The 411

The Boise Valley is a beautiful place to live, work, and play. A French word meaning “wooded,” Boise was named by early settlers due to its many trees. To this day, the official seal of Boise includes the words “City of Trees.” Boise is the capital and most populous city of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, Boise is nestled on a high-desert plain. The Boise Valley metropolitan area includes five counties with the state’s three largest cities: Boise, Nampa, and Meridian. Boise is the third most populous metropolitan area in the United States Pacific Northwest region, behind Seattle and Portland.

Low Costs for Business and Living

• Boise Metro cost of living is 107.7% of the national average; Housing is 125.3% of the national average; Miscellaneous Goods & Services are 105.4% of the national average

(Source: C2ER: The Council for Community and Economic Research)

• The average cost of a home is approximately $680,451 in Ada County and $517,398 in Canyon County (Source: Summary of all single-family homes sold, April 2022)

• No tax on services

High Quality of Life

• The Boise-Nampa area is ranked as one of the most secure large metropolitan areas in the U.S. out of 114 regions nationally

with populations of over 500,000 (Farmers Insurance Group)

• Average commute time is only 18 minutes

• Four seasons of world-class outdoor recreation: skiing, hiking, cycling, fishing, rock climbing, rafting and more

• A full complement of cultural amenities including the nationally recognized Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Boise Philharmonic, Opera Idaho, and others

• Excellent K-12 schools and post-secondary educational opportunities

Diversity:

• Over 90 different languages are spoken in the Boise School District

• Home to the second-largest Basque population in North America

• Home to one of the oldest synagogues in the Western United States

• More than two dozen language courses available through local universities and community education programs

• Annual diversity events and resources include LGBTQ+ Pride activities, Hispanic Cultural Center, Black History Museum, and the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights

Climate:

• Elevation (Boise): 2,730 feet

• Annual days of sun: 234

• Annual precipitation: 12.1 inches

• Annual snowfall: 21.4 inches

• Average high temperature (July): 90.2 F; average low temperature (January): 21.6 F

• Average afternoon humidity: 43%

Distance in miles from Boise to:

• Albuquerque, New Mexico - 965

• Billings, Montana - 621

• Cheyenne, Wyoming - 735

• Las Vegas, Nevada - 629

• Los Angeles, California - 846

• Phoenix, Arizona - 995

• Portland, Oregon - 425

• Reno, Nev., 424

• Salt Lake City, Utah, 338

• San Diego, Calif., 938

• San Francisco, Calif., 648

• Seattle, Wash., 496

Government

FEDERAL:

U.S. Senators

Mike Crapo 239 Dirksen Senate Building

Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-6142

crapo.senate.gov

Jim Risch

483 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-2752

risch.senate.gov

U.S. Representatives

Russ Fulcher – District 1

1514 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-6611

fulcher.house.gov

PHOTO BY CHAD CASE VISUALS

Mike Simpson – District 2

2084 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

(202) 225-5531

simpson.house.gov

STATE: Governor

Office of the Governor

P.O. Box 83720

Boise, ID 83720

(208) 334-2100

gov.idaho.gov

LOCAL:

Ada County Commissioners

200 West Front Street, 3rd Floor

Boise, ID 83702

(208) 287-7000

adacounty.id.gov/

Boise City Hall

150 North Capitol Blvd

Boise, ID 83702

(208) 608-7000

cityofboise.org

Boise Mayor’s Office

Lauren McLean

150 North Capitol Boulevard

Boise, ID 83702

(208) 972-8520

mayormclean@cityofboise.org

Ada County

200 West Front Street

Boise, ID 83702

(208) 287-7080

adacounty.id.gov

Boise County 420 Main Street

Idaho City, ID 83631 (208) 392-4431

boisecounty.us

Canyon County 1115 Albany Street

Caldwell, ID 83605

(208) 454-7507

canyonco.org

Gem County

415 East Main Street Emmett, ID 83617

(208) 365-4561

gemcounty.org

Owyhee County 20381 State Highway 78 Murphy, ID 83650

(208) 495-2421

owyheecounty.net

Libraries

Boise Public Library

Main Branch (visit boisepubliclibrary.org for location of all branches)

