17 Reasons Not to Move to Boise, Idaho (Voted by the locals!)

I was born in Boise, Idaho, and have a lot of good memories and times that I spent there. Although it seems like a good place to live, it has many things that might make you consider ever living in Boise.

Boise is the capital of Idaho and has a population of 462,000. People often forget about the state of Idaho, and therefore the city of Boise.

Here we have 17 important factors to consider before moving to Boise, Idaho.

17. Potatoes!

If you live in Boise, Idaho, it’s very likely that you will be associated with potatoes forever. It may not sound that bad, but the potato jokes will go on forever. It doesn’t help that there are a massive amount of potato-themed businesses. There are potato hotels, a potato drop, the famous potato bowl, and many potato or fry-related businesses.

I do not live in Boise, but was born there. Every time I mention to people that I was born there, the potato jokes commence. I love my potatoes, but I don’t love getting compared or being associated with them.

16. No Major Cities Close

Boise isn’t a super small town, but it’s small enough that there aren’t a lot of major cities close by. If you are isolated from other major cities, it’s going to be very difficult to do a lot of things you might want to do. You may have to drive long hours to get where you need to go. It doesn’t sound very fun to me to have to drive hours away for a gallon of milk. However, it is quickly growing.

It may seem like it’s not that big of an issue, but when you need essential things or just want to go on an adventure or date, it’s not in a convenient location if you live in Boise. I’d suggest living in a city that has things you may need in a better location for you and not living in Boise, Idaho.

15. Isolated From Others

Not only are you isolated from other big cities, but you may also become quickly isolated from other human beings if you live in Boise. The people of Boise aren’t necessarily talkative ones who embrace communication.

Homes are mostly far away from each other in Boise, and your neighbors could be far far away from you and your family. It’s very important to have communication and neighbors you can trust, but if they’re all far away, it makes it difficult to feel welcomed and accepted.

I love my alone time as much as the next person, but I need someone to talk to at some point, otherwise, I go crazy. Social communication is so important for one’s mental health and sanity. You may want to reconsider moving to Boise if you want to have communication and be part of a community.

14. Bad Roads and Freeways

Boise, Idaho may seem like a booming, constantly changing city, but it’s not as developed as you might think. The roads and freeways haven’t expanded much at all and are bad quality roads in general.

The locals would say that the roads in Boise are some of the worst roads in the whole state of Idaho. Not only do the narrow roads have potholes and aren’t paved well, but the roads and freeways have barely expanded throughout the years.

Change may seem negative, but a change in the quality and state of these roads will help increase the quality of the entire city. But for now, that quality scale is pretty low due to the roads and freeways. Save yourself some stress and don’t move to Boise.

13. Long Commutes

I hate sitting in cars, especially for hours on end. In Boise, if you plan on driving anywhere, you will probably be spending a lot of your time in a car. Boise unfortunately has long, horrible commutes. Depending on where you live and where you will work, your commute may be especially time-consuming and stressful.

Because the freeways and roads aren’t as expanded and developed as we’d like, the commute is even longer. Traffic will increase significantly during rush hour and you may be sitting in your car for a very long period of time.

Don’t like sitting in your car forever? Then don’t move to Boise, Idaho!

12. Bad Smell

Locals complain constantly complain about the horrendous smell coming from Boise, Idaho. Because of the overflowing sewage plants, the city smells like a giant landfill. Some locals can’t stand it anymore. Some say that Boise might be the worst smelling city in America!

Nobody enjoys a bad smell that they can’t get rid of. This stench may cause your homes, your clothes, etc. to smell just as bad. Bad smells can mess with your stomach and even your mental health. The smell that is stinking up Boise might drive you crazy, so stay away from Boise if you can.

11. Dangerous Animals

I hate slithery, scaled, huge, dangerous animals, and you will too if you move to Boise, Idaho. Boise has some of the biggest, most dangerous animals known to man. It is home to mountain lions, rattlesnakes, bears, bison, giant spiders, bats, and more. A man was even killed in Boise because he was bitten or scratched by a bat and got rabies as a result.

Rabies is almost always fatal, and you should be highly aware of the risk of rabies if you move to Boise. Rabies is just one example of something horrible that could happen if you live there. It’s quite possible you could get attacked or killed by other animals in this city.

These animals won’t be afraid to get close, so I’d suggest getting far, far away from Boise.

10. Fewer Job Opportunities

Jobs create opportunities and allow you and your family to be happy and financially stable. Sadly, Boise might not be the place for you if you’re looking for a job. The job opportunities in Boise are low because it’s a smaller city compared to others but has a bigger population. This decreases the job opportunities available, and should hopefully convince you not to move to Boise.

