2023 Best Places to Live in the Boise Area

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 4.07 out of 5  71 reviews

Current Resident: Southeast Boise is the perfect community for all ages. There are several public parks and playgrounds for kids that are easy to walk to from almost every neighborhood. There is easy access to grocery stores, restaurants, and shopping. Boise State University is minutes away if someone is interested in events or college sports. The foothills, filled with miles of hiking trails, can be seen from almost every east-facing window. And there is no hustle and bustle of dealing with commuters; this is the ideal part of town.... Read 71 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Population 9,141

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 4.2 out of 5  10 reviews

Current Resident: Safe, quiet, suburban place to raise a family. Hikes (Old Pen, Table Rock) easily accessible. Greenbelt and river also conveniently very close by. Public golf course in the area.... Read 10 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Population 5,474

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 3.67 out of 5  3 reviews

Niche User: This area is growing in arts and culture. Job opportunities seem to be growing for larger companies. There is a ton of outdoor recreation available. You can experience almost all of the modern conveniences, yet still be lost in the wilderness quite quickly if you want to be.... Read 3 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Population 3,988

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Current Resident: Beautiful skyline from the train depot. Great restaurants. Home of the Boise State Bronco's.....enough said. :P... Read 2 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Population 2,066

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 3.5 out of 5  4 reviews

Niche User: There are plenty of outdoor activities and the general atmosphere is positive. I would choose to live here again.... Read 4 reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• Population 3,562

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

• grade A

• grade A

• Population 1,201

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 3.82 out of 5  34 reviews

Niche User: I love where I live because I am in walking distance of anything I need at any hour, close to family, work and school.... Read 34 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade B

• Population 3,576

• City in Idaho

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  Rating 4.41 out of 5  600 reviews

Current Resident: I have lived in Boise, Idaho my entire life. I quite like it here, from the scenery year round to the bustling city life I have never had a big issue here. I love my personal accessibility to everything in town, nothing is too far a drive. I do wish the idea of better walking accessibility around town would really pick up. Driving gets harder and harder with a growing city, it will be nice to hopefully be more walking accessible soon too. Overall a wonderful place to grow up and live!... Read 600 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A minus

• Population 231,537

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 4 out of 5  2 reviews

Niche User: The police are fairly active and visible in town.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A

• Population 2,715

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 3.36 out of 5  11 reviews

Niche User: Boise is a wonderful place to raise a family. I grew up here, and could not imagine living anywhere else. The greenbelt and foothills are amazing for outdoor adventures, and the people here are some of the friendliest you'll ever meet. The food is pretty awesome, and prices are pretty low.... Read 11 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A

• Population 4,615

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

• grade A minus

• grade B+

• Population 1,426

• Suburb of Boise, ID

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  Rating 4.27 out of 5  420 reviews

Current Resident: I have grown up here and one of my favorite things is experiencing all four seasons within an hour! I love being close to the mountains but near civilization. Every spring the trees in my neighborhood turn a beautiful shade of pink. In the winter, Meridian looks like the perfect Christmas town with lights everywhere and a nice blanket of snow perfect for snow angels. The people in Meridian are always so kind and you can always find folks helping each other and cracking jokes. This is my home town, and I love it.... Read 420 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade B+

• Population 115,227

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 3.81 out of 5  123 reviews

Current Resident: We bought a home here in February, 2018. So far we really like it. The area is growing like the rest of Boise area and beyond. The traffic is getting worse because of the growth. Like anything there will be growing pains. I am thankful to be here. My neighbors are wonderful too! We are not to far from many amenities, so we don't feel like we are missing out on anything living in Southwest Ada County. Happy and thankful to have the privilege to live here.... Read 123 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade B+

• Population 2,866

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 3.83 out of 5  23 reviews

Current Resident: I love living in the Randolph-Robertson neighborhood, on the west bench. There are so many amazing ethnic restaurants, and many other amenities. We need more coffee shops though!... Read 23 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade B

