View source for Boise, Idaho

{{short description|Capital and most populous city of Idaho, United States}}
{{redirect|Boise}}
{{distinguish|Boise County, Idaho}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Boise
| settlement_type    = [[List of capitals in the United States|State capital city]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| total_width  = 280
| border = infobox
| perrow = 1/2/2/1
| caption_align = center
| image1 = Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce photo to share - winter 2017.jpg
| caption1 = [[Downtown Boise]] skyline
| image2 = Jack's_Urban_Meeting_Place_and_the_JR_Simplot_World_Headquarters.jpg
| caption2 = [[Jack's Urban Meeting Place]]
| image3 = Boise_Zoo_(Julia_Davis_Park).jpg
| caption3 = Zoo Boise at [[Julia Davis Park]]
| image4 = Idaho_Anne_Frank_Human_Rights_Memorial.jpg
| caption4 = [[Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial]]
| image5 = BSUvsFresnoSt.jpg
| caption5 = [[Albertsons Stadium]]
| image6 = Idaho Capitol Building.JPG
| caption6 = [[Idaho State Capitol]]
}}
| flag_size          = 100px
| image_seal         = Seal of Boise, Idaho.png
| seal_size          = 100px
| image_shield       = 
| image_blank_emblem = City of Boise Logo.svg
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo
| nickname           = The City of Trees
| motto              = Energy Peril Success
| image_map          = File:Ada County Idaho Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Boise City Highlighted 1608830.svg
| pushpin_label      = Boise
| map_caption        = Location within [[Ada County, Idaho|Ada County]] in [[Idaho]]
| pushpin_map        = USA Idaho# USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within the United States
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
<!-- Location ----->| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Idaho]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Idaho|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Ada County, Idaho|Ada]]
<!-- Government -->| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1863
| established_title2 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date2  = 1864
| government_type    = [[Strong-mayor]]
| government_footnotes = 
| governing_body     = [[Boise City Council]]
| leader_title       = [[List of mayors of Boise|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = [[Lauren McLean]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| leader_title1      = Council President
| leader_name1       = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_16.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 9, 2020}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi   = 85.00
| area_land_sq_mi    = 84.03
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.97
| area_total_km2     = 219.45
| area_land_km2      = 216.96
| area_water_km2     = 2.49
<!-- Elevation -->| elevation_m        = 824
| elevation_ft       = 2704
<!--- Population--->| population_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=June 18, 2014}}</ref>
| population_total   = 235,684
| population_rank    = U.S.: [[List of United States cities by population|95th]] ID: [[List of cities in Idaho|1st]]
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://adacounty.id.gov/developmentservices/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/Population-Demographics.pdf |title=Population |website=adacounty.id.gov |access-date=July 23, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423104019/https://adacounty.id.gov/developmentservices/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/Population-Demographics.pdf |archive-date=April 23, 2021}}</ref>
| population_density_sq_mi = 2860.54
| population_density_km2 = 1055.28
| population_urban   = 433,180 (US: [[List of United States urban areas|94th]])
| population_density_urban_km2 = 1,201.3
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 3,111.2
| population_metro   = 845,877 (US: [[Metropolitan statistical area|74th]])
| population_density_metro_km2 = 
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = 
| population_demonym = Boisean
<!-- General information  --------------->| timezone           = [[Mountain Time Zone|MST]]
| utc_offset         = −7
| timezone_DST       = [[Mountain Time Zone|MDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = −6
| coordinates        = {{coord|43|36|57|N|116|12|06|W|region:US-ID|display=inline,title}}
<!-- Area/postal codes and others ---->| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]s
| postal_code        = 83701-83709, 83711-83717, 83719-83720, 83722, 83724-83726, 83728-83729, 83732, 83735, 83756, 83799
| area_code_type     = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code(s)]]
| area_code          = [[Area codes 208 and 986|208, 986]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 16-08830
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2409876<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2409876}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|https://www.cityofboise.org}}
}}
'''Boise''' ({{IPAc-en|local|audio=EN-US-Boise.ogg|ˈ|b|ɔɪ|s|i}}, also {{IPAc-en|b|ɔɪ|z|i}})<ref name="boiname">{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofboise.org/CityGovernment/AboutBoise/ |title=About Boise |publisher=Cityofboise.org |access-date=November 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209123110/http://www.cityofboise.org/CityGovernment/AboutBoise/ |archive-date=February 9, 2012 }}</ref> is the [[List of capitals in the United States|capital]] and [[List of cities in Idaho|most populous city]] of the U.S. state of [[Idaho]]. The population was 235,685 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]. The [[Boise metropolitan area]], also known as the [[Treasure Valley]], includes five counties with an estimated population of 846,000, the most populous metropolitan area in Idaho and [[Metropolitan statistical area|74th-most populous]] in the United States. Located on the [[Boise River]] in [[southwestern Idaho]], it is {{convert|41|mi}} east of the [[Oregon]] border and {{convert|110|mi|km|0}} north of the [[Nevada]] border. Downtown Boise's elevation is {{convert|2704|ft}} [[Sea level#AMSL|above sea level]]. It is the [[county seat]] of [[Ada County, Idaho|Ada County]].

Originally established as a military outpost in 1863 during the [[gold rush]] era, Boise rapidly grew due to its location on the [[Oregon Trail]] and its proximity to mining operations in the surrounding region. By the late 19th century, it had become a commercial and transportation hub, bolstered by the arrival of the railroad and irrigation projects that supported agriculture in the Treasure Valley.

While agriculture and food processing remain important, Boise is home to major employers in the technology, manufacturing, and service sectors, including companies such as [[Micron Technology]] and [[Hewlett-Packard]]. Government, education, and healthcare also play significant roles in the local economy. The city is home to the [[Boise Art Museum]], [[Idaho State Capitol]], the annual [[Treefort Music Fest]], and the Basque Block, showcasing its [[Basques|Basque]] heritage. Additionally, the [[Boise greenbelt]] and nearby public lands offer recreational opportunities that are integral to the city's identity.

==History==
{{For timeline}}
{{Expand section|date=September 2021}}

===Etymology===
[[File:Tubers Float the Boise River.JPG|thumb|220px|Floating the [[Boise River]]]]
The origin of the name is uncertain. One account credits Capt. [[Benjamin Bonneville|B. L. E. Bonneville]] of the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] as its source. After trekking for weeks through dry and rough [[terrain]], his exploration party reached an overlook with a view of the [[Treasure Valley|Boise River Valley]]. The place where they stood is called Bonneville Point, located on the [[Oregon Trail]] east of the city. According to the story, a [[French language|French]]-speaking guide, overwhelmed by the sight of the verdant river, yelled "{{lang|fr|Les bois! Les bois!}}" ("The woods! The woods!")—and the name stuck.

