If you’re considering moving to Boise but you’ve only heard all the good things about the city, you might be seeking reasons not to move to Boise. It’s important to also consider the cons before moving anywhere otherwise you might end up regretting it.
Having lived in Boise for nearly 30 years, I had no problem coming up with a list of 21 reasons why I wouldn’t move here if given the chance.
Why Not Move to Boise?
1. You’ll likely grow bored
Although there are a lot of things to do in Boise as a local, you might quickly become bored after you’ve tried it all. By no means is Boise a big city when compared to other cities like Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, or even Portland.
As a result, you could quickly become bored with the lack of people and various events throughout the city. Sure, we’ve got plenty of local events. But very rarely do people travel to the city for some major event, such as you might find with Miami.
Maybe it’s just me. But life in Boise can quickly become mundane if you aren’t actively seeking things to do.
2. There are no major league sports team
If you’re a huge major league sports fanatic, Boise is not the place for you. We don’t have a single major league sports team and it’s unlikely that we will get one in the near future.
Though there has been chatter about getting a major league team of some sort in the city, there’s a lot that needs to happen beforehand.
In fact, I’d argue that Boise has a large enough population for it, considering Salt Lake (the nearest big city) has a smaller population than us and still has an NBA team.
To get a professional team someone would need to invest a ton of money, and our airport would likely need an overhaul along with our traffic system (more on that later). Ultimately, any chance of the city getting its own major league team is slim to none.
3. There are no major cities nearby
If you move to Boise, you’d better get used to being isolated real quick. The nearest “major” city, Salt Lake City, is a 5-hour drive away. Beyond that, Portland is 6.5 hours away, Seattle is 7.5 hours away, Las Vegas is 9.5 hours away, and San Francisco is 12 hours away!
And that’s assuming the roads are clear with no construction or weather to interfere. Really though, it’s all about convenience. It’s not like you have to drive to another city for a gallon of milk.
Rather, if you want to get anywhere that’s not here, you have to travel long distances which can be a real pain, plus it’s expensive with how many times you have to fill your gas tank up. In most cases, it’s cheaper to fly to nearby cities.
4. Most major events don’t come to Boise
Considering Boise is not the most desirable place to visit or the most convenient place to get to, most major events like big-name artists don’t come this way.
If you love music as I do, you’ll likely be stuck going on drives just so you can blast your car stereo to satisfy your need for some loud music.
It’s not often that we get the most current artists to come to Boise, rather, we either get older artists who might be at the end of their careers, tribute bands, or local small-town bands.
That’s not to say that I have anything against such artists, in fact, the local music scene in and around Boise is fairly popular, but if you want to see the most trendy artists of the year don’t expect to see them perform in Boise.
5. The city lacks great attractions
If you want to live in a city that has great attractions, you’ll likely be disappointed with Boise.
That’s not to say that we don’t have any attractions like the Boise Greenbelt, Bogus Basin, or the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, but very few people are going to want to come to Boise just for that.
We don’t have anything like California’s Disney Land, Seattle’s Space Needle, or Houston’s Space Station, we just have a lot of local stuff that Idahoans think is cool, but not everyone would agree.
6. The traffic is getting worse
As if getting around wasn’t tough enough, it’s only becoming more difficult. When I first started driving, I remember there was very little traffic. Even at 5 o’clock on a weekday, it would be busier than usual, but nothing to fuss about.
Now I’m fussing! The traffic in Boise is getting out of hand. What used to be streets filled with local Idaho plates, are now streets littered with Idaho, Oregon, Utah, California, Colorado, and Texas plates. Seriously.
I see more Oregon plates on the freeway than I do in Idaho. And it’s not slowing down. Well, the traffic is, but not the rate at which we’re getting the traffic.
What used to take 30 minutes to drive now takes nearly an hour (from Boise to Caldwell) at the busiest time of the day. So it’s nearly doubled in just over a decade since I began driving.
7. We have some of the worst drivers in America
As if the increase in traffic wasn’t bad enough, Boise has some of the worst drivers in America. According to millions of insurance quotes analyzed by QuoteWizard, Boise ranked one of the worst cities in the U.S., right behind Portland.
The quote looked at various reports including accidents, speeding tickets, DUIs, and other citations to reward Boise with an honorable second place amongst the worst drivers in America.