• Population 10,145

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 4.56 out of 5  18 reviews

Current Resident: I go to school at Boise State University and I've lived in the South Boise Village for almost 4 years. I love being close enough to campus to bike or walk. The neighborhood is very clean and pleasant. Our neighbors are awesome. My roommate and I take her dog for walks around the neighborhood all the time and like to walk to Manitou Park which is maybe 7 blocks from our house. It's got tennis courts, pickle ball courts, a basketball court, a playground, picnic table, restrooms, big trees for shade, and a large grass area that is dog friendly. We love going there between the hours of 3-6 because many other neighbors bring their dogs around that time. Its fun to meet other neighbors and dogs and watch them all play together. South Boise Village is a great neighborhood for anyone, families, elderly, college students, young couples, etc. It's a friendly and safe environment.... Read 18 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A

• Population 1,468

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

• grade B+

• grade B+

• Population 1,187

• Suburb of Boise, ID

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  Rating 4.18 out of 5  65 reviews

Current Resident: We love Eagle, Idaho. It has a small town feel with access to all the things you crave from a larger city: great alternative medicine, amazing restaurants, access to the river, natural parks and limited traffic. We are only a hop, skip and a jump away from the Capital of Idaho, Boise. We love the suburbs, the police protection and support and our small town vibe where many of us shop local first and support small business.... Read 65 reviews

• grade B+

• grade B+

• Population 29,665

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 4.07 out of 5  46 reviews

Niche User: I've lived in Texas, Florida, Nevada, and California, and now Boise, and I can hands down say this is my favorite place out of all of the places I've lived. The city is just the right blend of big city and small town. I feel like, for the most part, people are friendlier, and there is always something to do! For outdoorsy people, Boise is perfect, we have many hiking trails, rivers, and lakes to go explore.... Read 46 reviews

• grade B+

• grade B+

• Population 1,498

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 3.59 out of 5  17 reviews

Niche User: This area is great for a whole range of people from families, to college students, to people in the elderly community. It provides easy access to any section of town and is very pet friendly. Best of all the neighbors are friendly and look out for each other creating a safe and clean environment.... Read 17 reviews

• grade B+

• grade B

• Population 3,762

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 4.05 out of 5  21 reviews

Current Resident: Wonderful, well connect community. The neighborhood is transitioning to younger families. Cool older homes with mature landscaping. Easy to get anywhere in Boise. Schools are an important part of the neighborhood. There are some traffic issues with people driving too fast and no sidewalks, but overall neighbors watch out and care for one another.... Read 21 reviews

• grade B+

• grade B

• Population 4,369

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 3.63 out of 5  8 reviews

• grade B+

• grade B+

• Population 6,928

• Neighborhood in Boise, ID

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  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

Visitor: Bouse Rim and Bench is a family community, people of all walk. Clean and safe to raise your family... Community that knows it's neighbor's and comes together.... Read 1 review

• grade B+

• grade B

• Population 921

• Suburb of Boise, ID

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  Rating 4.03 out of 5  40 reviews

Current Resident: I like Middleton, ID. It's a fairly quiet community where everyone knows everyone. It's quickly expanding and we are slowly gaining more people and places. Star is just next door and Star is a lovely place as well. Middleton is just off the freeway while still feeling more rural than most cities close to Boise. Having lived here since 5th grade, it's safe to say I love their schools, too!... Read 40 reviews

• grade B

• grade B

• Population 9,091

• Suburb of Boise, ID

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  Rating 3.36 out of 5  36 reviews

Visitor: The greenbelt is awesome! You can ride for miles. There are restaurants with live music, wineries, parks.... Read 36 reviews

• grade B

• grade B+

• Population 12,056

• Town in Idaho

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  Rating 4 out of 5  10 reviews

Current Resident: I have lived in Fruitland Idaho all my life. It is a great small town with a close sense of community. Growing up in a small town means that everybody knows each other. I am grateful to have grown up this way rather than growing up in a big city. I will always cherish the things I did in Fruitland as a child with my family. For example, I remember going to the pumpkin patch together and picking out huge pumpkins to carve. Fruitland is a very agricultural town so buying produce from each other is very important to keep the community thriving as a whole.... Read 10 reviews

• grade B

• grade B minus

• Population 5,903