The name may also derive from earlier [[Mountain man|mountain men]] who named the river that flows through the city. In the 1820s, [[French Canadian]] [[fur trapping|fur trappers]] associated with the British-owned [[Hudson's Bay Company]] set trap lines in the vicinity. Set in a high-desert area, the tree-lined valley of the Boise River became a distinct landmark, an [[oasis]] dominated by [[Populus trichocarpa|cottonwood]] trees. This led the French trappers to call the area "{{lang|fr|la rivière boisée}}" ("the wooded river").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idahohistory.net/reference%20series/0032.pdf|title=The name "Boise" |publisher=IdahoHistory.net|date=July 7, 2010|access-date=November 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090930214321/http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0032.pdf |archive-date=September 30, 2009 }}</ref>

====Pronunciation====
Most local and longtime residents use the pronunciation {{IPA|/ˈbɔɪsiː/}} (BOY-see),<ref name=idaldpx>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gEBPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6908%2C2711950 |newspaper=Toledo Blade |location=-Ohio |agency=Los Angeles Times news service |title=Idaho: a land of wild paradoxes |last=Suplee |first=Curt |date=November 30, 1986 |page=F7 |access-date=August 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904034156/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gEBPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3wIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6908%2C2711950 |archive-date=September 4, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> as given on the city's website.<ref name="boiname" /> The pronunciation is sometimes used as a [[shibboleth]], as those from elsewhere tend to pronounce the city's name as {{IPA|/ˈbɔɪziː/}} (BOY-zee).<ref>{{cite web|last=O'Mara |first=Maggie |url=http://www.ktvb.com/community/blogs/maggie-omara/65582257.html |title=Blog: Boise or Boize? Get it right people... Plesae. |publisher=Ktvb.com |date=September 18, 2009 |access-date=November 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527212928/http://www.ktvb.com/community/blogs/maggie-omara/65582257.html |archive-date=May 27, 2014 }}</ref><ref name=boysee-vs-boyzee>{{cite news|first=Joni|last=Auden Land|title='Boy-see' vs. 'Boy-zee': A linguistic debate hundreds of years in the making lingers on|url=https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/boise/article257823873.html|work=[[Idaho Statesman]]|date=February 1, 2022|access-date=February 8, 2022}}</ref> In [[French language|French]], the name of the city is pronounced {{IPA|/ˈbwaz/}} (Bwaz).<ref name=boysee-vs-boyzee />

===Tribes and First Contact===
The area of Boise valley was inhabited by Boise Valley [[Northern Shoshone|Shoshone]] and [[Bannock people|Bannock]] tribes, a part of the "[[Snake Indians|Snake Country]]". According to the City of Boise's "History of Boise" report, "they gathered annually in the valley to participate in trading rendezvous with other tribes and catch salmon in the Boise River runs to help sustain them year-round. They spent winters in the valley where the climate was milder and visited the hot springs for bathing and healing. Castle Rock, called Eagle Rock by the tribes, was and remains a sacred site."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boiseuu.org/msearch/brochures/HistoryOfBoise.pdf |title=History of Boise; City of Boise, Boise Department of Arts & History, Idaho Statesman |publisher=City of Boise |date=2013 |access-date=February 6, 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207031522/http://www.boiseuu.org/msearch/brochures/HistoryOfBoise.pdf |archive-date=February 7, 2021}}</ref>

Boise Valley [[Bannock people|Bannock]] tribes belonged to the "tuuˀagaidɨkaˀa" (black trout eaters).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=tuuˀagaidɨkaˀa|encyclopedia=Northern Paiute–Bannock Dictionary |date=2012 |last1=Liljeblad |first1=Sven |last2=Fowler |first2=Catherine S. |last3= Powell| first3= Glenda |publisher=University of Utah Press |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |isbn=9781607819684 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U7Nfd8J7FmwC|page=596}}</ref> Boise Valley [[Northern Shoshone|Shoshone]] belonged to the "Yahandeka" (groundhog eaters) grouping. They were among the early mounted Shoshone bands. They traveled over a considerable range by the beginning of the nineteenth century, with their main hunting lands along the lower [[Boise River]] and [[Payette River]]. When Donald MacKenzie developed the Snake country fur trade after 1818, the most prominent of the Boise Shoshone, Peiem (a Shoshoni rendition of "Big Jim", their leader's English name), became the most influential leader of the large composite Shoshoni band that white trappers regularly encountered in the [[Snake Indians|Snake Country]].

In 1811, [[Wilson Price Hunt|Wilson Hunt]], employed as an agent in the fur trade under [[John Jacob Astor]], organized and led the greater part of a group of about 60 men<ref name="bancroft">{{cite book |last1=Bancroft |first1=Hubert Howe |title=History of the Northwest Coast, vol. 2. In Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, vol. XXVIII |date=1884 |publisher=A.L. Bancroft and Company |location=San Francisco |pages=178–235}}</ref> on an overland expedition to establish a fur trading outpost at the mouth of the [[Columbia River]].<ref name=bancroft/><ref name=virginia>{{Cite web |url=http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/HNS/Mtmen/explore.html |title=Mountain Men: Explorers and Guides |access-date=May 9, 2022 |archive-date=July 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720141022/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/hns/mtmen/explore.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> This expedition passed through the Boise valley, and was the first ever time a white American has entered the region.<ref>“Wilson Price Hunt.” American Western Expansion. Accessed May 6, 2022. [http://thefurtrapper.com/home/wilson-hunt/ Link].</ref><ref>“Wilson Price Hunt Expedition Historical Marker.” Historical Marker, October 18, 2020. [https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=119203 Link].</ref> Because of the [[War of 1812]] and the lack of U.S. fur trading posts in the Pacific Northwest, most of the route was not used in the following two decades, and thus Snake Country remained free of settler incursions.

After the conclusion of the war of 1812, until the 1840s, [[Oregon Country|Oregon]], while officially "jointly administered", was solely dominated by the British [[Hudson's Bay Company]] (HBC), which had a land connection to the inland of the Canadian Prairies via [[York Factory Express]]. Snake Country, including Boise Valley remained independent and relatively free of settler passage and incursion. There were two main reasons for this. Firstly, the general region east of the Cascades and west of the Rockies was described at the time in the media and literature of the eastern US as the "[[Great American Desert]]", an arid unproductive region, unsuitable for habitation.<ref name=Meinig>[[D.W. Meinig|Meinig, D.W.]] (1993). ''The Shaping of America: A Geographical Perspective on 500 Years of History, Volume 2: Continental America, 1800-1867.'' New Haven: Yale University Press. p.76<. {{ISBN|0-300-05658-3}}</ref><ref>Staff (2011) [https://www.kshs.org/teachers/read_kansas/pdfs/m41card01.pdf "Major Long and the 'Great American Desert'"], Kansas Historical Society</ref> This discouraged settlers from traveling to the region of Boise; however, [[Oregon Country]], on the other side of the Cascades, was a desirable destination for them. Nevertheless, the British had an official policy of discouraging American settlers, and settler incursions into Boise Valley along the Oregon Trail remained low until the early 1840s.

The [[Hudson's Bay Company|HBC]] established a fort in the region, the [[Fort Boise#Old Fort Boise (1834-54)|Old Fort Boise]], {{convert|40|mi|0}} west, near [[Parma, Idaho|Parma]], down the [[Boise River]] near its [[confluence]] with the [[Snake River]] at the [[Oregon]] border. The HBC was present at the fort until 1844, and afterward handed it over to the [[United States Army]].

===Oregon Trail===
Starting from early 1840s, developments further West, in modern Oregon, meant significant changes to the region of Boise. At this time, [[Hudson's Bay Company|HBC]] and the British started moving their operations further North into [[British Columbia]], while there was a slow and steady rise in number of settlers in [[Oregon Country]], who demanded annexation. These developments eventually culminated in the [[Oregon Treaty]], in which the British gave the region up to the US, thus ending the era of "Joint occupation". This meant that Boise valley and much of Snake Country was claimed as [[Oregon Territory]].