You’re welcome.
That said, I don’t need a report to tell me we have bad drivers. I experience it for myself every day (of course, I’m a perfect driver).
8. Boise’s local transportation system lacks
If you’re used to a robust transportation system with an extensive bus route, commuter rails, and taxi cabs, you’re in for an adjustment. Boise has one main form of public transportation, and that’s the bus.
The bus will take you around Boise and to surrounding cities including Garden City, Meridian, Nampa, and Caldwell, but that’s about it.
Depending on whether it’s the peak (9 am to 5 pm) or non-peak (7-9 am and 5-10 pm) hours, you can expect a bus every 8 to 15 minutes.
If you’re used to having several transportation options, you’re out of luck. You’ll either have to walk, ride your bike (unless rollerblading is more your style), or use a ride-share service like Uber or Lyft to get around.
9. There are few direct flights to and from Boise
Heavy traffic and bad drivers are no problem when you can just hop on a plane and be on your way, right? Wrong.
Whether you’re trying to travel across the country or even halfway, you likely won’t find a direct flight to wherever you’re going. Especially if you fly internationally.
And if you do find a direct flight, you’ll pay a premium for it. When flying out from the Boise airport, you should expect at least one layover in another major city. Also, don’t expect a huge plane.
Every time I fly to or from Boise, it’s on one of the smaller planes. Depending on where you’re coming from, you might even be lucky enough to fly on one of those fancy propeller planes (they’re not fancy at all).
10. There’s a constant “bad smell”
At one point, one of the main search terms for Boise on Google was: “Does Boise smell bad?”. Now, I want to be completely honest with you—most of the time Boise does not smell bad.
However, if you drive by the sugar beet factory located right off the freeway, it can smell like anything from peanut butter, to stinky feet, to straight-up farts, but that’s not to say it fills the entire city with the smell.
That said, if a strong wind comes over the town, your nostrils might just catch a hint of something fowl, and more than likely it’s this factory.
11. Summers are hot and dry
Boise is known for its distinct four seasons. Winter, spring, summer, and fall. And I’ll be the first to admit that I love having four seasons. Nonetheless, the summertime is hot! Not only is it hot, but it’s also dry.
Remember, Boise is a desert. And due to the city’s high elevation, dry air, and overall lack of large bodies of water, the city heats up extremely quickly in the summertime.
July and August are our hottest and driest months with an average temperature in the mid-90s. Plus, over a 100-year period, there have only been 4 years where Boise didn’t reach over 100 degrees in the summer.
Yeah, it’s that hot!
12. Winters can be harsh and cold
Now, imagine going from a dry 100 degrees in August, to as cold as 0 degrees only 4 months later in December. Ouch! And it always comes quicker than you expect it to.
That said, the average temperature in winter sits right below freezing, while the nights are even colder. Also, when you factor in the wind chill it can become unbearable.
Winters in Boise—although pretty—can be extremely harsh on your body too.
The rapid decline in temperature can make your bones and joints ache, and your immune system takes a hit as well, as we usually experience a pretty harsh cold and flu season this time of year.
12. Vehicles require a lot of maintenance
The cold weather isn’t only hard on your body, it’s also tough on your vehicle. With such drastic changes in temperature Boise vehicles definitely feel the effect.
It’s not uncommon to see significantly more vehicles broken down on the side of the road in the summer months, and others stuck in the snow come winter.
If you have a cracked windshield in the summer, you can guarantee that crack will spread come winter.
Moreover, it’s smart to have two sets of tires for the summer and winter seasons, the cost of owning two sets of tires, and potentially two sets of wheels, can get expensive.
You might be able to get away with using all seasons, but this depends on your vehicle, the level of snow we get, and your skill driving on slick, ice-drenched roads.
13. Wages are low
I’ll just start by saying Boise’s minimum wage is still only $7.25 (the minimum required wage). The last time our minimum wage increased was in 2008. Previously, it was $6.55, but after a whopping $0.70 raise, we decided to leave it at that.
The minimum wage isn’t the only thing that’s low either. The average wage in Boise is just over $23, which is still 15% below the national average of $28 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
And to be honest, most “average” jobs, such as working at a local grocery store or fast food joint will not start you anywhere near $23. You’d be lucky to start at $15. So, if you’re looking to move to Boise to become rich, you’re probably better off where you are.
