Economics

	Garden City	Idaho	USA
Median Family Income (2011 dollars)	$45,577	$48,160	$52,954
Per capita income (2011 dollars)	$26,347	$22,938	$27,067
Median single family home cost	$163,500	$157,900	$175,100

Unemployment

	Garden City	Idaho	USA
2011	9.10%	10.40%	9.10%

Taxes: http://tax.idaho.gov/answers_Sales_tax.htm
State sales tax rate: 6.0%
State income tax rate: progressive tax range from 1.6% to 7.8% based on taxable income
Ada County property tax rate: http://www.adaweb.net/Assessor.aspx

Property tax rates for Garden City Idaho real estate vary please contact the Ada County assessor’s office for any questions at 208-287-7200. City property taxes are assessed through the county tax system.

Cost of Living Index 2011

	Garden City	Boise
Overall	99	104
Food	106	106
Utilities	100	100
Miscellaneous	100	100
	US Average = 100 for all indicators

Summary: The greatest difference in the index is in housing. Historically Garden City has had small modest homes consistent with general labor housing that made up most of the residential sections of Garden City. In the last 20 years most of the new development has been for upgrade river front properties or riverfront subdivisions that attract higher land values. This is because the community is essentially a narrow strip of land that follows the Boise River with most of the available vacant land bordering the river. In many circumstances the older modest housing has been removed and replaced by these upgrade properties. This trend should continue as there is little vacant land remaining in Garden City or Boise City. The housing index for homes outside of these projects is below the Boise index. All other indexes are similar, as they should be, as Boise City encapsulates the small community of Garden City.

Data source: http://www.bestplaces.net/col/

Demographics

County: Ada

Location: Garden City is located in Ada County and sits at the base of the Boise Mountain Range on the north and east. Garden City is encapsulated by Boise City and is located on 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: 2,674 ft. (815 m.), on average, above sea level

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

Phone Area Code: 208

Zip Code: 83703, 83714

Local Map: Click Here

Population of Garden City: 11,713 as of 2008 within the city limits, a 9% increase since 2000. The increase was actually higher but most of the vacant land area in Garden City has been developed and the growth is occurring in bordering communities and county within the Boise Metro area.

Year 2011 Facts:

	Garden City	Idaho	USA
Population	12,045	1,571,616	307,829,557
Male/female:	51.18%/48.82%	50.31%/49.69%	49.31%/50.69%
Median age:	35.6	34.7	36.6
Avg family	2.39	2.65	2.58
Own homes	49.50%	62.64%	59.9%
Rent homes	42.21 %	25.47%	29.73%
Vacant homes	8.29%	11.89%	10.37%
%White	83.63%	88.38%	72.4%
%Black	.77%	0.81%	12.6%
%Native	1.22%	1.46%	0.9%
%Asian	1.67%	1.11%	4.8%
%Islander			0.2%
%Other	12.72%	8.25%	6.2%
%Hispanic	17.26%	10.49%	12.5%

Schools & Higher Education

Garden city is part of the Boise City School District No. 1 Only Garden City schools are listed below:

1. Boise School District/Garden City: 208-854-6800
2. Hidden Springs Charter School K-9: 208-229-4727
3. Garden City Community Charter School K-8: 208-703-2666
4. Anser Charter School: 208-426-9840
5. West Jr. High: 208-854-6450
6. Treasure Valley Math & Science School: 208-854-6800

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.

	Garden City	USA
$per student	$0	$5,678
teacher ratio	1 to 14	1 to 15
%High school grad	85.78%	84.72%
%4 year college grad	16.47%	17.42%

Higher Education

None within Garden City,Idaho City limits. However, in the greater Boise Area are these Colleges and Universities:

1. Maranatha Bible College: 208-846-9403
2. Northwest Lineman College: 208-888-4817
3. University of Phoenix: 208-888-1505
4. Boise State University: 208-426-1000
5. College of Western Idaho–Nampa: 208-562-3000
6. Apollo College: 877-205-1458
7. ITT Technical Institute-Boise: 208-322-8844
8. Milan Institute-Boise: 208-672-9500
9. Scot Lewis Schools-Boise: 208-375-0190
10. Brown Mackie College-Boise: 208-321-8800
11. Stevens-Henager College-Boise: 208-345-0700
12. Boise Bible College: 208-376-7731

