Boise vs. Spokane (Nampa, Meridian, Caldwell: fit in, transplants, crime)

[Todd4]

Hello,

How would you compare Boise vs. Spokane in terms of cultural amenenties, historic neighborhoods, a vibrant downtown, and just quality of life in general for a younger professional new to the area.

You could also throw in there outdoor activities and weather.

Thanks.

[Molley]

I'm not a young professional, but here's my take on Spokane where I lived for 7 years. It is a beautiful area, and a lot of outdoor things to do like fishing and hunting. The downtown is absolutely wonderful and has been updated since we moved and is incredible. However, my strong recommendation is to spend some time there before you move. It was hard to break in, and there is a large representation of - how shall I put it - caucasion trailer dwellers with absolutely no class whatsoever. There are also a lot of good people there,don't get me wrong, but we had a hard time fitting in and finding our niche so we left. Summers are glorious but last about 2 months,and then you're back to the endless winters. I would never move back.

[boi2socal]

Boise has generally had a stronger and more dynamic economy which has led to a better lifestyle and nicer amenities. I would say Boise's Downtown is overall more livable and has more entertainment options. Boise is just "cooler."

Outdoors stuff is probably nearly the same. Spokane is colder in winter and generally more cloudy. Boise is hotter in summer and generally more sunny.

[stingraynm]

Spokane has some nice areas, but for the most part it's the epitome of a city that grew too quickly. It is very easy to drive a couple miles from a great neighborhood and find yourself in a seedy one. It can also be very hard to get around in Spokane, speaking of going from neighborhood to neighborhood.

I loved visiting the area from Moscow or Boise for the vibrant, uninhibited nightlife, but that can definitely be a bad thing once you live there, especially if you're not a wiley youth with a well-established network. The whole place has a rather SoCal-Seattle-eque vibe in that respect. I mean... "if you want it, it can be found" kinda nightlife. A sell for some, a scourge to others. That's up to you to figure. Boise's a bit more discrete and tame.

Spokane is not this native Idahoan's cup of tea, but it's not horrible like Detroit central or something. If you're young and enjoy a rambunctious locale with access to all sorts of urban, resort, rural, and outdoor activities in close proximity every which-a-way, Spokane is actually pretty awesome. Still, Boise holds a lot of that with a more mellow, safe, family-oriented atmosphere and much friendlier vibe in general.

Both Spokane and Boise are just plain wonderful in terms of outdoor activities. Neither would leave you wanting. If you're more into winter activities, Spokane would better serve you, but not by much. It's just more centralized with ski areas and genuine alpine hikes.

Spokane is easier for a less experienced professional to find a job than Boise. Boise is a good market to have a competitive resume, because although the job market is great, the masses of applicants know it and often share a love or intrigue associated with Boise, depending on their own experiences with it.

For tax relief, Idaho over Washington, any day, no contest.

Both cities have plenty of historic neighborhoods. I prefer Boise's myself. Inland historic has less wear and tear than Pacific historic, I'm afraid.

From there, of course, I'd advise visiting both cities and comparing. They have similarities but are much more different on many fronts.

[Torrie]

All the above have made some great points. I've never lived in Spokane, just visited several times. For some reason, that area seems to have a problem with their economy, at least that's what I hear people speak of often. I believe crime is much higher in Spokane than in Boise(never leave your car unlocked or valuables visible) and personally, from what I've noticed, there are more seedy neighborhoods in Spokane than in Boise.

Spokane does have great access to wilderness, a plus in my eyes, but I find Boise to be a more well rounded city in terms of benefits compared to Spokane. Boise's weather is better, longer days of sunshine, our economy is typically one of the strongest in the nations (with the exception of what's going on currently), we've consistently been voted one of the safest places to live, and the people are quite friendly.

Definitely try and come for a visit and see what you think. If you do decide to move to Boise, be sure to have a job in hand as it is quite competitive.

[Sage of Sagle]

I don't think these two cities even bear comparison. Spokane just seems like such a "place to avoid" compared to Boise. I apologize as I'm sure this will offend Spokane residents....and there ARE NICE AREAS so I'm not talking about all of Spokane. But crime is through the roof (rivals Los Angeles in property crime and auto theft) and it has such a "poor white trash" feel in MANY parts of the town.

For those of you from SoCal...here's how it compares in my mind (socio-economically):

If you are coming from Irvine or Temecula or Simi, you're going to fit into Eagle and Meridian.
If you're coming from Pasadena or (historic area of) Orange, you'll fit into the North End.
If you're coming from Ontario or Pomona or San Fernando, you'll fit into Nampa/Caldwell.
If you're coming from Victorville or Barstow or Lake Elsinore, you'll fit into Spokane (city).
If you're from Corona or Murietta or Santa Clarita, you'll fit into Spokane Valley.
If you're from Lake Forest or Calabasas, you'll fit into Liberty Lake.