14. Housing is expensive
Since Boise’s wages are so high (I’m being sarcastic), it only makes sense that housing prices have only continued to increase.
To rent a 1 bedroom apartment in Boise, expect to pay at least $1,200 per month. And that’s living in a mediocre apartment in a less preferred part of town.
Maybe that doesn’t seem so bad to you, but when you only make $15 an hour, it can be a struggle. When I was 21, I remember my apartment only cost me $700 per month. Now, less than 10 years later the price has nearly doubled!
To afford to live in Boise, you need a salary of about $31,000 which is about equal to $15 an hour. But again, that doesn’t mean it’s easy or that you’ll be living the most lavish lifestyle.
15. Boise’s inversion makes for unhealthy air
Do you have asthma or just appreciate good air quality? Then don’t move to Boise. The city is often affected by an inversion—usually in the winter time—but it can happen any time of the year.
If you don’t know, an inversion is when warm air moves over top of cold air, thus creating a blanket that traps anything and everything in with the city.
Pollution, smoke, and of course stinky feet smell from the sugar beet factory are all possible things that can get trapped along with us Bosieans.
Not only does it smell bad, but it can make breathing a chore, especially if you have a medical condition that already makes breathing more challenging.
16. Wildfires make it hard to breathe
Now, combine the inversion with a blazing wildfire and you’ve got yourself a literal hotbox. Even with my healthy lungs, the wildfires in Idaho and from surrounding states fill the city with a dense layer of smoke.
Oftentimes it’s so dense that your clothes will smell like it, your eyes will burn, your throat itches, and suddenly you develop a hoarse cough.
I’m not exaggerating either, it’s really that bad. I’ve seen people wear masks (even before covid was a thing) because the smoke is so thick.
With an average of over 100 wildland fires per year, it’s a guarantee that you’ll have to deal with the smoke at least a couple of times per year.
The worse part is that you’re not safe from it anywhere. Even sitting in your house the smell will seep in. This alone can be enough to make your eyes burn.
18. Allergies are bad
Boise, Idaho is not a good place if you suffer from allergies. From August to October especially, allergies are at their worst due to the summer rain producing an overabundance of plant pollen and more specifically, ragweed pollen, which is terrible for allergy sufferers.
Runny nose, watery eyes, scratchy throat, sneezing, coughing, and even hives are all the result of allergy season in Boise.
It’s even worse if you live near the river (which runs through the entire town) or near a field, as there are so many trees and weeds around that you’re practically breathing in plant matter.
Where I live, you can literally smell allergy season before it hits.
19. Marijuana is NOT legal
Depending on your stance, this may or may not be a bad thing. I know for many people who are moving from California, Oregon, and Colorado, this is a definite con of living in Idaho.
What’s even worse is that marijuana is legally accessible right across the border in Oregon (about 50 minutes away from Boise), so the temptation to bring it across state lines into the city is high.
However, it’s not recommended as it’s still extremely illegal in Idaho.
That said, the amount of people who do bring it across the border is exponential, and many people end up getting caught. As a result, they are fined and can potentially face jail time if they’re bringing back large quantities into the state.
Currently, there is no use—including medicinally—for marijuana in the entire state of Idaho.
20. There’s a growing drug problem
I’m sure this could be said for most cities, but Boise specifically has a growing drug problem—and it’s not just marijuana.
Fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine have all been an issue in Boise. More recently, fentanyl has replaced heroin use as it’s cheaper to manufacture and much more potent.
According to the local news, law enforcement in the Treasure Vallery area seized 2,000 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. By 2021, a local DEA official reported that the number had climbed to nearly 50,000.
And with the number of people moving to the area, I don’t see this problem disappearing anytime soon.
21. Gun laws are loose
We all know that there’s a lot of controversy around guns and whether or not they should be so easily attainable. That said, Idaho has some of the least strict gun laws in the U.S.
You don’t need a concealed weapons license in order to carry a deadly weapon or firearm concealed and loaded in a vehicle, nor do you need a permit to purchase one. You just have to be 18 years or older.
If you don’t like guns, don’t come to Boise. In fact, don’t come to Idaho. It’s the wild wild west out here.
If you’re still thinking about moving to Boise even after reading this article, you better check out these other resources: