Boise

[cjsmith]

Step 1 in figuring out what to do with the rest of our lives: figure out where it's going to happen.*

This weekend Rob and I checked out Boise.

General impressions:
- pretty darn white
- pretty darn hot
- surprisingly un-oppressive about how overwhelmingly Christian it is
- surrounding area just as dead and brown in the summer as where we live now
- fun walkable downtown (if ya have feet)
- close to skiing (good if ya have feet)
- lots of kayaking
- good potential for finding a house we like
- not much aviation community (though there's lots for the population size)
- friendly people (except the guy at Piazza di Vino)
- full complement of the same big box stores you can find in larger cities in America
- significant variety of restaurants
- no Challenge square dancing potential ever
- no veterinary school

Several of these traits will be shared by just about every place we consider. Places with perfect climate and comfortable religious diversity don't come cheap; if the point is to ditch the rat race and move to a far less expensive location, we'll have to accept some changes. Given that, Boise's pretty nifty. It has a Pride parade. lkeele, I found an EGYPTIAN restaurant! It's more cosmopolitan than a coast-dweller might guess a city of 185,000 to be.

I don't know if I can handle summer heat of 103F. weather.com claims the average July high to be 89; that is a sobering reminder that Albuquerque (92) and Austin (96) are probably also hotter than they look.

Could I be happy in Boise?

Probably.

Next stop: Albuquerque. Also on the list: Austin, Boulder, maybe Portland if we forget about cheap or sunny.

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* People of my generation and even a bit older change careers more often than they move from one state to another. Therefore, says Penelope Trunk, pick the location first and then pick the career. The location will last longer.

Comments

[mighty-sam.livejournal.com]

The worst part of Billings has been a near-record heat wave the past few weeks (like, Top 5, but not All Time.)

Here's my take on the +/- of Billings:

PLUSSES
Biggest city for 500+ miles = shopping & medical
Churchiness on the down-low
Pretty cheap to live here, probably cheapest in MT
Less than 2 hour drive to 10k mountains
Good aviation opportunities AFAIK

MINUSES
Closest big city is Denver, 8+ hrs in car
Indian poverty obvious with reservations nearby
City does a shit job of clearing streets in winter
Not much "character"

I like it here, and plan to stay. There's only a handful of places I'd consider leaving for: Missoula, Boise, Portland, and a few others, but the reasons are as much professional as personal.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Great rundown! Thanks for the info!

It's possible Boise is not usually this hot too. I think several states are getting baked at the moment.

Are there Thai and Indian restaurants there? Anything like Shakespeare-in-the-park on a summer night? There's a lot about a big city I *don't* need, like night life or the best sports teams or the best ballet. A good couple of bookstores, some yummy nonsteakhouse restaurants, and a bit of local theater and I'm probably pretty happy.