Demographics

County: Ada

Location: Boise is located in Ada County and sits at the base of the Boise Mountain Range on the north and east. The Boise River passes through Boise flowing to the west toward the convergence of the Snake River. Boise is the capital of the state of Idaho and the economic hub for the region. The Boise Metro area has the greatest concentration of people between Salt Lake City Utah and Portland Oregon at about 588,000.

Elevation: 2,704 ft. (824 m.), on average, above sea level

Time Zone: Mountain Standard Time, MST, (observes Daylight Savings Time)

Phone Area Code: 208

Local Map: Click Here

	Boise	Idaho	USA
Population	198,312	1,571,616	307,829,557
Male/female:	50.12%/49.88%	50.31%/49.69%	49.31%/50.69%
Median age:	35.7	34.7	36.6
Household size	2.37	2.65	2.58
Own homes	56.22%	62.64%	59.90%
Rent homes	37.27 %	25.47%	29.73%
Vacant homes	6.51%	11.89%	10.37%
%White	88.70%	88.38%	75.1%
%Black	1.45%	0.81%	12.3%
%Native	1.0%	1.46%	0.9%
%Asian	2.54%	1.11%	3.6%
%Other	6.31%	8.25%	5.5%
%Islander			0.2%
%Hispanic	7.38%	10.49%	12.5%

Schools & Higher Education

Boise City School District No. 1 and Joint School District No. 2 (Boise, Meridian, Eagle and Star) Only Boise schools are listed below:

District 1: http://www.sd01.k12.id.us

District 2: http://www.meridianschools.org

1. Boise City District No. 1: 208-854-4000
2. Joint School District No. 2: 208-855-4500
3. Boise High: 208-854-4270
4. Borah High: 208-854-4370
5. Capital High: 208-854-4490
6. Centennial High: 208-855-4250
7. Boise Evening High: 208-854-6700
8. Frank Church High: 208-854-5650
9. Boise Language Academy: 208-854-5220
10. Marian Pritchell School at Booth Memorial: 208-854-6830
11. Dennis Technical Education Center: 208-854-5810
12. Timberline High: 208-854-6230
13. Treasure Valley Math & Science Center: 208-854-6802
14. East Jr. High: 208-854-4730
15. Fairmont Jr. High: 208-854-4790
16. Hillside Jr. High: 208-854-5120
17. Les Bois Jr. High: 208-854-5340
18. North Jr. High: 208-854-5740
19. Riverglen Jr. High: 208-854-5910
20. South Jr. High: 208-854-6110
21. West Jr. High: 208-854-6450
22. Lake Hazel Middle: 208-855-4375
23. Lowell Scott Middle: 208-350-4060
24. Adams Elementary: 208-854-4190
25. Amity Elementary: 208-854-4220
26. Andrus Elementary: 208-939-3400
27. Collister Elementary: 208-854-4650
28. Cynthia Mann Elementary: 208-854-4680
29. Desert Sage Elementary: 208-350-4020
30. Donnell School of the Arts: 208-855-4355
31. Frontier Elementary: 208-350-4190
32. Garfield Elementary: 208-854-4951
33. Grace Jordan Elementary: 208-854-5580
34. Hawthorne Elementary: 208-854-5000
35. Hidden Springs Elementary: 208-229-4727
36. Highlands Elementary: 208-854-5050
37. Hillcrest Elementary: 208-854-5080
38. Horizon Elementary: 208-854-5170
39. Jefferson  Elementary: 208-854-5260
40. Joplin Elementary: 208-855-4345
41. Koelsch  Elementary: 208-854-5300
42. Lake Hazel Elementary: 208-350-4075
43. Liberty Elementary: 208-854-5410
44. Longfellow Elementary: 208-854-5450
45. Lowell Elementary: 208-854-5480
46. Madison Earyl Childhood Center: 208-854-5520
47. Maple Grove Elementary: 208-854-5540
48. McMillan Elementary: 208-855-4475
49. Morley Nelson Elementary: 208-854-4610
50. Monroe Elementary: 208-854-5620
51. Mountain View Elementary: 208-854-5700
52. Owyhee Harbor Elementary: 208-854-5850
53. Pepper Ridge Elementary: 208-855-4130
54. Pierce Park Elementary: 208-854-5880
55. Pioneer School of the Arts: 208-855-4100
56. Riverside Elementary: 208-854-5980
57. Roosevelt Elementary: 208-854-6030
58. Shadow Hills Elementary: 208-854-6060
59. Silver Sage Elementary: 208-855-4485
60. Spalding Elementary: 208-321-2150
61. Summerwind Elementary: 208-375-0210
62. Taft Elementary: 208-854-6180
63. Trail Wind Elementary: 208-854-6320
64. Ustick Elementary: 208-375-0210
65. Valley View Elementary: 208-854-6370
66. Washington  Elementary: 208-854-6420
67. White Pine Elementary: 208-854-6530
68. Whitney  Elementary: 208-854-6580
69. Whittier  Elementary: 208-854-6630
70. Private Boise Valley Adventist School: 208-376-7141
71. Private Foothills School of Arts: 208-331-9260
72. Private Childrens School: 208-343-6840
73. Private Bishop Kelly High School: 208-375-6010
74. Private Boise Christian School: 208-342-4529
75. Private Parkcenter Montessori: 208-344-0004
76. Private Rose Hill Montessori: 208-385-7674
77. Private Calvary Christian School: 208-376-0260
78. Private Hillside Academy: 208-639-2702
79. Charter Hidden Springs School: 208-229-4727