Folks, this is JUST MY VIEW and I'm not saying I can't be wrong. But my perceptions as a retired cop are as valid anecdotally as anyone's personal views. I have just been underwhelmed by Spokane each time I go there, although it has some bright spots (Riverfront Park, etc).

[boi2socal]

Haha, nice comparisons!

[stingraynm]

Originally Posted by Sage of Sagle

I don't think these two cities even bear comparison. Spokane just seems like such a "place to avoid" compared to Boise. I apologize as I'm sure this will offend Spokane residents....and there ARE NICE AREAS so I'm not talking about all of Spokane. But crime is through the roof (rivals Los Angeles in property crime and auto theft) and it has such a "poor white trash" feel in MANY parts of the town.

Yeah, unfortunate but true. My friends and I used to say Spokane was a quaint little village in the Hills and the rest was "Spo-Compton". A lot of the city is really dreary in the climatological sense and dirty in the demographic sense. Fun to visit, especially if you know some insiders, but not real liveable from the standpoint of those of us who prefer Boise (as you can see). Boise is a LOT safer than Spokane, and although the likeability of the cities is debatable, that one fact is indisputable.

[Molley]

Originally Posted by Sage of Sagle

I don't think these two cities even bear comparison. Spokane just seems like such a "place to avoid" compared to Boise. I apologize as I'm sure this will offend Spokane residents....and there ARE NICE AREAS so I'm not talking about all of Spokane. But crime is through the roof (rivals Los Angeles in property crime and auto theft) and it has such a "poor white trash" feel in MANY parts of the town.

For those of you from SoCal...here's how it compares in my mind (socio-economically):

If you are coming from Irvine or Temecula or Simi, you're going to fit into Eagle and Meridian.
If you're coming from Pasadena or (historic area of) Orange, you'll fit into the North End.
If you're coming from Ontario or Pomona or San Fernando, you'll fit into Nampa/Caldwell.
If you're coming from Victorville or Barstow or Lake Elsinore, you'll fit into Spokane (city).
If you're from Corona or Murietta or Santa Clarita, you'll fit into Spokane Valley.
If you're from Lake Forest or Calabasas, you'll fit into Liberty Lake.

Folks, this is JUST MY VIEW and I'm not saying I can't be wrong. But my perceptions as a retired cop are as valid anecdotally as anyone's personal views. I have just been underwhelmed by Spokane each time I go there, although it has some bright spots (Riverfront Park, etc).

Sage: We are definitely on the same page. I don't know these areas of So Cal, but it would be WONDERFUL if someone could give me a comparison like this for Boise. We are Christian conservatives, fun loving and friendly, from Marin County, CA, the most liberal bastion in the USA. If someone could give us an area in Boise where they feel we would be a good fit, that would be helpful in our pursuit of a better life in Boise.

[Sage of Sagle]

Originally Posted by Molley

Sage: We are definitely on the same page. I don't know these areas of So Cal, but it would be WONDERFUL if someone could give me a comparison like this for Boise. We are Christian conservatives, fun loving and friendly, from Marin County, CA, the most liberal bastion in the USA. If someone could give us an area in Boise where they feel we would be a good fit, that would be helpful in our pursuit of a better life in Boise.

OK...since I know the bay area some from spending quite a bit of time there for business, I'll take a crack at it....but I will freely defer to more experienced transplants who make more accurate comparisons:

If you are coming from Livermore or Fremont or Gilroy or Vallejo, you're probably going to fit into Eagle and Meridian where tract homes are slowly edging out farmland.
If you're coming from SF, downtown Boise living is the closest thing here to urban living, but will not be nearly as liberal. Also since BSU is right there, you'll get the college influence too.
If you're coming from Silicon Valley, you're probably going to fit into several of Boise's (city) varied residential high density tract areas. Nice enough areas, but too much dense "mall life" for my taste. (similar in many ways to the higher density parts of Eagle/Meridian)
If you're coming from San Rafael or Palo Alto, you'll fit into the North End. More liberal (RELATIVE to Boise, not relative to California).
If you're coming from Tracy or Vacaville, you'll fit into Nampa/Caldwell. Strikes me as more blue-collar with tract developments thrown in the mix.
If you're coming from Marin, there won't be anything as liberal, or as affluent, although there are affluent areas relative to the rest of Boise.
if you're coming from Berkeley, you won't like Idaho, period.

Boise residents correct me if I'm off here, (and adjust please) since I have more of a top-level view of Boise since I don't spend quite enough time in the neighborhoods to have your depth of experience. So understand that I'm making MY guesstimates here based on MY knowledge, but I defer to you locals...