With the discovery of gold in [[California]] in 1848 and the passage of [[Donation Land Claim Act]], the settler incursions increased exponentially. The increased settler incursions through [[Northern Shoshone|Shoshone]] and [[Bannock people|Bannock]] territories, and their increased exploitation of the valley's game and resources on their trip, resulted in an increasing sense of frustration among the Indigenous bands along the entire Oregon Trail. Thus, starting from early 1850s, to deter settler caravans from using the route and trespassing on their lands, Native peoples along the entire length of the trail, from modern Eastern [[Idaho]] to modern Central [[Oregon]] started staging low-intensity attacks against passing caravans.<ref>Hubert Howe Bancroft, ''History of Oregon, Volume II, 1848-1888'', The History Company, San Francisco, 1888, p.462 note 4.</ref><ref name="Schlicke">Schlicke, Carl P. "Massacre on the Oregon Trail in the Year 1860." Columbia: The Magazine of Northwest History 1, no. 1 (1987). [https://www.washingtonhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/01-1_Schlicke-1.pdf Link]</ref>

One such attack, referred to as "Ward Massacre", was in Boise Valley, about 20 miles west of modern Boise. On August 20, 1854, Alexander Ward's five-wagon caravan of 20 emigrants was passing through, when a group of [[Northern Shoshone|Shoshone]] and [[Bannock people|Bannock]] warriors ambushed the caravan. The goal of the ambush was initially to take away the horses of the caravan. However, the shooting of one of the Shoshone warriors with a revolver, resulted in the killing of everyone except for two of Alexander Ward's children by the Shoshone warriors.<ref name="Dave High">High, Dave and Daniel Newcomer. "The Ward Massacre." Clio: Your Guide to History. June 20, 2016. Accessed May 6, 2022. [https://theclio.com/entry/23713 Link]</ref> In response, the [[United States Army]] launched the [[Winnas Expedition]], which involved raids on Native encampments for a period of several months during Summer of 1855. In the period between 1846 and 1856, 700 white settlers were killed along the entire length of the Oregon Trail due to attacks and raids by Native warriors on their caravans while intruding native land. American military intrusion and retaliation only further angered the native tribes and escalated the conflict, which forced the [[United States Army]] to abandon [[Fort Boise#Old Fort Boise (1834-54)|Old Fort Boise]]. Intensified attacks against passing caravans made travel impossible for settlers except with [[United States Army|US Army]] escort, which started from 1858.

===Discovery of gold and silver===
The decline of the California gold rush prompted white settlers to search for gold elsewhere, including much of [[Idaho]]. The 1860 discovery of gold in [[Nez Perce]] territory near [[Pierce, Idaho]] and the resultant arrival of settlers raised tensions significantly.<ref name="KTVB">Holmes, Brian. “During the Gold Rush, Idaho City Became the Largest City in the Northwest.” ktvb.com, August 2, 2021. [https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/208/during-idaho-territory-gold-rush-idaho-city-became-largest-city-northwest-pacific/277-c9202682-1ca6-4ca9-afdb-6067e751d125 Link].</ref> In September of that year, the [[Utter Party Massacre]] happened about 100 miles Southeast of Boise, where 29 out of a group of 44 settlers were either killed or captured in an intense and organized ambush.

The discovery of gold around the Boise valley in 1863, together with ongoing fighting prompted the US Military to establish a new Fort Boise, where Boise is located today. The new location was selected because it was near the intersection of the Oregon Trail with a major road connecting the Boise Basin ([[Idaho City, Idaho|Idaho City]]) and the [[Owyhee River|Owyhee]] ([[Silver City, Idaho|Silver City]]) [[mining]] areas, both of which were booming. That year, the United States established [[Idaho Territory]], whose boundaries included this region. After a year, with the creation of [[Montana Territory]], Boise was made the territorial capital of a much reduced Idaho in a controversial decision which overturned a district court ruling by a one-vote majority in the territorial supreme court along geographic lines in 1866. There was no treaty and no agreement with any of the native tribes up to this point, and the violent resistance against incursion and settlement onto their territory along the Oregon Trail and at the newly-found gold mines continued unabated. In order to resolve the matter of ownership and sovereignty over land, [[Caleb Lyon]], the second governor of Idaho, negotiated with the Boise Valley [[Northern Shoshone|Shoshone]] Tribe, and concluded the "Treaty of Fort Boise" on October 10, 1864.<ref>Idaho State Historical Society. “Text of the Treaty of Fort Boise, October 10, 1864.” [https://cfw.nwcouncil.org/Content/Committees/Members/meetings/2011_0310/IdahoHistoricalRef-No91_TextOfTheTreatyOfFortBoise_10oct1864.pdf Link], September 1865.</ref> This treaty stipulated that the tribe will give up lands to 30 miles on each side of [[Boise River]], land upon which Boise is located, while allowing an equal right to fishing in the river to both the Shoshone and the settlers. The treaty has not been ratified by the US senate to this date, and the tribe hasn't ever received any treaty payments.<ref>"Caleb Lyon of Lyonsdale and the Boise Claim." Idaho State Historical Society Reference Series, December 1974. [https://history.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/0022.pdf Link].</ref>

Backlash from the perceived friendliness of [[Caleb Lyon]] in his dealing with the tribes led to an escalation of pressure and agitation among the White Settlers in Boise and the print media in the city, in demanding either genocide or removal of the tribes. Settler violence against Boise Valley native tribes increased considerably, with some going as far introducing bounties to murder any native.<ref name="idaho powers">Myers, Daniel. “An Archival Review and Ethnographic Study for the Relicensing of the Hells Canyon Complex Hydroelectrical Plants.” Idaho Power, July 2001. [https://docs.idahopower.com/pdfs/relicensing/hellscanyon/hellspdfs/techappendices/Cultural/e04_12.pdf Link].</ref> ''[[Idaho Statesman]]'', the daily newspaper of Boise, which started publishing in 1864, reflected many such incitements and demands:

{{blockquote|...that the military should continue killing Indians 'until the last Indian in the Territories was either on his reservation or enriched the sagebrush with his decaying carcass.' ...if the Indians refused to move there, 'they will be killed or put on the reservation by force, and certainly shot if they don't stay there.' Furthermore, the editor continues, 'The idea that the Indians have any right to the soil is ridiculous. ...They have no more rights to the soil of the Territories of the United States than wolves or coyotes...'|David B. Madsen's quotation of the opinion column in ''Idaho Statesman'' on July 29, 1867|<ref name="idaho powers"/>}}
{{blockquote|This would be our plan of establishing friendship upon an eternal basis with our Indians: Let all the hostile bands of Idaho Territory be called in (they will not be caught in any
other manner) to attend a grand treaty; plenty of blankets and nice little trinkets distributed among them; plenty of grub on hand; have a real jolly time with them; then just before the big feast put strychnine in their meat and poison to death the last mother's son of them.|A "Letter to the editor" that was printed in the ''Idaho Statesman'' newspaper on October 6, 1867|<ref name="idaho powers"/>}}

At the same time, native warriors around the valley, under the leadership of Howluck also known as "Bigfoot" among white settlers, among others, waged an escalating and intensified guerrilla campaign of harassment of passerby caravans along the Oregon Trail. The [[United States Army]] also escalated and intensified "punitive expeditions" against formations of warriors and against civilian communities as well. This marked the start of the "unofficial" [[Snake War]] in 1866.<ref name="idaho powers"/> This war lasted until 1868, and is statistically the deadliest of the Indian Wars in the West in terms of casualties. In the end, 1,762 men were counted as the casualties of this war from both sides.<ref>Michno, Gregory. The Deadliest Indian War in the West: The Snake Conflict, 1864-1868. Caldwell: Caxton Press, 2007. pp 345-346</ref>

In 1868, [[Fort Hall Indian Reservation]] was established in Southeastern Idaho, about 220 miles upstream, according to the terms of [[Fort Bridger Treaty Council of 1868|Fort Bridger Treaty]]. The Boise Valley [[Northern Shoshone|Shoshone]] and [[Bannock people|Bannock]] Tribes were not party to this treaty. Nevertheless, in April 1869, the [[United States Military]] embarked on a campaign of "Removal, rounding up of natives in the region including in and around Boise, and expelling them with cavalry escort to [[Fort Hall Indian Reservation]]. This period is known among the [[Northern Shoshone|Shoshone]] and [[Bannock people|Bannock]] people as '''Idaho's Trail of Tears'''. Some of the natives managed to escape, and they ran to either [[Duck Valley Indian Reservation|Duck Valley]] or [[Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe|Fort McDermitt]] in Nevada.<ref>Murray, Crystl. "Idaho Natives: Shoshone-Bannocks Tribes." Accessed May 9, 2022. [http://www.buffalogirlsproductions.com/idahonatives/bannock/boise.html Link].</ref><ref>Smith, Justin. “Idaho's Trail of Tears.” Idaho State Journal, February 21, 2020. [https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/idahos-trail-of-tears/article_5ecbc45a-b5a2-569e-881c-60cbdde63435.html Link].</ref>

