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Slowtwitch Forums: Triathlon Forum:
boise,idaho

mr. hanky

Aug 22, 08 20:06

Post #1 of 14 (725 views)

boise,idaho	Can't Post

hey guys, can anyone tell me about living in boise,idaho? cost of living,training,etc....looks like a great place to live.

thanks, john

Dr. J

Aug 23, 08 8:35

Post #2 of 14 (677 views)

Re: boise,idaho [mr. hanky] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I moved to town about 3 months ago, so my experience is limited in comparison to some. For perspective, I spent last summer training in Boulder and live the prior 9 years in Winston-Salem, NC.

Cost of living is very reasonable...housing is taking a real hit right now and is a great time to buy. Living near downtown (great area for training & social aspects) still cost more than if you are wiling to move west to Eagle or Meridian, where you can get some incredible buys.

Training is very good. Access to good cycling and running is literally right out your door nearly anywhere in the city. Lots of bike lanes and excellent cycling infrastructure. Trail running is unreal, as well as mountain biking. There is very solid swim masters, but the only thing holding back from being perfect is lack of long course and outdoor pools. There is one about 15-20 minutes east of town that converts to long course only for limited periods in the middle of summer. The only outdoor pool lap swimming is the natatorium which doesn't utilize lane lines and is an odd distance (40 yds or something). On the other hand, fantastic open water opportunities in several places. An underutilized area is the Sandy Point lake right below Lucky Peak Dam. It is about 400 meters long, perfectly clear and consistently 4-5 ft deep the entire length...perfect for those who have fear of swimming open water.

Boise is around 3,000 ft, but Bogus Basin (16 miles from downtown) peaks out above 7,000. Very little traffic on this road in the summer, so a great place to ride. Similar to Left Hand Canyon in Boulder.

I'm sure I'm leaving out stuff...post on boiseaeros dot com...one of the local tri clubs.

Jeff
Jeff Shilt
__________________________
www.mdotdoc@blogspot.com
No Zeros...TitanWear.com

mr. hanky

Aug 23, 08 9:15

Post #3 of 14 (662 views)

Re: boise,idaho [Dr. J] [In reply to]	Can't Post

thanks for the feedback. i figured it was good there from what ive looked at on-line. funny you lived in winston salem. i lived 5 years in asheville,before moving to houston 2.5 years ago. houston is EXTREMELY difficult to train in, probably one of the worst places ive been. boise weather looks similiar to asheville,except dry...which has its plus' and minus'...would be nice to do some snowboarding/cross country skiing in winter, something i couldnt get into on the east coast(icy.)

john

spot

Aug 23, 08 10:57

Post #4 of 14 (631 views)

Re: boise,idaho [mr. hanky] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi John...

I lived in Boise for 3.5 years...and loved every minute of it. Its a great town. The downtown area is fantastic with awesome brew pubs, bars, and restuarants. There is a great trail running along the river throught the city. There is great mountain and road biking. When I lived there, crime was very low...I think there were 2 murders one year, in the entire city of over 100,000. There is a great place to ski (Bogus Basin...lots of varied terrain) that is about 60 minutes from even the furthest subdivisions in town. If I could figure out a way to move back, I would, in a heartbeat. Now, I did move away in the summer of 2000 (I was in the USAF at the time, which is why I moved), so I'm sure lots has changed, but I bet its still a great town to live in. Cost of living seemed reasonable at the time.

Spot
Cervelo / Kuota Mafia Member
"Mine goes to 11...."

Dr. J

Aug 23, 08 11:26

Post #5 of 14 (611 views)

Re: boise,idaho [mr. hanky] [In reply to]	Can't Post

When I left W-S, I was choosing between 2 job offers: Asheville & Boise. 3 months later, my wife, teenage daughters and myself couldn't have been happier with the decision. Hands down superior.

My wife grew up x-country skiing in upstate NY. From what I understand, there are some great trails at Bogus and I'm excited to give it a shot this winter.

The weather certainly has a high desert feel. Very cool in the am and pm, but can certainly get hot in the day. Morning training sessions are perfect. "Big Day" training can get a bit hot, but great training to prepare for tough days.

J
Jeff Shilt
__________________________
www.mdotdoc@blogspot.com
No Zeros...TitanWear.com

Snap!

Aug 23, 08 11:47

Post #6 of 14 (600 views)

Re: boise,idaho [mr. hanky] [In reply to]	Can't Post

when I visited in June for the 1/2 Iron I was smitten- you can't shut me up about wanting to move there-I asked a ton of questions to some friends of ours that have lived there fora year- the only things I found in the negatives column might be the heavy heavy pop. of LDS; 2nd only to SaltLakeC. By that it might make it a bit harder to work or get work since they have a preference for keeping it all in the family so to speak? and, it's hard to get to travel wise. It's incredibly clean, friendly, outdoor oriented, great all around sports opportunities right at your back door- housing and cost of living is a bit more than what I'm used to but then we are a border city and it suks! We just got back from Seattle and that too is an option but it gets almost too much rain for me- Boise has great climate and sunshine, clean air and still has a smaller town feel to it. My husband is coming to a crossroads in his profession this coming Jan. and we need to make a change so Boise is on the radar.

Laflore

Aug 23, 08 14:18

Post #7 of 14 (568 views)

Re: boise,idaho [Snap!] [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

...the only things I found in the negatives column might be the heavy heavy pop. of LDS; 2nd only to SaltLakeC. By that it might make it a bit harder to work or get work since they have a preference for keeping it all in the family so to speak? ...

