Boise, Idaho

This article deals with the state capital of Idaho. For other places named Boise, refer to Boise (disambiguation).

Boise (French for 'Wooded Area')(IPA: ) is the capital and largest city in the state of Idaho. Boise was given it's name after French-Canadian trappers first explored the area after crossing the arid plains. When they stumbled upon the lush green trees of modern day Boise, it was a truly welcoming sight. They named it 'boise' for the French term for "Wooded Area". This is where Boise gets it's nickname, "City of the Trees". Boise was settled in 1863, and incorporated as a city in 1864. The first government of Idaho was in Lewiston, but was switched to Boise in 1865 after having been in Lewiston for two years. As of the 2000 census, Boise's population was 185,787 (2003 estimate: 190,117). ^* Downtown Boise is at an elevation of 2,704 feet above sea level.

Boise is the headquarters for several major companies, such as Morrison Knudsen Engineering, Micron Technology, Albertsons's (a major supermarket chain), the J.R. Simplot Company, and TJ Int'l. Other major industries are headquartered in Boise or have large manufacturing facilities there. High Tech industries are becoming increasingly vital to Boise's economy. State government is one of the cities main employers, as it is the capitol city for Idaho.

Boise is the county seat of Ada County and the principal city of the Boise metropolitan area.

Boise has grown considerably in recent years and is now comparable in size to other major cities in the United States such as Tacoma, Des Moines, Tulsa, and Providence.^*

Geography

To distinguish the city from neighboring Boise County, government publications, maps and some other media may refer to the city as "Boise City". The official city name, however, is "Boise".

Boise is located at (43.613739, -116.237651).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 165.7 km² (64.0 mi²). 165.2 km² (63.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.33%) is water.

Demographics

Recent figures

Boise and its surrounding metropolitan area have seen dramatic growth through the 1990s and 2000s. The Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS) puts Boise's population as of 2005 at just more than 208,000 people ^*. That is up 11 percent from the 2000 Census figures below.

As of 2004 the city of Boise estimated the metropolitan area (Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell) had a population of 526,656 ^*.

2000 Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 185,787 people, 74,438 households, and 46,523 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,124.7/km² (2,913.1/mi²). There were 77,850 housing units at an average density of 471.3/km² (1,220.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.15% White, 0.77% Black or African American, 0.70% Native American, 2.08% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 1.74% from other races, and 2.39% from two or more races. 4.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 74,438 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,432, and the median income for a family was $52,014. Males had a median income of $36,893 versus $26,173 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,696. About 5.9% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Boise is the headquarters of Albertsons LLC, Idaho Power, Micron Technology, Simplot, Washington Group International, and WinCo Foods. Hewlett-Packard has a large complex in Boise which specializes in scanners and printers and is one of the largest private employers in the area, second only to Micron. Other high-tech employers include Sybase and Microsoft, which recently purchased locally-owned ProClarity. Boise also has a thriving in-bound technical call centers such as Teleperformance USA which boasts clients such as Apple and Cingular. Qwest, T-Mobile and DirecTV are also major player's in the call-center industry in Boise.

Varney Airlines, founded by Walter Varney, was formed in Boise. The company is the root of present day United Airlines, which still serves the city.

Education

The city is home to the Boise School District, which includes 34 elementary schools, 8 junior highs, 5 high schools and 2 specialty schools. Part of the Meridian School District (the largest district in Idaho) overlaps into Boise city limits.

The city is home to six public high schools: Boise High School, Borah High School, Capital High School, Timberline High School as well as the Meridian district's Centennial High School and the alternative Mountain Cove High School. Boise has one Catholic high school, Bishop Kelly High School.

Post-secondary educational options in Boise include Boise State University, Idaho State University, University of Phoenix as well as a wide range of technical schools. Boise is home to Boise Bible College, an undergraduate degree-granting college that exists to train leaders for churches as well as missionaries for the world.

Boise is one of the largest cities in the United States that does not have a community college. The issue has received a fair amount of attention from city and state officials in recent years. ^*

Culture

Numbering about 15,000, Boise is home of the largest Basque community in the United States, and the second largest community in the world outside the Basque Country in Spain and France ^*. A large Basque festival known as Jaialdi is held once every five years (next in 2010). Downtown Boise features a vibrant section known as the "Basque Block". Boise's mayor, David H. Bieter is of Basque descent.

