Boise, Idaho
From Free net encyclopedia
- This article deals with the state capital of Idaho. For other places named Boise, refer to Boise (disambiguation).
Boise (IPA: Template:IPA) is the capital and largest city in the state of Idaho. As of the 2000 census, Boise had a total population of 185,787 (2003 estimate: 190,117). [1] Downtown Boise is at an elevation of 2,704 feet above sea level.
Boise is the county seat of Ada County and the principal city of the Boise metropolitan area. Having grown considerably in recent years, Boise is the third largest metropolitan area in the American Pacific Northwest.
Contents |
Geography
To distinguish the city from neighboring Boise County, government publications, maps and some other media may refer to the city as "Boise City." The official city name, however, is simply "Boise."
Boise is located at 43°36'49" North, 116°14'16" West (43.613739, -116.237651)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 165.7 km² (64.0 mi²). 165.2 km² (63.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.33% water.
Demographics
Recent figures
Boise and its surrounding metropolitan area have seen dramatic growth through the 1990s and 2000s. The Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS) puts Boise's population as of 2005 at just more than 208,000 people [2]. That is up 11 percent from the 2000 Census figures below.
As of 2004 the city of Boise estimated the metropolitan area (Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell) had a population of 526,656 [3].
2000 Census
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 185,787 people, 74,438 households, and 46,523 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,124.7/km² (2,913.1/mi²). There were 77,850 housing units at an average density of 471.3/km² (1,220.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.15% White, 0.77% Black or African American, 0.70% Native American, 2.08% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 1.74% from other races, and 2.39% from two or more races. 4.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 74,438 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,432, and the median income for a family was $52,014. Males had a median income of $36,893 versus $26,173 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,696. 8.4% of the population and 5.9% of families were below the poverty line. 9.7% of those under the age of 18 and 6.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Economy
Image:Downtown Boise, Idaho.jpg Boise is the headquarters of Albertsons, Idaho Power, Micron Technology, Simplot, Washington Group International, and WinCo Foods. Hewlett-Packard has a large complex in Boise which specializes in scanners and printers and is one of the largest private employers in the area, second only to Micron. Other high-tech employers include Sybase and Microsoft, which recently purchased locally-owned ProClarity.
Varney Airlines, founded by Walter Varney was formed in Boise. The company is the root of present day United Airlines, which still serves the city.
Education
The city is home to the Boise School District, which includes 34 elementary schools, 8 junior highs, 5 high schools and 2 specialty schools. Part of the Meridian School District (the largest district in Idaho) overlaps into Boise city limits.
The city is home to six public high schools: Boise High School, Borah High School, Capital High School, Timberline High School as well as the Meridian district's Centennial High School and the alternative Mountain Cove High School. Boise has one Catholic high school, Bishop Kelly High School.
Post-secondary educational options in Boise include Boise State University as well as a wide range of technical schools. Boise is home to Boise Bible College, an undergraduate degree-granting college that exists to train leaders for churches as well as missionaries for the world.
Culture
Numbering about 15,000, Boise is home of the largest Basque community in the United States and the second largest community in the world outside the Basque Country in Spain and France [4]. A large Basque festival known as Jaialdi is held once every five years (next in 2010). Downtown Boise features a vibrant section known as the "Basque Block." Boise's mayor, David H. Bieter is of Basque descent.
Boise is also a regional hub for jazz and theater. The Gene Harris Jazz Festival is hosted in Boise each spring.
The city is home to a number of museums, including the Boise Art Museum, Idaho Historical Museum, the Basque Museum and Cultural Center and the Discovery Center of Idaho. Several theater groups operate in the city, including the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Boise Little Theatre and the Boise Contemporary Theatre among others.
On the first Thursday of each month, a gallery stroll is hosted in the city's core business district by the Downtown Boise Association.
Major attractions
A number of recreational opportunities are available, including extensive hiking and biking in the foothills to the immediate north of downtown and an extensive urban trail system called the Boise River Greenbelt that runs along the river. The Boise River itself is a common destination for fishing, swimming and rafting.
Bogus Basin Mountain Resort hosts several winter activities, including cross-country and downhill skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing. “Bogus” is just 16 miles outside city limits (less than an hour drive from downtown).
Minor professional sports teams in Boise include the short-season Class A Boise Hawks (Minor League Baseball), the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL, and the Idaho Stampede of the Continental Basketball Association.
The Boise State University campus is home to Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, home to local and national fine arts performances; Bronco Stadium, the 30,000 seat football stadium known for its blue AstroPlay field; and Taco Bell Arena, a 12,000 seat basketball and entertainment venue which opened in 1982 as the BSU Pavillion.
The MPC Computers Bowl football game is held in late December of each year, and pairs a team from the Western Athletic Conference with an at-large team.
The World Center for Birds of Prey is located just outside city limits, and is a key part of the re-establishment of the Peregrine falcon and the subsequent removal from the Endangered Species list. The center is currently breeding the very rare California condor, among many other rare and endangered species.
The city has been cited by publications like Forbes, Fortune and Sunset for quality of life.
Boise is the hometown of WWE superstar Torrie Wilson.
Media
See also: Boise media
The greater-Boise area is served by two weekly newspapers, two daily newspapers, five commercial television stations, and a variety of other media.
Transportation
The major highway serving Boise is I-84, with I-184 branching toward the northeast. There is also a network of bike paths throughout the city and surrounding region.
Commercial air service is provided at the Boise Airport, recently renovated to accommodate the growing number of passengers flying in and out of Boise. Public bus transportation is provided by ValleyRide and the Boise Urban Stages (BUS).