Links

Compare ISAT scores for all Idaho Schools: http://www.greatschools.net/test/landing.page?state=ID&tid=76

Compare NAEP scores for Idaho Schools versus national: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/

Education Nation Scorecard for Schools: http://nbcscorecard.greatschools.org/?s_cid=20100928weeklysend

Compare State and Community Report Card: http://www.sde.idaho.gov/ipd/reportcard/SchoolReportCard.asp

Cost per student, grades 1-12, and teacher/student ratio comparison to US average.

	Boise	USA
$per student	$3,656	$5,678
teacher ratio	1 to 25	1 to 15
%High school grad	92.91%	84.72%
%4 year college grad	24.61%	17.42%

Higher Education

1. Boise State University: 208-426-1000
2. College of Western Idaho–Nampa: 208-562-3000
3. Apollo College: 877-205-1458
4. ITT Technical Institute-Boise: 208-322-8844
5. Milan Institute-Boise: 208-672-9500
6. Scot Lewis Schools-Boise: 208-375-0190
7. Brown Mackie College-Boise: 208-321-8800
8. Stevens-Henager College-Boise: 208-345-0700
9. BoiseBibleCollege: 208-376-7731

Local History

Boise is located on the Snake River basin plain that crosses, from east to west, the south end of the State of Idaho. Boise is on the east end of the valley at an average elevation of about 2,704 feet above sea level. The primary natural waterway is the Boise River that passes through the community from its path from the mountains to the east over to the convergence of the Snake River about 40 miles west. There are several reservoirs with hydro-electric dams on the Boise River system; all are to the east of Boise namely Lucky Peak, Arrowrock and Anderson Ranch reservoirs. The Boise River’s headwaters originate in the Sawtooth Mountains. Boise is considered a high desert area with most of the moisture occurring and collecting in the surrounding mountains and then being transferred into the valley by creeks, streams and rivers. These waterways provide the irrigation water used by farmers across the whole south end of the state.

In 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through the Boise area on their way to the west coast. In about 1811, The Astorian parties, under Wilson Price Hunt, came through exploring portions of what would later become the Oregon Trail. In 1820, negotiations and treaties with local Native American tribes were being made. In 1821, the Hudson Bay and Northwest fur trading companies merged and would later come into Idaho. In 1822, William Ashley organized the Rocky Mountain Fur Company that would start bringing pelts out of the Idaho area on an organized once a year basis.

In 1834, the Hudson Bay Co., based on the expanding fur trade, established a fort about 40 miles west of Boise near the current town site of Parma. This fort was named Fort Boise. In 1843, the first settlers began coming through the Boise area on the then established Oregon Trail route on their way to lands further west. In 1849, a reported 20,000+ settlers came through Boise on their way to the California Gold Rush. In 1854, the Hudson Bay Co. due to hostile Native American activity that resulted in several massacres of settler wagon trains and numerous smaller incidents abandoned the original Fort Boise.

Between 1860 and 1863, gold was discovered in the Boise Basin area and silver in the Owyhee Mountain range to the west. The Civil war was still raging at the time on the eastern side of the continent. In 1863, Idaho was made a territory of the Union. Being such, it became a valuable asset to the Union in manpower, gold and silver and for other resources badly needed for the Civil War conflict with the south. For these and other reasons, the U.S. Army established a fort in Boise to protect settlers and to insure that the valuable resources could flow out of the area.

In 1864, the territorial capital was moved from Lewiston Idaho down to Boise. That same year the City of Boise incorporated some 26 years before Idaho became a state. In 1874, the first railroad service reached Idaho but it did not pass through Boise at the time. In 1880, Idaho’s first school districts were established in Boise and Lewiston. In 1883, the first telephone service reached Idaho. In 1884, the Oregon Short Line was completed into southern Idaho and was basically an east west line. In 1886, the capital building was finished. In 1887, Boise became the intersection point of the OSL and North Central railroad line making it an intersection hub for rail service, migration, supplies, security, politics and precious ore extraction.