Boise is also a regional hub for jazz and theater. The Gene Harris Jazz Festival is hosted in Boise each spring. The city is also home to a number of museums, including the Boise Art Museum, Idaho Historical Museum, the Basque Museum and Cultural Center and the Discovery Center of Idaho. Several theater groups operate in the city, including the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Boise Little Theatre and the Boise Contemporary Theater among others. On the first Thursday of each month, a gallery stroll is hosted in the city's core business district by the Downtown Boise Association.

The Morrison-Knudsen Nature Center offers a refreshing stroll with water features and wildlife experiences just east of downtown. It is located adjacent to Municipal Park. It features live fish and wildlife exhibits. There are bridges, viewing areas into the water, bird and butterfly gardens, waterfalls, and a visitor's center (which is free to the public).

In 1984 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built the scenic Boise Idaho Temple here because of the large number of members in the region.

Boise (along with Valley and Boise Counties) will host the 2009 World Winter Special Olympics Games. More than 2,500 athletes from over 85 countries will participate. 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games

Major attractions

A number of recreational opportunities are available, including extensive hiking and biking in the foothills to the immediate north of downtown and an extensive urban trail system called the Boise River Greenbelt that runs along the river. The Boise River itself is a common destination for fishing, swimming and rafting.

Bogus Basin Mountain Resort hosts several winter activities, including cross-country and downhill skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing. “Bogus” is just 16 miles outside city limits (less than an hour drive from downtown).

Minor professional sports teams in Boise include the short-season Class A Boise Hawks (Minor League Baseball), the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL, and the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League. An arenafootball2 franchise will begin play in 2007.

The Boise State University campus is home to Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, home to local and national fine arts performances; Bronco Stadium, the 30,000 seat football stadium known for its blue AstroPlay field; and Taco Bell Arena, a 12,000 seat basketball and entertainment venue which opened in 1982 as the BSU Pavillion.

The MPC Computers Bowl football game is held in late December of each year, and pairs a team from the Western Athletic Conference with an Atlantic Coast Conference team.

The World Center for Birds of Prey is located just outside city limits, and is a key part of the re-establishment of the Peregrine falcon and the subsequent removal from the Endangered Species list. The center is currently breeding the very rare California condor, among many other rare and endangered species.

The city has been cited by publications like Forbes, Fortune and Sunset for quality of life.

Boise is the hometown of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Torrie Wilson.

Media

The greater-Boise area is served by two weekly newspapers, two daily newspapers, five commercial television stations, and a variety of other media.

Transportation

The major Interstate serving Boise is I-84, with I-184 branching toward the northeast. There is also a network of bike paths throughout the city and surrounding region.

Commercial air service is provided at the Boise Airport, recently renovated to accommodate the growing number of passengers flying in and out of Boise. Public bus transportation is provided by ValleyRide and the Boise Urban Stages (BUS).

Parts of the City

Despite Boise's small population, it occupies a large area, 165.7 km² (64.0 mi²) according to the United States Census Bureau. Like most major metropolitan areas it is divided into several named parts. These include the Bench, the North End and Downtown among others.

Downtown Boise

Downtown Boise is Boise's cultural center and home to many small businesses and a few sky scrapers. Downtown Boise has a wide array of shopping and dining opportunities. Centrally, 8th street contains a fairly large pedestrian zone which with its street side cafes and restaurants lends Boise a slightly European feel.

A new development, called BODO (Boise Downtown)was developed to revamp the 8th Street Marketplace, with new residental and business buildings, and a more central shopping area. It is slated to be complete around 2006, but with a new theater complex, popular restaurant chains such as P. F. Changs and new high end boutiques and retail stores already in place, this area of downtown is becoming the newest hotspot in Boise.

Downtown Boise's economy has been threatened by extensive growth around the Boise Towne Square Mall and an increasing number of shopping centers which have sprung up around new housing developments. Events such as Alive-after-Five and First Thursday have been created to combat this trend.