=== Incorporation and growth ===
[[File:Main Street, Looking East, Boise, ID.jpg|thumb|left|Main Street in 1911]]

Boise's early growth was significantly driven by its role in supplying the nearby gold towns that sprung up in the 1860s northeast and then southwest of the town. Miners sometimes wintered in Boise and a number of early prominent businessmen were miners who settled in town in the years after the gold rush waned.<ref name="MacGregor2006">{{Cite book |last=MacGregor |first=Carol Lynn |title=Boise, Idaho, 1882-1910: prosperity in isolation |date=2006 |publisher=Mountain Press Pub |isbn=0-87842-522-5 |location=Missoula, Mont. |oclc=69423136}}</ref> By 1864 substantial agricultural production was underway on easily irrigated lands near the river and three canal companies had been incorporated.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Early Irrigation Canals Pre-Project Ventures |url=https://history.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/0171.pdf |journal=Idaho State Historical Society Reference Series |location=Boise, Idaho |publisher=Idaho State Historical Society |issue=171}}</ref> Early transportation improvements were largely a result of toll road franchises awarded by the territorial legislature starting in the 1860s. These first ran from Fort Boise to the mining centers in the Boise Basin and east to Rocky Bar and to Rattlesnake Station where they connected to the Oregon Trail.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=South Boise Stage Lines |url=https://history.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/0465_South-Boise-Stage-Lines.pdf |journal=Idaho State Historical Society Reference Series |location=Boise, Idaho |publisher=Idaho State Historical Society |issue=465}}</ref>

Territorial census records from a special 1864 enumeration list the population of Boise as 1,658, and an act of December 12, 1864, was the first attempt by the Idaho Territorial Legislature to incorporate the city.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Census of 1864 |url=https://history.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/0130.pdf |journal=Idaho State Historical Society Reference Series |publisher=Idaho State Historical Society |publication-place=Boise, Idaho |issue=130}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Territorial Legislative Apportionment |url=https://history.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/0046.pdf |journal=Idaho State Historical Society Reference Series |publisher=Idaho State Historical Society |publication-place=Boise, Idaho |issue=46}}</ref> This was rejected by voters the following March. Two more unsuccessful attempts were made to organize a city administration by election before the 1866 version of the city charter was approved by voters on January 6, 1868. The growing number of homes and businesses, for which owners wanted proper legal title, may have contributed to the eventual success of incorporation. All of these rejected efforts to incorporate the city came ''after'' Boise had been controversially made the state capital in 1864 over strong opposition from northern Idaho interests. This decision reflected the rapid shift of population growth from north to south after the discovery of gold in southern Idaho.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Boise City Charter |url=https://history.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/0030.pdf |journal=Idaho State Historical Society Reference Series |publisher=Idaho State Historical Society |publication-place=Boise, Idaho |issue=30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Location of Idaho's Territorial Capital |url=https://history.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/0344_Location-of-Idahos-Territorial-Capital.pdf |journal=Idaho Historical Society Reference Series |publisher=Idaho Historical Society |publication-place=Boise, Idaho |issue=344}}</ref> By 1868 Boise had over 400 permanent buildings with a wide range of commercial services. 1868 also marked the formal beginning of a long advocacy for railroad connections to other Idaho communities and, just as importantly, to other growing cities in the west such as Portland, Oregon.<ref name="Wells2000">{{Cite book |last=Wells |first=Merle W. |title=Boise : an illustrated history |date=2000 |publisher=American Historical Press |others=Arthur A. Hart |isbn=1-892724-13-8 |location=Sun Valley, Calif. |oclc=46835336}}</ref> Competing railroad and western state government interests frustrated these efforts for many years.

Designed by [[Alfred B. Mullett]], the [[Assay Office (Boise, Idaho)|U.S. Assay Office]] at 210 Main Street was built in 1871 and today is a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Survey |first=Historic American Buildings |title=U. S. Assay Office, 210 Main Street, Boise, Ada County, ID |url=https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/id0033/ |access-date=June 11, 2020 |website=www.loc.gov}}</ref> It first began accepting gold and silver for purchase on March 2, 1872, largely eliminating the need to transport ore to the mint in San Francisco.<ref name="Wells2000"/> A territorial penitentiary, now known as the [[Old Idaho State Penitentiary]], opened the same month several miles east of town.<ref name="Wells2000" /> Mining continued to be important to Boise's economic growth and periodic booms contributed to population growth as well, though production of gold and silver probably peaked in the 1860s. 1882's gold and silver production of $3,500,000 declined to $1,488,315 (including lead) by 1899.<ref name="MacGregor2006" />

Boise began to earn its ''City of Trees'' nickname in this period with a popular focus on a range of tree planting projects. Thomas J. Davis planted several thousand fruit trees in 1864 and several other early businessmen either founded nurseries or orchards of their own. In the 1870s tree planting began in earnest in downtown Boise led by prominent hotels as well as businessmen and residents. In 1907 Davis donated 43 acres of his orchard property to the city for use as a park in the name of his wife Julia.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Trees in Early Boise |url=https://history.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/0031.pdf |journal=Idaho State Historical Society Reference Series |publisher=Idaho State Historical Society |publication-place=Boise, Idaho |issue=31}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Julia Davis Park |url=https://www.cityofboise.org/departments/parks-and-recreation/parks/julia-davis-park/ |access-date=March 8, 2023 |website=City of Boise}}</ref> Commercial agriculture continued to expand, but was slowed by the lack of reliable rail links to regional and national markets and by a lack of large scale irrigation projects, which themselves were often tied to hoped-for railroad projects for financing. A.D. Foote, a successful mining engineer, drew up plans to irrigate up to 500,000 acres immediately south of Boise in 1882, but progress was halting and smaller farms were the norm until after the turn of the century with most located near to the river bottom where soil was productive and irrigation more easily achieved.<ref name="Wells2000"/> Fruit orchards proliferated and sugar beets, still an important agricultural industry in Idaho, began to be widely cultivated in the 1890s. Cattle and sheep farming became increasingly important as the century closed. With the exception of dairy, most livestock products were exported from Idaho, unlike other agricultural products which were still largely scaled to support local markets. The timber industry also increasingly thrived in the Boise market in the 1880s and 1890s. Large quantities of timber were exported from elsewhere in Idaho, but a growing Boise supported the expansion of Alexander Rossi's sawmill, first established in 1865. Prominent early Boisean William Ridenbaugh had inherited control of the canal now bearing his name from his uncle William Morris in 1878 and later partnered with Rossi to expand the sawmill capacity under the name Rossi and Ridenbaugh Lumber Company. Their materials supported bridge building and the rapid expansion of Boise in the 1890s.<ref name="MacGregor2006" />

As with many early infrastructure ventures, electrification succeeded only after at least one false start. July 4, 1887, marked the start of electrical transmission from a plant located on the Bench. William Ridenbaugh provided expertise and manpower for the water supply and several months were spent rigging poles and lines from the Bench to the service area across the river.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1977 |title=Boise Electric Plant |url=https://history.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/0492_Boise-Electric-Plant.pdf |journal=Idaho State Historical Society Reference Series |publisher=Idaho State Historical Society |publication-place=Boise, Idaho |publication-date=1977 |issue=492}}</ref> Additional electrical supplies allowed the building of an electric streetcar line in 1891. This ran without interruption until buses replaced the lines in 1927, tracking—and sometimes driving—the development of Boise and nearby communities. This system expanded over several decades, reaching into the North End, South Boise and across the river on Front St. A loop line, completed in 1912, ran as far as Caldwell and Nampa, providing transport throughout the valley. Three early trolley companies merged in 1912 to form the Idaho Traction Company with a depot at 7th and Bannock Streets downtown.<ref>{{Cite web |access-date=April 13, 2023 |title=Trolley Town |url=https://www.boisestate.edu/sps-urban/urban-resources/trolley-town/ |website=Boise State University |series=Urban Studies and Community Development}}</ref>