Actually, the mormon population in the Boise area is 15% (http://www.bestplaces.net/...oise_City-Idaho.aspx), which is about on par with the Catholic population. Contrast that with 55% LDS in SLC, Ogden and 80+% in Provo, Orem and other parts of Utah and eastern Idaho. My brother moved to Ogden, Utah a couple years ago and you REALLY feel it there. I don't feel the LDS influence much at all in Boise itself or in Eagle where I live. You do feel it a bit in Meridian, Kuna and other small burbs to the west where the percentage is higher. That said, I have several good friends who happen to be LDS.

Boise obviously has a lot of positives as has been stated in this and other threads. Notable negatives as I see it:

1) Isolation. Nearest large cities are Salt Lake City and Portland, which are a very long drive.
2) Lack of diversity. Relatively few minorities here and most people lean conservative. But the diversity is increasing, albeit slowly, due to the recent population boom. The north end is an interesting part of town with an artsy liberal feel. A lot of athletes and outdoorsy types live there, too.
3) Hot, dry summers. We have a desert climate and can go months without seeing any precipitation at all. But there are plenty of mountains, forests, white water rivers and countless pristine lakes nearby. It is much cooler and wetter in the high elevations.
4) Air quality issues. Inversions during the winter and occasional summer days hazy with particulate matter, often due to nearby forest fires, can put a damper on training. But many other places have much worse air pollution.
5) The BSU Broncos. They are only gig in town. Especially during football season (the blue turf is fugly), it's bronco this, bronco that you just can't escape it due to their recent successes. It must be hell for the Vandal grads. :)

The negatives are far outweighed by the many, many positives. I will be a very sad day for us should we ever have to relocate.

(This post was edited by Laflore on Aug 23, 08 14:53)

sto

Aug 23, 08 15:53

Post #8 of 14 (539 views)

Re: boise,idaho [mr. hanky] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Been here 17 years from the East Coast. Hands down the best place to live and train, and you couldn't pry me outta here with an ice axe. No crime, no traffic (if you are smart and do not go cheap and try to live in Canyon Cty - YUCK!), no bugs, no bad juju, very affordable and I get paid well, as I'm HP'er. Just happy people living in mtn. paradise.

The other guys have covered it well, even newbie to town (and super fast dude, Dr. J, Hawaii qualifier). BTW, Jeff, they DO set up West Y 50 meter on Saturdays. But you're right, the lack of outdoor pools is conspicuous.

Most people who come out here are blown away by the outdoor opportunites. I will say this, if you are NOT into the outdoors, you may not be happy living here. If you are a culture vulture, this may not be the place, but considering this is a tri website, you should be into the outdoors enough.

Helps to know what you do for a living. High tech and medical are good fields here. Mo worries about the Momo's. Just don't live in Meridian. Most of the are pretty cool anyhow (you'd be quite surprised).

Oh, BTW we've got a good active tri club, Boise Aeros. We like to train and hang out and imbibe in post workout and race refreshments (not necessarily in that order). Seeing I just got back from Tour de Fat... a long ride followed by drinking New Belgian in the park on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. It doesn't get much better than that.

Sue

-------------------------------------------------
"so i've got that going for me, which is nice"
- Carl Spackler

Visionbuilder

Aug 23, 08 17:45

Post #9 of 14 (525 views)

Re: boise,idaho [Laflore] [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

The BSU Broncos. They are only gig in town. Especially during football season (the blue turf is fugly), it's bronco this, bronco that you just can't escape it due to their recent successes.

Make a huge splash in the 'hood and tell everyone, I mean everyone what a HUGE Bulldog fan you are!! They'll love you!
------------
The more I know, the less I understand

You better stay away from him,
He'll rip your lungs out Jim!

Mr. Tibbs

Aug 23, 08 17:51

Post #10 of 14 (521 views)

Re: boise,idaho [mr. hanky] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Loved it! Want move back really bad. The 80 billion curves up Bogus Basin are a hoot. Skiing not bad at all.

trimanium88

Aug 24, 08 10:36

Post #11 of 14 (449 views)

Re: boise,idaho [mr. hanky] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I think you will find that the cost of living is very reasonable(if you work at finding cheap housing you definitely can). Its really a great place to train imo, very accessible. As far as the mormons i have never had any problems and they have been very friendly and non judgmental. it really hasnt been a factor to me.

IMTriSBR

Nov 15, 08 8:42

Post #12 of 14 (273 views)

Re: boise,idaho [sto] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hello,

I'm looking to relocate to Boise and I'll be in town for the weekend (11/16 - 11/19). I'm on the road 4 weeks with one giant suitcase but I'm lugging my cycling stuff (shoes, pedals, clothes) so that I can "test" ride the cities I'm visiting. Any suggestions for the top 2 (20 - 40 mi) rides in Boise. Also what LBS should I hit up for a rentals? I'm a long course (1/2 IM and IM distance) racer so I'm looking for an area that offers enough asphalt for IM distance training.

Thank much!

jamouse

Nov 15, 08 10:08

Post #13 of 14 (233 views)

Re: boise,idaho [IMTriSBR] [In reply to]	Can't Post

PM sent

Dr. J

Nov 16, 08 8:14

Post #14 of 14 (111 views)

Re: boise,idaho [IMTriSBR] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Check out the tri boards...there is a couple of rides today.

boiseaeros dot com

bytri dot com

Post and people will respond.

Hope to see you out there. Jeff
Jeff Shilt
__________________________
www.mdotdoc@blogspot.com
No Zeros...TitanWear.com