Pros and Cons of Living in Boise, Idaho (The Real, No-BS Breakdown)
If you start researching the pros and cons of living in Boise, Idaho, you’ll notice something pretty fast. For every person who says Boise is amazing, there are ten others online pointing out reasons not to move here.
That’s exactly why I wanted to put this together.
I just got back into the office from a listing appointment, and the sellers haven’t even been in Idaho for a full year before deciding they need to move back out of state. And here’s the interesting part, they absolutely love the Idaho lifestyle. The outdoors, the pace, the people. But there are a couple of big hang ups that are forcing them to sell.
So instead of doing another sugar coated “Top 10 Pros and Cons” list, I’m going to do this a little differently.
I’m just going to lay out the facts and let you decide what’s a pro and what’s a con.
Four Distinct Seasons in Boise, Idaho
One of the biggest pros of living in Boise is that we get the True four seasons spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Personally, this is one of the reasons I love living in Idaho. Each season brings something different to do, and there’s a natural rhythm to the year that you don’t really get in a lot of other places.
Summer is obviously the favorite for most people, but a lot of folks moving here are really excited about fall. Pumpkin lattes might not be my thing, but changing leaves, cooler temperatures, and that crisp fall air? Idaho absolutely nails that.
Because Idaho sits so far north, we also get huge swings in daylight.
On the longest day of the year, Boise gets about 15½ hours of sunlight. It starts getting light around 5:30 in the morning and doesn’t get dark until close to 10:00 at night.
If you like being outside, this is a massive win.
In the summer, if I finish work early, even at 5, 6, or 7 p.m. I can run home, grab my fishing pole, my kayak, or my boat, and still get four or five solid hours outside on the river or the lake.
If you’ve got kids, it’s even better. You can get home, eat dinner, knock out some homework, and still have time to walk the Greenbelt or hit a park so they can burn off energy before bed.
But what goes up… comes down.
Winter Daylight Can Be a Mental Challenge
In the winter, Boise gets the opposite end of that daylight swing.
The sun doesn’t come up until around 8:00 a.m., and it’s setting by 5:00 p.m.. If you work indoors, it’s not uncommon to barely see the sun during the week.
When I was in high school wrestling, I’d go to practice before school while it was still dark, sit in classrooms all day, maybe sneak outside at lunch for a few minutes, then head right back into the wrestling room after school.
It was totally normal to go days without any real sunlight.
It can really throw off your activities if you are an outside person, you finish up work, get home and go " What now?" It's cold outside, pitch black, and boring.
Cabin Fever Is A Real Thing In Idaho
That’s something people really need to think about. For some people, it’s no big deal. For others, it absolutely brings on seasonal depression and winter blues.
Is Boise Boring? Depends on Who You Are
This is one I’ve heard for years.
If you’re used to living in a major metro area with professional sports teams, nonstop concerts, big theater productions, and endless nightlife Boise is going to feel boring.
We don’t have major pro sports.
There’s not much nightlife unless you’re downtown.
There aren’t constant fine-arts or musical theater performances.
That’s just the reality.
But I always say this in Boise, you’ll run out of year before you run out of things to do.... if you like being outdoors.
Farmers markets.
Parks and Greenbelt walks.
Kayaking, paddle boarding, floating the river.
Camping, fishing, hiking.
Movies in the park.
Road trips.
Just this last Sunday, I had a little cabin fever. So I hopped in the truck and took a three-hour round-trip drive up into the mountains. I hit some hot springs, saw hundreds of deer, grabbed some drone footage, let my dogs explore, and just got out of town for the day.
That’s a normal Sunday here.
The Treasure Valley Feels Like One Big City
One really unique thing about living in the Boise area is that the Treasure Valley functions more like one big city with a bunch of suburbs not a bunch of disconnected towns.
You don’t have to live, work, shop, eat, and play all in the same place.
From the far southeast end of the valley to the northwest side near Caldwell, you can drive the entire area in 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic.
I live in Nampa but I like to drive to Meridian for Costco or the Albertsons in Star If I'm looking for a good quality Ribeye, or up to Caldwell to grab some feed for my chickens.