Additional services and urban amenities arrived in the 1890s as Boise grew. Exploratory drilling for hot water was successful in 1890 and by the end of the decade many homes along Warm Springs avenue were being heated by this source.<ref>{{Cite journal |year=1977 |title=Boise Natural Hot Water Heating System |url=https://history.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/0500_Boise-Natural-Hot-Water-Heating-System.pdf |journal=Idaho State Historical Society Reference Series |publisher=Idaho State Historical Society |publication-place=Boise, Idaho |issue=500}}</ref> A natatorium was built in 1892 close to the source of the hot water near the Idaho State Penitentiary. Churches serving several denominations, a Jewish synagogue, a major hardware store and department store, a Masonic hall, the Columbia Theater, Saint Alphonsus' Hospital, a number of parochial and secular schools, a City Hall and a new Union Pacific passenger station, constructed when service was finally extended to downtown, were all built during the 1890s. Falk's Department Store sponsored a semi-professional baseball team representing Boise from at least 1892 and the city supported other organized sports as they became popular.<ref name="Wells2000" /> The 12th Census of the United States lists the population of Boise in 1900 as 5,957, up from 2,311 in 1890, when Idaho was admitted as the 43rd state.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 28, 1900 |title=Population of Idaho by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1900/bulletins/demographic/18-population-id.pdf |access-date=April 13, 2023 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |place=Washington, D.C.}}</ref>

=== 20th and 21st centuries ===
[[File:Idaho - Boise through Boise River - NARA - 23939399 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|View of Boise, 1932]]
In 1925, with the construction of [[Chicago]]-[[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] railway line, [[Boise Union Pacific Depot]] was established in the city. This train station served passengers until 1997.

A "homosexual panic" erupted in the city in 1955 during the [[lavender scare]]. Police interrogated hundreds of Boise citizens, arresting sixteen men whom police believed were part of a "homosexual ring." Arrests included prominent citizens, including a bank vice president. Their trials, which received sensational coverage in the local press, resulted in lengthy prison sentences; one man was sentenced to life in prison.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Lavender Scare |first=David K. |last=Johnson |date=March 22, 2023 |isbn=978-0226825724 |publisher=The University of Chicago Press |oclc=52197376 |page=98}}</ref>

In 2019, the city council approved the renaming of a park and natural preserve to names in the [[Shoshoni language]] to recognize their significance to local indigenous peoples.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wright |first=Samantha |date=May 9, 2019 |title=It's Official: New Names For Boise Park and Reserve |url=https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/arts-culture/2019-05-09/its-official-new-names-for-boise-park-and-reserve |publisher=[[Boise State Public Radio]] |accessdate=September 4, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=May 13, 2019 |title=Boise parks renamed to honor indigenous past |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/may/13/boise-parks-renamed-to-honor-indigenous-past/ |work=The Spokesman-Review |accessdate=September 4, 2023}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Boise by Sentinel-2, 2021-08-29.jpg|left|thumb|Satellite photo of Boise and surrounding area in 2021, taken from Copernicus Sentinel-2]]
[[File:Ann Morrison Park.jpg|thumb|left|Ann Morrison Park in spring]]

Boise is in [[southwestern Idaho]], about {{convert|41|mi}} east of the Oregon border and {{convert|110|mi|km|0}} north of the [[Nevada]] border. The [[downtown]] area's [[elevation]] is {{convert|2704|ft}} [[Sea level#AMSL|above sea level]].

Most of the metropolitan area lies on a broad, flat plain, descending to the west. Mountains rise to the northeast, stretching from the far southeastern tip of the Boise city limits to nearby [[Eagle, Idaho|Eagle]]. These mountains are known to locals as the Boise foothills and are sometimes described as the [[foothills]] of the [[Rocky Mountains]]. About {{convert|34|mi}} southwest of Boise, and about {{convert|26|mi}} southwest of [[Nampa, Idaho|Nampa]], the [[Owyhee Mountains]] lie entirely in neighboring [[Owyhee County, Idaho|Owyhee County]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has an area of {{convert|80.05|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|79.36|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.69|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=December 18, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112090031/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=January 12, 2012 }}</ref> The city is drained by the Boise River and is considered part of the [[Treasure Valley]].

===Neighborhoods and areas===
Boise occupies an area of {{convert|64|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}, according to the [[United States Census Bureau]]. Neighborhoods of Boise include the Bench, the North End, West Boise and Downtown. In January 2014, the Boise Police Department partnered with the neighborhood blogging site [[Nextdoor]], the first city in the Northwest and the 137th city in the U.S. to do so.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://police.cityofboise.org/home/news-releases/2014/01/boise-police-join-nextdoorcom/ |title=Boise Police Department joins Nextdoor |publisher=Police.cityofboise.org |date=January 27, 2014 |access-date=August 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201192144/http://police.cityofboise.org/home/news-releases/2014/01/boise-police-join-nextdoorcom/ |archive-date=February 1, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Since the app, which enables the city's police, fire, and parks departments to post to self-selected, highly localized areas, first became available in October 2011,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/10/21/2826016/nextdoor-neighbors-app-propels.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140206035931/http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/10/21/2826016/nextdoor-neighbors-app-propels.htm|url-status=dead|title=Idahostatesman.com Boise, ID|date=February 6, 2014|archive-date=February 6, 2014}}</ref> 101 neighborhoods and sections of neighborhoods have joined.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/01/16/2975542/city-of-boise-gets-neighborly.html |title=Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell news by Idaho Statesman |publisher=Idahostatesman.com |access-date=August 19, 2014}}</ref>

====Downtown Boise====
{{Main|Downtown Boise}}
Downtown Boise is Boise's cultural center and home to many small businesses as well as a growing number of high-rises. While downtown Boise lacks a major retail/dining focus like Seattle and Portland, the area has a variety of shops and growing option for dining choices. Centrally, 8th Street contains a pedestrian zone with sidewalk cafes and restaurants. The neighborhood has many local restaurants, bars, and boutiques and supports a vibrant nightlife. The area contains the Basque Block, which gives visitors a chance to learn about and enjoy Boise's Basque heritage. Downtown Boise's main attractions include the [[Idaho State Capitol]], the classic [[The Egyptian Theatre (Boise, Idaho)|Egyptian Theatre]] on the corner of Capitol Boulevard and Main Street, the [[Boise Art Museum]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://boiseartmuseum.org/|title=Welcome to BAM|publisher=Boiseartmuseum.org|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117014828/http://www.boiseartmuseum.org/|archive-date=November 17, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> on Capitol in front of [[Julia Davis Park]], and Zoo Boise on the grounds of Julia Davis Park.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zooboise.org/|title=Home|publisher=Zooboise.org|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127012350/http://www.zooboise.org/|archive-date=November 27, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Boise's economy was threatened in the late 1990s by commercial development at locations away from the downtown center, such as [[Boise Towne Square Mall]] and at shopping centers near new housing developments.<ref>[http://www.boisetownesquare.com/html/index3.asp] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201052425/http://www.boisetownesquare.com/html/index3.asp|date=February 1, 2015}}</ref>

Cultural events in Downtown Boise include Alive after Five<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.downtownboise.org/m_events/dba_alive_after_5.cfm/|title=Downtown Boise Association|publisher=Downtownboise.org|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411080402/http://www.downtownboise.org/m_events/dba_alive_after_5.cfm|archive-date=April 11, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> and First Thursday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.downtownboise.org/m_events/dba_first_thursday.cfm/|title=Downtown Boise Association|publisher=Downtownboise.org|date=November 1, 2012|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211190108/http://www.downtownboise.org/m_events/dba_first_thursday.cfm|archive-date=February 11, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

====Boise State University====
To the south of downtown Boise is [[Boise State University]] and its surrounding environs. The area is dominated by residential neighborhoods and businesses catering to the student population. The unique blue playing field at the 37,000-seat [[Albertsons Stadium]] on the BSU campus, home to the [[Boise State Broncos football]] team, is a major city landmark. Other cultural and sports centers in the area include the Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts and [[ExtraMile Arena]]. Broadway Avenue to the east and south of the BSU campus features many college-themed bars and restaurants.

