by: Boise Fan at 05/30/2008 11:46:58 PM
retired, You comment is true about the governmeent, but the rest of your post is not the Boise, Idaho I know. I have lived across this counrty in many places and taxes are LOW here in Boise. I am also a mid-level professional and a graduate of BSU and my career has been sucsessful since I entered the "real world" in 2003. As for retirees, try looking up and reading the article by The Wall Street Journal which named Boise an "Oasis for Retirees".
Posted by: George at 05/31/2008 11:04:17 AM
Boise is a beautiful city that offers something for everyone. If you want the arts and culture Boise has it. If you want outdoor adventure Boise has it. I am a senior and have lived in 2 other states in my lifetime. I can't imagine living anywere else. The cost of living is very reasonable when I talk to my friends across the country. Homes are also very affordable as your story states and many wonderful homes can be found well below the median price you referenced.
Posted by: Boise native at 06/03/2008 09:56:39 PM
Lived here all my life and have seen a lot of changes in that time. Boise must be doing something right because it keeps getting named as one of the best places to live by Money Magazine, Forbes (in March) and others. Being a Realtor, I don't see retirees leaving - more are coming every day because of the slow pace, great recreational opportunities and low cost of living.
Posted by: Jim Paulson at 06/09/2008 08:27:10 PM
I am blessed to have lived in many different countries around the world and in many of the United States. I have lived here in Boise twice before and when it was time to raise a family, we knew we wanted to be in the Pacific Northwest but settled once again on Boise. As the owner/broker of Progressive Realty Corporation, I continously hear comments of what a great place Boise is, so yet another recognition nationally for Boise being a great place to live really comes as no surprise to those of us that live here. Some residents would prefer to keep it a secret however so new people don't move in and start catching the steelhead salmon from the river downtown or shooting that trophy bull elk...
Posted by: Gladtoleave at 06/19/2008 02:27:35 PM
We left Boise six months ago for Denver after being there almost 5 years, enough time to know it was not for us. It is basically a hick town populated by intolerant rednecks, and I'm being kind. Some folks may find this attractive, but we just could not find our niche there. If you are a tad too "ethnic" and don't blend in well enough, they don't let you forget that ever. Coming to Denver was like the difference between night and day - we can finally breathe freely without fear of being singled out. Good bye, Boise, you were not for us.
Posted by: Chic Rementeria at 06/21/2008 08:07:29 PM
We are a right-to-work, don't need a reason to fire you, minimum wage state. We are at the bottom of the ladder in per student education, that alone should wake you up! We now have a paved road to no-tellum-creek Idaho from California and the resulting mayhem is clearly visable. It won't take long for them to finish their invasion and run for the next state that suites their arrogant needs. I am a native and greed...from big developers disgusts not just me but anyone who used to take pride in this state....Leave us alone and leave our name out of your best places to live.....
Posted by: Chris Knight, GRI at 06/24/2008 12:13:14 PM
Another great thing about Boise is the weather. It is a four season area, and I find the changes refreshing. Winters are cool with a touch of frost and an occasional dusting of snow measured in inches rather than feet. Spring is fresh and green with fruit blossom festivals in the more rural areas. Summer pulls you to the mountains, lakes and trout streams as the temperatures creep towards a dry 98°. Fall is beautiful with the leaves turning all colors of the Sunset-of-Summer in the City of Trees and community Harvest Festivals celebrate family and our agricultural roots.
Posted by: Boise Native at 06/27/2008 06:53:54 PM
I am proud to be a Boise native. I have lived on both the east and the west coasts. I always wind up back home in Boise. I am sorry that others have had bad experiences here. However, I tend to believe there can be good and bad in everything and most of the time we get exactly what we look for. I also have a rather unpopular opinion for a Boise native and that is if you are from anywhere else including California, Welcome! Just please help keep our beautiful streams, mountains, lakes and wildlife as beautiful as you find them.
Posted by: Diane Anderson at 07/26/2008 10:10:20 AM
The recreation in Idaho is premium, the cost of living is low, but that's because the wages are also very low. If you want to start a big business here, the Legislature will practically give you anything you want. But we thrive on slave labor here. The city's #1 vendor is inmate labor. No kidding. How else could we sustain the no cost "we don't have any revenue for that" growth? It's the largest boom industry, criminal making aka The Business of Incarceration. It's catching on across the country. Welcome to Ada County. There certainly is a lot of contrast here!
Posted by: Idaho native at 11/24/2008 11:29:51 PM
Welcome to Idaho now GO HOME!!! (Especially if you come from California!!!)
Posted by: rulado at 09/08/2009 02:13:10 PM
Happy Labor Day Weekend!