Boise Idaho Area Information

Pinewood Lakes - community information, map, contact agent, and current listings
Larkspur - community information, map, contact agent, and current listings
Winding Creek - community information, map, contact agent, and current listings
Bristol Place - community information, map, contact agent, and current listings
Bentwood - community information, map, contact agent, and current listings
Hazelwood - community information, map, contact agent, and current listings
Lochsa Falls - community information, map, contact agent, and current listings
Moon Lake Ranch - community information, map, contact agent, and current listings
Two Rivers - community information, map, contact agent, and current listings

Boise (pronounced boy-see), the capital and largest city in the State of  Idaho, is the hub of commerce, banking and government for the state.

Located along the Boise River and nestled against foothills of the Rocky Mountains, our city offers many outdoor activities to local residents, from skiing at Bogus Basin Ski Resort to biking on the Boise River Greenbelt to boating at nearby reservoirs.   The Boise area has it all - desert, rivers, mountains and lakes for hiking, camping, kayaking, river rafting, hunting and fishing.

Many large regional, national and international companies are headquartered here, including Simplot Corporation, Boise Cascade, Albertsons, Micron Technology and Hewlett-Packard.

Boise is home to Boise State University, the state's largest university with an enrollment of over 15,000 students, as well as 34 grade schools, 9 junior high schools, and 5 high schools.

Elevation:  2,842 feet

Annual Rainfall: 12.11"

Average Wind:  9 m.p.h.

Sunshine Days:  234

Climate:  
The Boise area's climate is pleasant year-round, with just enough variation to make the change of seasons enjoyable.

Average annual precipitation - 12.1 inches
Average annual snowfall - 21.4 inches

In the Boise area, occasional extreme temperatures of cold and hot are still comfortable because of the typically low humidity, sparse snowfall in the winter, and frequent mild breeze.

Geography: 
The geological forces that created Boise and the Treasure Valley resulted in foothills that sweep up from the city of Boise to mountains rising 7,600 feet in altitude.

The area, on the western edge of the mountains, is characterized as mountainous and desert.

The geology of the area includes a large concentration of geothermal wells, springs and hot creeks.

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Beautiful Treasure Valley
Dreaming of a place where incredible skiing is just minutes away?

Where you’re a short drive from wilderness where the deer and the antelope really do play? (Not to mention elk, moose, bighorn sheep and river otters.)

Where you can see opera or live theater without searching for parking or fighting traffic?


Stop dreaming and pack your bags for a virtual visit to the Treasure Valley!

No longer just for the outdoor lover, southwest Idaho has become a haven for those seeking a better life. With mountains at your front door and rivers pulsing through the heart of vibrant communities,
the Treasure Valley has everything you’re looking for.

Terrain The Treasure Valley spans the Snake River plain from Mountain Home, Idaho, in the east to Ontario, Oregon at the west. Its varied terrain includes high deserts, mountains, forests, lush farmland and river valleys. Within it you’ll find tiny communities that have changed little in the last hundred years and the vibrant capital city of Idaho, Boise, a growing, thriving commercial and business center that retains the charm of a small town.

Boise History Boise’s trees in the high desert setting inspired French Canadian fur trappers to name the river and valley after them (boise translates to wooded in English). The Boise valley remained merely a corridor through which emigrants passed until gold was discovered in 1862. Enterprising developers established the town to supply the many nearby mining camps, and to serve as a governmental center. A fort was built in 1863, and in 1864 Boise was made the territorial capital. Railroads arrived in the 1880’s, an irrigation system in the early 1900’s, and the rest is history.

Communities The Treasure Valley is composed of the major community of Boise with outlying communities in Ada, Canyon and Elmore counties. These include Mountain Home, home of one of the largest Air Force bases in the United States; Nampa, site of the Snake River Stampede, one of America’s top 25 rodeos; Caldwell, home to Albertson College; and the communities of Meridian, Kuna, Eagle, Star, Emmett, Weiser, Parma, Wilder, and Marsing, Idaho and Ontario and Payette, Oregon. The Boise Metropolitan Statistical area of Ada and Canyon counties has a population of 465,000.

Education One reason for Idaho’s economic success is its strong educational system. The Treasure Valley is the home of Boise State University, with an enrollment of 18,000. Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa provides undergraduate and graduate degrees to its 1500 students. In Caldwell, Albertson College of Idaho is a small, prestigious private college boasting several Rhodes scholars as graduates. Treasure Valley Community College has campuses in Ontario and Nampa. Idaho State University and the University of Idaho also maintain active satellite campuses in the valley.

Economy The economic base for the Treasure Valley is diverse, including manufacturing, agriculture/food processing, medical, high tech, services, government and education. The valley is headquarters to several large employers: Albertson’s, Micron Technology, Morrison Knudsen Corporation (renamed Washington Group International). Boise Cascade Corporation (now named Boise) and the J.R. Simplot Company. Boise is also the location for the Hewlett-Packard Company’s largest and most profitable division of its 60 worldwide facilities. The Treasure Valley is also hospitable to entrepreneurs, with self-employment the fourth fastest growing industry in Idaho.

Treasure Valley Growth Boise, Idaho’s capital city and the economic engine of the Treasure Valley, has grown from a small town with a population of only 35,000 in 1960 to a major metropolitan area with a city population of 190,000 today. Boise combines incredible outdoor assets with a growing number of cultural activities. The city boasts 90 parks, several of the larger ones on the Boise River, which runs through the heart of the city. One of the newest parks is Kathryn Albertson Park, designed as a walking park and nature preserve and home to thousands of migratory and resident wildlife. About a mile east is Julia Davis Park, a cultural, historic and artistic gateway into the heart of the city. Within the park are the Rose Garden, Zoo Boise, Boise Art Museum, Idaho State Historical Museum, the Black History Museum and the Discovery Center. Near it is the new Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial, the Boise Library and the Log Cabin Literary Center.     The Boise River The Boise River is skirted by over 25 miles of paved Greenbelt from Discovery Park and Lucky Peak Reservoir east of town, to Eagle Island State Park eight miles west. The Greenbelt is perfect for joggers, bikers and bladers, and the Boise River, open for year-round fishing, is dotted with tubers and rafters in summer.     The Foothills The foothills on the city’s northern boundary contain numerous hiking trails and nature paths. The city’s recently developed open space plan was designed to assure that residential growth in the desirable foothills allows plenty of open space for residents and visitors to explore. Sixteen miles farther north, Bogus Basin Ski area provides over 2600 acres of terrain for cross-country and downhill skiers and snowboarders.

Sports The sports-minded can attend professional hockey (Idaho Steelheads), basketball (CBA Idaho Stampede) and baseball (Boise Hawks) events, or see any number of exciting sports in the Boise State University athletics program.

Dining Boise’s downtown retains its vibrancy day and night. After the thriving business day ends, Boiseans find company, food, and entertainment in a growing number of downtown restaurants and clubs, many with open-air dining.

Arts & Entertainment
For those who seek cultural enlightenment, the city is home to several live theater companies including the 26-year old Shakespeare Festival, Ballet Idaho, Opera Idaho and the Boise Philharmonic Orchestra. Venues such as the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, the Boise Pavilion on the campus of Boise State University, the newer Bank of America Centre in downtown Boise and Idaho Center in nearby Nampa are host to a large number of productions including the annual Gene Harris Jazz Festival, touring Broadway stage shows and local and nationally prominent musicians.