====The North End====
[[File:Hyde Park Boise.jpg|thumb|Hyde Park]]
The North End, generally defined as the part of Boise north of State Street, contains many of the city's older homes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northend.org/content1.asp?cat=12&id=32 |title=A Northend History |access-date=June 23, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704122651/http://northend.org/content1.asp?cat=12&id=32 |archive-date=July 4, 2015 }}</ref> It is known for its tree-lined drives such as Harrison Boulevard, and for its quiet neighborhoods near the downtown area. Downtown Boise is visible from [[Camel's Back Park]].<ref name="cityofboise1"/> On 13th Street, [[Hyde Park, Boise, Idaho|Hyde Park]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northend.org/hydepark.htm|title=Northend.org|publisher=Northend.org|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060717194354/http://www.northend.org/hydepark.htm|archive-date=July 17, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> is home to restaurants and other businesses. The North End also hosts events such as the annual Hyde Park Street Fair. In 2008, the American Planning Association designated Boise's North End one of 10 Great Neighborhoods.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/|title=Great Places in America|publisher=Planning.org|date=February 24, 2011|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203050136/http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/|archive-date=December 3, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

====Boise Highlands====
The Boise Highlands is just north of the North End; its location is generally defined as north of Hill Road and east of Bogus Basin Road. Annexed by the city in late 1965,<ref name=ltsanxx>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qrdeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bTAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5637%2C5967673 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=Idaho |agency=Associated Press |title=Boise population climbs again with latest annexation |date=December 29, 1965 |page=2}}</ref> the neighborhood is mostly filled with homes constructed in the 1970s, as well as the golf course of Crane Creek Country Club.

====Southwest Boise====
Southwest Boise contains sparsely populated neighborhoods built from the 1960s to the early 1980s. Many include acre-sized plots and the occasional farmhouse and pasture. In the 1980s, growth in the area was stunted to prevent [[urban sprawl]]. Since this has been lifted, there has been widespread growth of new homes and neighborhoods. The area lies near Interstate 84, and features, the [[Boise Airport]], theaters, shopping, golf and the Boise Bench area.

====Northwest Boise====
Northwest Boise lies against the Boise Foothills to the north, State Street to the south, the city of [[Eagle, Idaho|Eagle]] to the west, and downtown Boise to the east. It contains a mix of old and new neighborhoods, including Lakeharbor, which features the private Silver Lake, a reclaimed quarry. Northwest Boise has some pockets of older homes with a similar aesthetic to the North End. Downtown is minutes away, as is Veteran's Memorial Park<ref name="cityofboise1">{{cite web|url=http://parks.cityofboise.org/|title=Boise Parks & Recreation&nbsp;— City of Boise|publisher=Parks.cityofboise.org|date=November 21, 2012|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122073552/http://parks.cityofboise.org/|archive-date=November 22, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> and easy access to the [[Boise Greenbelt]]. Across the river sits the Boise Bench and to the west are the bedroom communities of Eagle, [[Star, Idaho|Star]], and [[Middleton, Idaho|Middleton]].

====Warm Springs and East End====
Warm Springs is centered on the tree-lined Warm Springs Avenue and contains some of Boise's largest and most expensive homes (many of which were erected by wealthy miners and businessmen around the turn of the 20th century; Victorian styles feature prominently). The area gets its name from the natural hot springs that flow from Boise's fault line and warm many of the area's homes. The Natotorium public swim center is here.

====Harris Ranch and Riverland East====
The far-east end of Warm Springs was once known as Barber Town, featuring a hotel with hot springs nestled into the foothills. It now has some new residential developments, with easy access to Highway 21, which leads to the south-central Idaho mountains, the Boise River, the Boise Foothills, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.

====Southeast Boise====

[[File:LibraryExclamationPointAtBownCrossing.jpg|thumb|upright|The newest<ref name="Boise's Newest Library">{{cite web |url=http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/article150236297.html |title=10 fun facts about Boise's newest library opening Thursday |last=Webb |first=Anna |date=April 12, 2017 |website=The Idaho Statesman |access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>

[[Boise Public Library]]<ref name="The Story behind Library!">{{cite web |url=http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/boise/article189932889.html |title=Man behind Boise library's exclamation point tells story; mayor eats crow |last=Moeller |first=Katy |date=December 15, 2017 |website=The Idaho Statesman |access-date=January 18, 2018}}</ref> branch at Bown Crossing]]

Southeast Boise ranges from Boise State University to Micron Technology between Federal Way and the Boise River. Its oldest neighborhood, Original South Boise, was platted in 1890, and accordingly has variegated housing (assiduously maintained by [[zoning]]); it consists of 33 blocks bordered by W Beacon Street, S Boise Avenue, and S Broadway Avenue, and hence is a triangular neighborhood immediately adjoining BSU.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cityofboise.org/media/3620/original-south-boise-2003.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.cityofboise.org/media/3620/original-south-boise-2003.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |title=Original South Boise Neighborhood Plan |publisher=City of Boise |access-date=September 21, 2022}}</ref> The rest of Southeast Boise was developed over the decades, largely by a variety of [[suburbia|suburban]]-style homes.

Columbia Village subdivision and the older Oregon Trail Heights were the first major planned communities in Southeast Boise with an elementary and middle school all within walking distance from all homes. The subdivision is at the intersections of Interstate 84, Idaho 21, and Federal Way (former U.S. Highway), which are all major arteries to get anywhere in Boise. The subdivision, a baseball complex, and swimming pools were developed around the Simplot Sports complex. The fields are built over an old landfill and dump, and the fields and gravel parking lot allow radon gases to escape through the ground. The most recent planned community is the {{convert|35|acre|ha|adj=on}} Bown Crossing, which has easy access to the [[Boise Greenbelt]].<ref name="Bown Crossing">{{cite web |url=https://pds.cityofboise.org/innovative-development/projects/bowncrossing/ |title=Bown Crossing |date=January 18, 2018 |publisher=City of Boise |access-date=January 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119120814/https://pds.cityofboise.org/innovative-development/projects/bowncrossing/ |archive-date=January 19, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On August 25, 2008, at about 7:00&nbsp;pm, a fire started near Amity and Holcomb during a major windstorm. It destroyed ten houses and damaged nine. One person died in the fire.<ref name="NWCN">{{cite news|url=http://legacy.ktvb.com/story/news/local/2014/06/27/11463805/|title=Loose electrical connection blamed for Boise fire|date=October 14, 2009|work=KTVB|access-date=February 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309172753/http://legacy.ktvb.com/story/news/local/2014/06/27/11463805/|archive-date=March 9, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

====Boise Bench====
The Bench, generally bounded by Federal Way to the east, Cole Road to the west and [[Garden City, Idaho|Garden City]] to the north, sits on an elevation approximately {{convert|60|ft|m}} higher than downtown Boise to its northeast. Orchard Street is a major north–south thoroughfare in the neighborhood. The Bench is so named because of this sudden rise, giving the appearance of a step, or bench. The Bench (or Benches, there are three actual benches in the Boise Valley) was created as an ancient shoreline to the old river channel. The Bench is home to the [[Boise Union Pacific Depot]]. Like the North End, the Bench has older residential areas such as the Central Rim, Morris Hill, and Depot Bench neighborhoods. Due south of the Bench is the [[Boise Airport]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iflyboise.com/|title=Boise Airport|publisher=iFlyBoise|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129120812/http://www.iflyboise.com/|archive-date=November 29, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

====West Boise====
West Boise is home to Boise Towne Square Mall, the largest in the state, as well as many restaurants, strip malls, and residential developments ranging from new subdivisions to apartment complexes. The Ada County jail and [[Hewlett-Packard]]'s printing division are also here. It is relatively the flattest section of Boise, with sweeping views of the Boise Front. West Boise also borders the city of [[Meridian, Idaho|Meridian]].