Parts of the City
Despite Boise's small population, it occupies a large area, 165.7 km² (64.0 mi²) according to the United States Census Bureau. Like most major metropolitan areas it is divided into several named parts. These include the Bench, the North End and Downtown among others.
Downtown Boise
Downtown Boise is Boise's cultural center and home to many small businesses and a few sky scrapers. Downtown Boise has a wide array of shopping and dining opportunities. Centrally, 8th street contains a fairly large pedestrian zone which with its street side cafes and restaurants lends Boise a slightly European feel.
Downtown Boise's economy has been threatened by extensive growth around the Boise Towne Square Mall and an increasing number of shopping centers which have sprung up around new housing developments. Events such as Alive-after-Five have been created to combat this trend.
The North End
The North End contains many of Boise's older homes and is known for its tree-lined drives such as Harrison Boulevard. Here you can find many quiet neighborhoods right in the center of Boise. From Camel's Back Park one can afford a view of Downtown Boise and the sea of trees that is the North End. On 13th Street Hyde Park is home to many small restaurants and businesses and is a favorite place among natives for an evening outing.
The North End is also known for its artistic community. Politically it is considerably more liberal than the rest of Boise, and as such is noted as a Democratic Party enclave in otherwise very Republican Idaho.
Warm Springs
Warm Springs is centered around the tree-lined drive Warm Springs Avenue and contains many of Boise's largest and most expensive homes (many of which were erected by wealthy miners and businessmen around the turn of the century; hence the Victorian style). The area gets its name from the natural hot springs that flow from Boise's fault line and warm many of the homes in this area.
The Boise Bench
The Boise Bench is south of Downtown Boise and is raised in elevation approximately 60 feet. The bench is named such because the sudden rise in elevation gives the prominant appearance of a step, or bench. The Bench is home to the old Boise Train Depot, Vista Village shopping center, and extensive residential neighborhoods. The Boise Towne Square Mall is on the bench to the southwest of downtown. Due south of the Boise Bench is the Boise Airport, raised up on another "bench".
Garden City
Garden City is surrounded by but a separate municipality from Boise. Chinden Boulevard, Garden City's main street, is locally notorious for trailer parks and sex shops, which sometimes earns it the derisive nickname "Garbage City." To be fair its poor reputation is mainly due to a lack of public funding as Garden City does not share in Boise's much larger tax base.
About The Name
Origin of Name
Image:Boisetrees.jpg The name Boise comes from the French word boisé which means "wooded". Many people assume that it means "tree", but the French word for "tree" is arbre, whereas the word bois means "wood". One legend claims that French-Canadian fur trappers of the early 1800s came over the mountains looked down upon the Boise River Valley and exclaimed "Le Bois!" (the trees!). This is also how Boise gained its nickname 'The City of Trees'. In actuality, the name was apparently a translation of an earlier English name for the Boise River, the Wood River.
Pronunciation
There is an on going controversy about the pronunciation of Boise. Upon which even native Bosieans cannot seem to agree. There are two camps. Those who pronounce Boise, Boy-see and those who pronounce it Boy-zee. It is often asserted that true natives only use one or the other. There are T-shirts which declare one or the other to be true and a running joke about how you can tell a true native Boisean from a transplant; say from California. However, in practice either pronunciation is acceptable and the argument is lilliputian in nature.
Nicknames
Many native Bosieans refer to Boise by the nickname Bobo. However, others claim to have never heard it and are even offended by the seemingly dimunitive pseudonym which they feel lacks the sophistication a major metropolitan center deserves. Still the name has been around for many years and is used widely among north-enders.
Photo gallery
External links
- City of Boise
- Boise Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Boise Area Chamber of Commerce
- Capital City Development Corp., Boise's redevelopment agency
- Idaho Statesman
- Boise Weekly
- Bogus Basin Mountain Resort
- Photographic virtual tour of Boise
- Boise Pictures
- Idaho News from KTVB
- ValleyRide - public transit
| Image:Idaho state flag.png | |
|---|---|
| State capital: |
Boise |
| Regions: |
Boise metropolitan area / Treasure Valley | Eastern Idaho | Idaho Panhandle | Magic Valley | North Central Idaho | Wood River Valley |
| Largest cities: |
Boise | Coeur d'Alene | Idaho Falls | Meridian | Nampa | Pocatello | Twin Falls |
| Smaller cities: |
Blackfoot | Burley | Caldwell | Chubbuck | Eagle | Garden City | Hayden | Jerome | Lewiston | Moscow | Mountain Home | Post Falls | Rexburg | Sandpoint | |
| Counties: |
Ada | Adams | Bannock | Bear Lake | Benewah | Bingham | Blaine | Boise | Bonner | Bonneville | Boundary | Butte | Camas | Canyon | Caribou | Cassia | Clark | Clearwater | Custer | Elmore | Franklin | Fremont | Gem | Gooding | Idaho | Jefferson | Jerome | Kootenai | Latah | Lemhi | Lewis | Lincoln | Madison | Minidoka | Nez Perce | Oneida | Owyhee | Payette | Power | Shoshone | Teton | Twin Falls | Valley | Washington | |
Template:United States state capitalsca:Boise da:Boise de:Boise es:Boise (Idaho) eo:Boise (Idaho) fr:Boise ga:Boise, Idaho id:Boise, Idaho it:Boise he:בוייסי nl:Boise ja:ボイシ no:Boise pl:Boise (Idaho) pt:Boise simple:Boise, Idaho fi:Boise sv:Boise