It might be very difficult to find or keep jobs here because of this, so you may want to reconsider moving to Boise.

9. Lower Socio-Economic Families

In Boise, Idaho, there is a very large population of families with lower incomes. The poverty rate in Boise is 14.0% and for every 7.1 people in Boise, there will be one person who lives in poverty. Those chances are great all, and if you move to Boise, you are at high risk of living in poverty, and a higher risk of being around those who are in poverty.

It’s very saddening to see people who are impoverished, and it may be even harder for your children to be around that kind of environment as well.

The chances of you and your family slipping into that statistic of poverty is high, a little too high. Don’t risk your family’s chance at happiness and do not move to Boise, Idaho.

8. Less Diversity

The diversity in Boise, Idaho is quite sad, and the demographics might be one of the worst I’ve seen. Looking at the diversity standings in Boise, you can see that the percentage of white people in Boise is a massive 91%. African American and black people only make up 3% of Boise’s population, Asians make up 1%, Hispanics and Latinos are at 4%, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders make up 1%.

This demographic is very surprising and should definitely deter you from moving to Boise.

Having diversity in someone’s life can drastically increase the quality and understanding of other people’s lives. If you delete that diversity out of yours, and especially your children’s lives, you may regret it. Stay away from a horribly nondiverse city and don’t move to the city of Boise.

7. Hot Summers

The weather in Boise is horrible and you don’t get much of an in-between during the winter and summer seasons. Summer heat in Boise is a constant problem that you will hate if you move to Boise, Idaho. Summer heat can get up to 100°F and rise even higher. The days are dry and long and there is no surviving the disgusting summer weather unless you have air conditioning.

Whenever I visit Boise, Idaho, the thing I hate the most is the weather. It’s so hot and sticky that it’s hard to enjoy anything. If you move to Boise, you will definitely regret it because of the horrible summers, so don’t move there!

6. Wildfire Danger

Because of the dry, horribly hot summers, wildfires in Boise are of high possibility. You may experience road closures, smoke, and maybe even evacuations if you move to Boise. The wildfires would also greatly affect your physical and mental health. The smoke would fill the air and pollute it greatly. This could make the ability to easily breathe very difficult. You would greatly dislike the possibility of wildfires.

Wildfires are dangerous to be around and if you move to Boise with your children, you may be risking their happiness and health. So stay safe and don’t move to Boise.

5. Bad Winters

Boise has bad winters. Along with the horrible summers, Boise has just as bad winters. The amount of snow, ice, and cold temperatures are more than enough reasons not to move to Boise.

I have relatives in Boise and I’ve heard many times about the horrible snow storms and freezing cold temperatures that they have experienced in the city. I promise that if you move to Boise, you will absolutely hate how horrible their winters are.

Not only is it snowy and cold, but these kinds of winters can create dangerous roads and long travel for you and your family. It would be very unsafe to drive on the roads during such bad weather.

Bad weather makes for an unhappy, stressful life, and yours would be filled with a lot of it if you moved to Boise, Idaho.

4. Atmospheric Inversions During Winter

Another factor that you should consider is the inversions that occur during winter. These inversions again, make it very hard to breathe and become very unhealthy for you and your children. Nobody should have to breathe in unhealthy air, especially children

Partnered with the horrible hot summers, freezing cold winters, and disgusting inversion, Boise is not the place you want to live. Keep your family far away from Boise, Idaho.

3. Low Wages

Money makes the world go round, and without it, you and your family will struggle greatly. The low number of job opportunities creates low wages in Boise. These low wages create poverty and your family needs money and jobs to be happy and healthy. The minimum wage in Boise right now is set at $7.25 an hour, which is very low.

As you consider where to move you and your family, greatly think about the possibility that you would receive very low wages in Boise.

2. High Drug Use

Drug use in Boise, Idaho is very high and would create quite a bit of danger for you and your family. Boise may seem like a small, quaint town, but it has a lot of horrible drug use. The adults and the kids are using illegal drugs and Boise is getting sucked into a hole they won’t be able to get out of.

You really don’t want your children around people who are using illegal drugs. If you move to Boise, you risk your children’s health and happiness.

1. High Housing Costs

Finding the perfect home for you and your family is essential to your happiness. Unfortunately, Boise has very high housing costs. The average median listing home price in Boise is $579K, which is quite high. If you move to Boise, you may have a hard time finding a house that’s not too expensive or struggle to pay your rent or mortgage every month.

If you move to Boise, the high housing prices would not be worth the move.