===Cityscape===

{{wide image|Boise Downtown Panoramic.jpg|900px|align-cap=center|Boise from the Aspen Condos and Lofts}}
{{wide image|June 2013 boise downtown panorama.jpg|900px|align-cap=center|Downtown Boise as seen from the Boise Bench}}

===Climate===
{{climate chart
| Boise, Idaho
|25.5|38.8|1.41
|29.0|46.0|1.00
|34.9|55.5|1.33
|39.6|62.3|1.23
|47.5|72.3|1.45
|54.1|81.4|0.75
|61.9|92.7|0.21
|60.8|90.7|0.17
|52.6|80.0|0.43
|41.5|64.8|0.81
|31.7|48.8|1.18
|25.4|38.8|1.54
|float=right
|clear=both
|units=imperial
}}
Boise has a [[semi-arid|cool semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''[[Cold semi-arid climate|BSk]]'', [[Trewartha climate classification]] ''BSak''), with four distinct [[season]]s. Boise has similar temperatures and precipitation patterns as that of a [[Mediterranean climate]] (Koppen: ''Csa''). Boise experiences hot and dry summers with highs reaching {{convert|100|°F|0}} nine days in a typical year and {{convert|90|°F|0}} on 55 days.<ref name="NOWData NWS Boise, ID"/> Yet because of the aridity, average [[diurnal temperature variation]] exceeds {{convert|30|F-change}} in the height of summer. [[Winter]]s are moderately cold, with a December average of {{convert|32.1|°F|1}}, and lows falling to {{convert|0|°F|0}} or below on around one night per year, with some winters having several such readings and most having none at all.<ref name="NOWData NWS Boise, ID"/> Snowfall averages {{convert|18|in|cm|0}}, but typically falls in bouts of {{convert|3|in|cm|0}} or less.<ref name=NCDC>{{cite web |title=NCDC: U.S. Climate Normals |url=http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim20/id/101022.pdf |url-status=dead |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=May 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712144820/http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim20/id/101022.pdf |archive-date=July 12, 2014 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[Spring (season)|Spring]] and [[Autumn|fall]] are mild. Extremes have ranged from {{convert|-28|°F|0}} on January 16, 1888, to {{convert|111|°F|0}} on July 12, 1898, and July 19, 1960;<ref name="NOWData NWS Boise, ID"/> temperatures have reached {{convert|-25|°F|0}} and {{convert|110|°F|0}} as recently as December 22, 1990, and August 10, 2018, respectively. [[Precipitation (meteorology)|Precipitation]] is usually infrequent and light, especially so during the summer months. It averages approximately {{convert|12|in|cm|0}} annually.