On July 3rd, 1890, Idaho became the 43rd state of the Union with a reported population of 88,548 and with Boise being the capital. In 1902, large-scale irrigation systems were developed in the area making commercial farming viable. Small scale and limited irrigation systems had been developed in the 1860s to help supply the mining operations with needed food supplies. In 1906, the first sawmills were put on line in the state.

An economic overview of this period could be stated simply as follows: 1834 start of fur trade period, 1860 start of mining period, 1902 start of large scale farming period made possible by the development of irrigation water system, 1906 start of timber industry period, 1980 high tech electronics industry introduced into valley and changed balance of economy away from agriculture, mining and timber.

The Native American conflict period went from about 1850 to 1880, became serious after the area was made a territory in 1863 and with the tribes being subdued just a few years before Idaho became a state in 1880.

Boise is the functional center of the greater Boise economic region of Southwest Idaho, referred to as the “Treasure Valley” due to its agriculturally based wealth, made possible by irrigation and mild climate. Boise is the economic and political hub of this region being the capital of the state, the largest city in the state and the primary location of non-agriculturally based jobs for the region. Boise now adjoins, Meridian, Eagle and Garden city and is within 25 miles of Nampa and Caldwell in Canyon County, making this the largest metropolitan area between Salt Lake City Utah and Portland Oregon.

Boise has a reported population of 205,314 but when combined with the “metro” area it is at 587,689. Recent growth has all but eliminated the agricultural based economy within Ada County. This change came mainly through the introduction of clean industries, such as Hewlett Packard and Micron Technologies, in the last 20 years. Boise and the surrounding area’s have also become a hub for transportation and storage, higher education, communication call centers, medical services and most other major demographic factors that allow clean and sustained growth.

Boise is located in Ada County, is the county seat and the capital of the State of Idaho. The population of Boise proper has doubled since 1990, primarily due to non-agricultural related regional growth. The increase has actually been more dynamic as the metro areas shouldered most of the expansion outside the City of Boise. Ada County has the largest concentration of people in the state. Boise has established itself as a regional hub community that includes the Boise regional airport. Boise is known for its diversity of people and neighborhoods that go back as early as the 1860s. It is repeatedly in the top 10 communities noted for quality of life. For those seeking a mature and diverse urban setting in a family friendly, low crime, high employment environment, Boise is a good choice. It stands tall and proud with other northwest communities like Salt Lake City, Portland, Spokane and Seattle but with its own unique lifestyle.

Whatever your reasons for coming to Boise, it can be considered a good choice and one of the positive puzzle pieces that make up the “Treasure Valley” whose real treasure has always been its people. Trust the experts at Stewart Realty, LLC to help you find your own piece of Boise Id real estate.

Still unsure about where you want to move? Keep reading about Boise Idaho or check out other city pages to find the area of the Treasure Valley that best fits your needs. This site also has up to date information from the Boise MLS on available homes in the area so you can find the perfect home.

Climate

Boise is part of a river valley that runs across southern Idaho at a relatively low elevation. This is a high desert area of low precipitation in the valleys and high rates of sunshine. Most snow fall occurs in the surrounding mountain ranges from November to February which fills the rivers, creeks and streams that run to the valley in the spring time as it melts. The valley does get some snow but on average it is light and infrequent. Boise’s climate is warm during summer when day time temperatures tend to be in the 80’s and 90’s and cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 30's. The cold months are November through February and the warmest months July and August. Temperature shifts from day to night can be extreme primarily during the hottest summer days that cool off after sunset. This is a full four season location with a comparatively mild climate proven ideal for farming, recreation and just living. The annual average precipitation at Boise is 12.3 inches. Rainfall is distributed evenly throughout the year but on average is wetter during the spring and fall seasons. November is usually the wettest month on average at 1.50 inches. Boise gets 2 or more inches of rain every year because it sits at the base of Boise Mountain Range versus other communities in the Boise Valley.

Local Media

There over twenty AM and FM radio stations located in the Boise Valley that reaches Boise that includes multiple NPR stations.

This area has full access to traditional, cable, dish and online TV stations with Boise being regional communication hub for most TV and radio outlets. Fiber optic lines are being extended to residential areas to provide the highest speed data transfers available.

 

Airports

The largest airport, the Boise Regional airport, sits on the south end of town and is the regional hub for air travel. There are 4 private heliports and 1 private airport listed for Boise, Idaho. Gowen Field Airport, a National Guard facility, is attached to the Boise Regional Airport.

• Boise: Boise Airport – Website »
• Boise: Peaceful Cove Airport – Website »
• Boise: St Luke’s Boise Medical Center Heliport – Website »
• Boise: St Alphonsus Heliport – Website »
• Boise: Nampa Valley Heliport – Website »
• Boise: Boise Plaza Heliport – Website »