Living in one town but driving to the others to do your day to day things is Totally Normal Here
One of my best friends lives on the north side of Middleton and commutes all the way down to the Gowen area every morning. I think he’s crazy, but it’s totally within reason here.
If you want to learn more about the Suburbs around Boise you can check out my other Blog where I break down the differences about each of the suburbs
Boise Is Isolated And That’s a Big One
Here’s a con that catches a lot of people off guard.
Idaho is isolated.
In many states, you can drive from one major metro to another in a couple hours. That’s not the case here.
Salt Lake City is about 5½ to 6 hours away.
Portland is 6½ to 7 hours.
If nothing’s going on in Boise there’s usually nothing going on nearby either.
I love going to lectures and events, like Jordan Peterson talks. But most speakers, comedians, and performers skip Boise on tours and hit Portland, Seattle, or Salt Lake instead and I’m not driving 12 hours round trip for a two-hour event.
Our 2 Biggest Venues are the Idaho Center and The Extra Mile Arena, which we'll get singers and comedians come to but major tours just don't come through that often.
Flying Out of Boise Can Be a Headache
Boise does have an airport but it’s a small airport.
You’re not getting many nonstop cross-country flights, and there are no international flights. Most trips involve connecting through Phoenix, Salt Lake, Seattle, or Denver.
I just flew to Las Vegas over Christmas and went Boise → Phoenix → Vegas.
The clients I just listed a house for are selling largely because of this. After a job change, they found themselves traveling constantly and those extra connections add up fast, both in time and money.
Wildfires and Smoke Are Part of Life in the West
Living in the western U.S. means wildfires. Idaho is no exception.
Some years are worse than others. Last year was one of the smokiest summers I’ve ever seen not because of fires right in Boise, but because smoke blows in from Oregon, Washington, California, and even Canada.
And since Boise sits in a valley, that smoke can linger.
Other years? Crystal clear all summer.
It’s just something you need to be okay with if you’re moving here.
Outdoor Access Is One of Boise’s Biggest Strengths
If you’re even considering moving to Idaho, chances are you love the outdoors.
Camping.
Fishing.
Hiking.
Hunting.
That access is one of the biggest pros.
I had clients move here from the Bay Area, and they told me straight up this was their favorite part of living in Boise. Way more access, way less driving, and way fewer crowds.
After I sent them photos from my mountain drive of all the elk, deer, turkeys and they texted me and said, “We’re doing that exact drive tomorrow.”
Politics Matter Here, For Better or Worse
This might sound strange coming from a real estate agent, but it needs to be said.
Idaho is becoming one of the most conservative states in the country. The state has taken strong stances on things like gender ideology, critical race theory, marijuana laws, and abortion.
Don't just take my word for it however because apparently I "spewed the lies about how conservative Boise is" as one of the recent comments I received said.
So let's look at Numbers
2020 Election
Donald Trump -554,199 votes
Joe Biden -287,021 votes
2024 Election
Donald Trump - 605,246 votes
Kamala Harris -274,972 votes
The vast majority of people who moved here over the last 5 years have moved here for that reason.
If those issues are a deal-breaker for you, I would seriously consider looking somewhere else because I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Idaho Is Genuinely Friendly
One thing almost everyone agrees on Idahoans are friendly.
People smile.
Neighbors wave.
Strangers strike up conversations.
I stopped at a gas station on my mountain drive and ended up talking to a guy for ten minutes about binocular harnesses. Just normal, friendly conversation.
That sense of community is real.
Boise Is High Desert, Not What Many Expect
When people picture Idaho, they imagine pine trees, mountain lakes, moose, elk, and potatoes.
And while all of that exists Boise itself is high desert.
If we didn’t have the Boise River and Snake River, the landscape would look very different. You can absolutely be in thick pine forests within an hour or two but what you see when you land at the airport surprises a lot of people.
That’s something you should know before moving here.
Final Thoughts on Living in Boise, Idaho
So what about you?
Did you come away with more pros or more cons?
That answer is different for everyone. And that’s exactly why I laid it out this way.
If you want more deep-dive blogs on Boise and the surrounding Treasure Valley towns, check out the other content linked below.
Until next time
I’m Isaac Crace with Top Idaho Real Estate
Enjoy this blog post? Click here to subscribe for updates
Leave A Comment