715 South Capitol Boulevard

Boise, ID 83702

(208) 972-8200

Ada Community Library

Main Branch

10664 West Victory Road

Boise, ID 83709

(208) 362-0181

adalib.org

Public Safety

Public Safety - Hearing Impaired

7200 Barrister Drive

Boise, ID 83704

(208) 375-4994

Dial or text 911

Boise Fire Department

City Hall West

333 North Mark Stall Pl

Boise, ID 83704

(208) 570-6500

cityofboise.org

Ada County Sheriff’s Office

7200 Barrister Dr. Boise, ID 83704

(208) 577-3000

adacounty.id.gov/sheriff/

Boise Police Department

City Hall West

333 North Mark Stall Pl

Boise, ID 83704

(208) 570-6000

cityofboise.org

Driver’s License

Ada County Department of Motor Vehicles

400 North Benjamin Lane, Suite 101

Boise, ID 83704-5094

(208) 577-3100

itd.idaho.gov/itddmv/

Vehicle Registration

Ada County Department of Motor Vehicles

8655 West Franklin Rd

Boise, ID 83709

(208) 577-3135

itd.idaho.gov/itddmv/ Services

Better Business Bureau PO Box 191279

Boise, ID 83719

(208) 342-4649

boise.bbb.org

Boise Valley Economic Partnership (BVEP)

1101 West Front Street, Suite 100

Boise, ID 83702

(208) 472-5205

bvep.org

Downtown Boise Association

816 West Bannock Street, Suite #310

Boise, ID 83702

(208) 385-7300

downtownboise.org

Idaho Department of Commerce

700 West State Street

P.O. Box 83720

Boise, ID 83720

(802) 334-2470

commerce.idaho.gov

Idaho Department of Labor 219 West Main Street

Boise, ID 83735

(208) 332-3575

labor.idaho.gov

Idaho Small Business Development Center

Boise State University

2360 West University Drive, Suite 2132

Boise, ID 83725

(208) 426-1640

idahosbdc.org

Planning and Development Services

Boise City Hall, 2nd Floor

150 North Capitol Boulevard

Boise, ID 38702

(208) 384-3830

cityofboise.org

Visit Boise

1101 West Front Street, Suite 100

Boise, ID 83702 (208) 472-5205

visitboise.com

Utilities GAS

Intermountain Gas Company 555 South Cole Road

Boise, ID 83709 (208) 377-6000

intgas.com

ELECTRICITY

Idaho Power Company

1221 West Idaho Street

Boise, ID 83702

(208) 388-2200

idahopower.com

TELEPHONE

Lumen (fka CenturyLink)

11425 W. Executive Dr. Boise, ID 83713

(866) 963-6665

centurylink.com

WATER

Veolia

8248 West Victory Road

Boise, ID 83709

(208) 362-7304

mywater.veolia.us

WASTE MANAGEMENT

City of Boise

150 North Capitol Boulevard

Boise, ID 83702

(208) 608-7000

cityofboise.org

RECYCLING

Pacific Recycling Shredder

19100 NW Waste Site Drive

Mayfield, ID 83716

(208) 796-2161

pacific-recycling.com

Pacific Steel & Recycling

5120 West Emerald Street

Boise, ID 83706

(208) 375-2131

pacific-recycling.com

Pacific Steel & Recycling

2515 East Comstock Avenue

Nampa, ID 83687

(208) 466-1105

pacific-recycling.com

Republic Services (Commercial)

11101 West Executive Drive Boise, ID 83713

(208) 345-1265

republicservices.com/locations/idaho/boise

Timber Creek Recycling LLC

7695 South Locust Grove Road

Meridian, ID 83642 (208) 887-8546

timbercreekrecycling.com

West-Pak Equipment Co.

254 West 36th Street Garden City, ID 83714 (208) 345-9640

west-pak.com

Western Recycling 1990 West Cole Road Boise, ID 83709 (208) 375-8580

westernrecycling.net

Cable TV Providers

Sparklight™

8400 Westpark Street

Boise, ID 83704 (208) 375-8288

sparklight.com