The North End

The North End contains many of Boise's older homes and is known for its tree-lined drives such as Harrison Boulevard. Here you can find many quiet neighborhoods right in the center of Boise. From Camel's Back Park one can afford a view of Downtown Boise and the sea of trees that is the North End. On 13th Street Hyde Park is home to many small restaurants and businesses and is a favorite place among natives for an evening outing.

The North End is also known for its artistic community. Politically it is considerably more liberal than the rest of Boise, and as such is noted as a Democratic Party enclave in otherwise very Republican Idaho.

Southwest Boise

Southwest Boise has traditionally been known for its more country-like aesthetics. It has traditionally been known for its sparsely populated neighborhoods built anywhere from the 1960's to the early 1980's. Many of these sport larger acre sized plots and even pastures. You will find the occasional farmhouse and agricultural fields in the area of Boise as well. Since the 1980's much of this area did not have much growth due to a moratorium on new construction to prevent urban sprawl. However, since this has been lifted their has been enormous growth of new homes and neighborhoods in the area with fields being cleared almost overnight to accommodate the new construction. Nevertheless, a short drive brings you to plenty of shopping and it fairly close to Interstate 84, theatres, shopping, the airport, and the Boise Bench area. Also close by on country roads are Kuna, Meridian, and Nampa.

Northwest Boise

Much of Northwest Boise lies blanketed against the Boise Foothills to the north, the major throughfare State Street to the South, the City of Eagle to the West, and Downtown Boise to the East. It contains an eccentric mix of old and new neighborhoods the further West one travels. It still strives to contain much of the 'North-End' charm and community feeling, yet is more affordable. Downtown is just minutes away, while Veteran's Memorial Park affords an escape from the hustle and bustle of daily city life as well as easy access to the Boise Greenbelt. Across the river sits the Boise Bench and to the west is fast access to the blanket communities of Eagle, Star and Middleton.

Warm Springs

Warm Springs is centered around the tree-lined drive Warm Springs Avenue and contains many of Boise's largest and most expensive homes (many of which were erected by wealthy miners and businessmen around the turn of the century; hence the Victorian style). The area gets its name from the natural hot springs that flow from Boise's fault line and warm many of the homes in this area.

East End

The far east end of Warm Springs is home to residents of Harris Ranch, a turn of the century ranch and lumber mill driven by river water power. Dallas and Alta Harris purchased the large acreage of land spanning from the Mesa to Lucky Peak. The orignal development in this area was called Barber Town, featuring a hotel with hot springs nestled into the foothills. The new development, Harris Ranch is the largest development in Idaho, featuring craftsman style homes for families and seniors seeking the active lifestyle that riverside convenience offers.

The Boise Bench

The Boise Bench is south of Downtown Boise and is raised in elevation approximately 60 feet. The bench is named such because the sudden rise in elevation gives the prominent appearance of a step, or bench. The Bench is home to the old Boise Train Depot, Vista Village shopping center, and extensive residential neighborhoods. The Boise Towne Square Mall is on the bench to the southwest of downtown. Due south of the Boise Bench is the Boise Airport, raised up on another "bench".

About The Name

Origin of Name

The name Boise comes from the French word boisé, which means "wooded". Many people assume that it means "tree", but the French word for "tree" is arbre, whereas the word bois means "wood". One legend claims that French-Canadian fur trappers of the early 1800s came over the mountains looked down upon the Boise River Valley and exclaimed "Le Bois!" (the trees!). This is also how Boise gained its nickname 'The City of Trees'. In actuality, the name was apparently a translation of an earlier English name for the Boise River, the Wood River.

Pronunciation

There is an on going controversy about the pronunciation of Boise. Most natives of Boise pronounce the city Boise, (Boy-see) and not (Boy-zee). Those who do pronounce the city Boise (Boy-zee) are quickly picked up by natives as new or as recent transplants to the city.

Photo gallery

Image:boisetrees2.jpg|A view of Boise, from the North Image:BoiseTrainDepot2.jpg|The Old Boise Train Depot Image:Boisenight.jpg|Boise Downtown

External links

Ada County, Idaho | Boise, Idaho | Cities in Idaho

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Boise, Idaho