Local History

Garden City is part of the Snake River basin plain, of which the Boise River is part, which crosses, from east to west, the south end of the State of Idaho. Garden City is on the east end of the valley at an average elevation of about 2,674 feet above sea level and borders the Boise River on the northeast. Garden City is almost completely surrounded by the City of Boise but retains a separate municipal government. Garden City/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. Garden City/Boise is located on the old Oregon Trail. Garden City has its origin as being a "China Town" section of Boise where Chinese immigrants lived and raised produce gardens during the gold rush days of Idaho in the 1860's. Chinden, the main arterial road running through Garden City is a mixture of the words China and garden. The 1870 census indicated that 28.5% of Idaho's population was Chinese. The Chinese first came to west North America primarily through the port of San Francisco and were drawn here by stories of, first the gold rush in California and then later in the mountain range above Boise. The Chinese story in Garden City was similar to hundreds of other places in the west at that time. Most of the Chinese were men, most were miners, most worked on the railroads during and after the gold rush days and most were discriminated against by the European based "white" settlers of the time. When the mines played out, the railroads finished and with anti-Asian immigration laws in place, much of the Chinese population either immigrated out, if they could afford it, or died here as strangers in a far off place. A few stayed and after the reduced population no longer posed a threat to the "white" settlers and with immigration laws in place, they blended more peacefully into America's immigrant society. Today about 1.67% of Garden City is Asian and just over 2% of Boise has Asian ancestry. Few of these trace their roots back to Garden City or even to China. In recent years, this founding ancestry group has been honored by hosting Chinese New Year's parades in Garden City. Garden City has always been primarily an industrial/commercial location that continues today. Much of the community has been affected by flooding over the years, but with the advent of dikes, irrigation dams, landfills etc. much of the problem has been abated. Today Garden City is still a vibrant commercial district with some lower cost residential options and a growing community of newer river frontage subdivisions. Once Boise River frontage was not in demand when river flows were not regulated, but now with dikes, dams and good regulation it has become in high demand for top end residential properties. With Boise River frontage, running the full length of Garden City this new demand has begun to translate into pockets of good quality residential developments along the river that has also become a green belt way through the area. Garden City is becoming a garden once more along the Boise River. Though technically, Garden City is not a full service community on its own, its encapsulation by Boise, a regional based hub city, gives access to all of Boise's amenities within a short walk or drive. It has become just another unique option in Boise's mature and diverse urban makeup.

Garden City is part 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. Garden City is encapsulated by Boise and is in the west central district of that community. It has always had a commercial/industrial base from its beginning and also serves, to a lesser extent, as a satellite or bedroom community location for the Boise market. Boise and the surrounding areas 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.

Garden City is located in Ada County. It is the sixth largest city in the county at about 12,045 in population as of 2011. The population of Garden City doubled since 1990 in line with Boise City's growth rate over the same period. The actual growth in the "metro" area was greater but as intercity land was used up most of the growth occurred in newly annexed West Boise county areas and in communities like, Eagle, Star and Meridian on the west end of the county. For those looking for the intercity feel of a mature urban environment but with a low crime rate and high employment rate, Garden City would make a good option.

Whatever your reasons for coming to Garden City, 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 Garden City Idaho real estate.

Still unsure about where you want to move? Keep reading about Garden City 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

Garden City 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.

Garden City'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 Garden City is 19.0 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. Garden City gets 7 more inches of rain every year compared to Boise and 9 more inches than the rest of the Boise Valley. This is because it sits at the base of Boise Mountain Range and is located at the bottom of the valley along the Boise River.

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 Boise about 5 miles southeast of Garden City and is the regional hub for air travel. There are no public or private airports and no heliports listed for Garden City.

Boise: Website »