Tornadoes are rare in Ada County and the Boise area. Since 1950, only twelve tornadoes have been documented within the county, and four of those were during the same storm on August 3, 2000, which is also the most recent date a tornado was documented in the area. None of the tornadoes have been ranked higher than an F1 on the [[Fujita scale]], and no injuries or fatalities were ever documented.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ada County, Idaho |url=http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/Idaho/Ada/table |url-status=usurped |publisher=Tornado History Project |access-date=August 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820202406/http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/Idaho/Ada/table |archive-date=August 20, 2014}}</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = [[Boise Airport]], Idaho (1991–2020 normals,{{efn|Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1875–present{{efn|Official records have been kept at downtown Boise from January 1875 to December 1939, and at Boise Air Terminal (Airport) since January 1940. For more information, see [http://threadex.rcc-acis.org/ ThreadEx].}})
|collapsed = yes
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 66
|Feb record high F = 71
|Mar record high F = 82
|Apr record high F = 92
|May record high F = 100
|Jun record high F = 110
|Jul record high F = 111
|Aug record high F = 110
|Sep record high F = 104
|Oct record high F = 94
|Nov record high F = 78
|Dec record high F = 70
|year record high F = 111
|Jan avg record high F = 52.6
|Feb avg record high F = 59.5
|Mar avg record high F = 71.0
|Apr avg record high F = 80.7
|May avg record high F = 90.1
|Jun avg record high F = 98.3
|Jul avg record high F = 104.5
|Aug avg record high F = 102.2
|Sep avg record high F = 95.9
|Oct avg record high F = 83.9
|Nov avg record high F = 65.0
|Dec avg record high F = 54.5
|year avg record high F = 105.2
|Jan high F = 38.8
|Feb high F = 46.0
|Mar high F = 55.5
|Apr high F = 62.3
|May high F = 72.3
|Jun high F = 81.4
|Jul high F = 92.7
|Aug high F = 90.7
|Sep high F = 80.0
|Oct high F = 64.8
|Nov high F = 48.8
|Dec high F = 38.8
|year high F = 64.3
|Jan mean F = 32.2
|Feb mean F = 37.5
|Mar mean F = 45.2
|Apr mean F = 50.9
|May mean F = 59.9
|Jun mean F = 67.8
|Jul mean F = 77.3
|Aug mean F = 75.8
|Sep mean F = 66.3
|Oct mean F = 53.2
|Nov mean F = 40.3
|Dec mean F = 32.1
|year mean F = 53.2
|Jan low F = 25.5
|Feb low F = 29.0
|Mar low F = 34.9
|Apr low F = 39.6
|May low F = 47.5
|Jun low F = 54.1
|Jul low F = 61.9
|Aug low F = 60.8
|Sep low F = 52.6
|Oct low F = 41.5
|Nov low F = 31.7
|Dec low F = 25.4
|year low F = 42.0
|Jan avg record low F = 10.0
|Feb avg record low F = 15.8
|Mar avg record low F = 22.8
|Apr avg record low F = 27.5
|May avg record low F = 33.0
|Jun avg record low F = 41.0
|Jul avg record low F = 50.4
|Aug avg record low F = 48.2
|Sep avg record low F = 38.4
|Oct avg record low F = 26.6
|Nov avg record low F = 17.4
|Dec avg record low F = 10.9
|year avg record low F = 5.1
|Jan record low F = −28
|Feb record low F = −15
|Mar record low F = 5
|Apr record low F = 11
|May record low F = 22
|Jun record low F = 30
|Jul record low F = 35
|Aug record low F = 32
|Sep record low F = 23
|Oct record low F = 11
|Nov record low F = −10
|Dec record low F = −25
|year record low F = -28
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 1.41
|Feb precipitation inch = 1.00
|Mar precipitation inch = 1.33
|Apr precipitation inch = 1.23
|May precipitation inch = 1.45
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.75
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.21
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.17
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.43
|Oct precipitation inch = 0.81
|Nov precipitation inch = 1.18
|Dec precipitation inch = 1.54
|year precipitation inch = 11.51
|Jan snow inch = 5.3
|Feb snow inch = 3.3
|Mar snow inch = 1.2
|Apr snow inch = 0.1
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.1
|Nov snow inch = 2.0
|Dec snow inch = 5.6
|year snow inch = 17.6
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 11.1
|Feb precipitation days = 9.1
|Mar precipitation days = 10.1
|Apr precipitation days = 9.2
|May precipitation days = 8.4
|Jun precipitation days = 5.3
|Jul precipitation days = 2.3
|Aug precipitation days = 2.1
|Sep precipitation days = 3.9
|Oct precipitation days = 6.0
|Nov precipitation days = 9.7
|Dec precipitation days = 12.0
|year precipitation days = 89.2
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 5.2
|Feb snow days = 3.3
|Mar snow days = 1.6
|Apr snow days = 0.3
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.1
|Nov snow days = 2.2
|Dec snow days = 5.5
|year snow days = 18.2
|Jan sun = 109.3 |Jan percentsun = 38
|Feb sun = 151.9 |Feb percentsun = 52
|Mar sun = 238.6 |Mar percentsun = 64
|Apr sun = 281.4 |Apr percentsun = 70
|May sun = 335.5 |May percentsun = 74
|Jun sun = 351.6 |Jun percentsun = 76
|Jul sun = 399.8 |Jul percentsun = 86
|Aug sun = 358.8 |Aug percentsun = 83
|Sep sun = 303.6 |Sep percentsun = 81
|Oct sun = 238.1 |Oct percentsun = 70
|Nov sun = 119.6 |Nov percentsun = 41
|Dec sun = 105.2 |Dec percentsun = 38
|year percentsun = 67
|Jan humidity = 75.0
|Feb humidity = 69.9
|Mar humidity = 59.5
|Apr humidity = 52.3
|May humidity = 48.7
|Jun humidity = 44.7
|Jul humidity = 36.1
|Aug humidity = 37.2
|Sep humidity = 45.1
|Oct humidity = 53.6
|Nov humidity = 68.5
|Dec humidity = 74.6
|Jan dew point C = −5.8
|Feb dew point C = −3.4
|Mar dew point C = −2.6
|Apr dew point C = -1.0
|May dew point C = 2.2
|Jun dew point C = 5.2
|Jul dew point C = 6.2
|Aug dew point C = 5.7
|Sep dew point C = 3.3
|Oct dew point C = 0.4
|Nov dew point C = −1.7
|Dec dew point C = −5.3
|source 1 = NOAA (relative humidity, dew point, and sun 1961–1990<!--, percent sunshine thru 2009-->)<ref name="NOWData NWS Boise, ID">{{cite web |title=NowData&nbsp;– NOAA Online Weather Data |url=https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=boi |url-status=dead |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=October 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507173712/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=boi |archive-date=May 7, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00024131&format=pdf 
|title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020 
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] 
|access-date = October 11, 2021
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230803011003/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00024131&format=pdf
|archive-date = August 3, 2023}}</ref><ref name=NOAAsun >{{cite web 
|url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP4/72681.TXT 
|title = WMO Climate Normals for BOISE/AIR TERMINAL ID 1961–1990 
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230803005737/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP4/72681.TXT
|archive-date = 2023-08-03
|url-status = dead
|access-date = September 5, 2020
}}</ref>
}}
{{Graph:Weather monthly history
| table=Ncei.noaa.gov/weather/Boise, Idaho.tab
| title=Boise monthly weather statistics
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1870= 995
|1880= 1899
|1890= 2311
|1900= 5957
|1910= 17358
|1920= 21393
|1930= 21544
|1940= 26130
|1950= 34393
|1960= 34481
|1970= 74990
|1980= 102249
|1990= 125738
|2000= 185787
|2010= 205671
|2020= 235684
| estimate = 237963
| estyear = 2024
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
The [[2020 United States census|2020 U.S. census]] counted 235,684 people, 97,456 households, and 56,662 families in Boise.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 United States census, Table P16: Household Type |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Boise%20City%20city,%20Idaho%20p16&y=2020 |access-date=January 6, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><ref name="Census-DP1" /> The population density was {{convert|2,805|/mi2|/km2}}. There were 102,295 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,217|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}.<ref name="Census-DP1">{{Cite web |title=2020 United States census, Table DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?q=Boise%20City%20city,%20Idaho%20dp1 |access-date=January 6, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2020 Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/2020/geo/gazetter-file.html |access-date=December 30, 2023 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> The racial makeup was 81.24% (191,462) [[White (U.S. Census)|white]] or [[European American]] (78.85% [[Non-Hispanic White|non-Hispanic white]]), 2.27% (5,345) [[African American (U.S. census)|black]] or [[African American|African-American]], 0.7% (1,639) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]], 3.58% (8,429) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.29% (693) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]] or [[Native Hawaiian]], 3.45% (8,133) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 8.48% (19,983) from [[Multiracial Americans|two or more races]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 United States census, Table P1: Race |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2020.P1?q=Boise%20City%20city,%20Idaho%20p1&y=2020 |access-date=January 6, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] residents of any race were 9.03% (21,276) of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 United States census, Table P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino By Race |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2020.P2?q=Boise%20City%20city,%20Idaho%20p2&y=2020 |access-date=January 6, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>

Of the 97,456 households, 26.2% had children under the age of 18; 43.7% were married couples living together; 27.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 30.2% of households consisted of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name="Census-DP1" /> The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 3.0.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 United States census, Table S1101: HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S1101?q=Boise%20City%20city,%20Idaho%20s1101%20&y=2020 |access-date=January 6, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 29.9% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 United States census, Table S1501: Educational Attainment |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S1501?q=Boise%20City%20city,%20Idaho%20s1501%20&y=2020 |access-date=January 6, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>

20.3% of the population was under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.9 males.<ref name="Census-DP1" /> For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 104.2 males.<ref name="Census-DP1" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Boise, Idaho – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Boise city, Idaho|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US1608830&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Boise city, Idaho|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US1608830&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Boise city, Idaho |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US1608830&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|167,022
|175,310
|style='background: #ffffe6; |185,838
|89.90%
|85.24%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |78.85%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|1,363
|2,901
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,142
|0.73%
|1.41%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.18%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|1,147
|1,107
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,145
|0.62%
|0.54%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.49%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|3,812
|6,398
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,293
|2.05%
|3.11%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.52%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|281
|432
|style='background: #ffffe6; |640
|0.15%
|0.21%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.27%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|239
|309
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,331
|0.13%
|0.15%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.56%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|3,513
|4,608
|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,019
|1.89%
|2.24%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.10%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|8,410
|14,606
|style='background: #ffffe6; |21,276
|4.53%
|7.10%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9.03%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''185,787'''
|'''205,671'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''235,684'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], there were 205,671 people, 85,704 households, and 50,647 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|2591.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 92,700 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1168.1|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The city's racial makeup was 89.0% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.5% [[African American (U.S. census)|African American]], 0.7% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 3.2% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.2% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 2.5% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 3.0% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] people of any race were 7.1% of the population.

There were 85,704 households, of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10% had a woman householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a man householder with no wife present, and 41% were non-families. 31% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.

The median age in the city was 35. 23% of residents were under the age of 18; 11% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29% were from 25 to 44; 26% were from 45 to 64; and 11% were 65 years of age or older. The city's gender makeup was 49% men and 51% women.

==Economy==
Boise is the headquarters for several major companies, such as [[Boise Cascade|Boise Cascade LLC]], [[Albertsons]], [[J.R. Simplot Company]], [[Lamb Weston]], Idaho Pacific Lumber Company, Idaho Timber, [[WinCo Foods]], [[Bodybuilding.com]], and [[Clearwater Analytics]]. Other major industries are headquartered in Boise or have large manufacturing facilities present. The state government is one of the city's largest employers.

The area's largest private, locally based, publicly traded employer is [[Micron Technology]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boiseidaho.gov/workforce/boise-companies/|title=Boise Companies&nbsp;— Economic Development|publisher=Boiseidaho.gov|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110112808/http://www.boiseidaho.gov/workforce/boise-companies/|archive-date=November 10, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Others include [[IDACORP|IDACORP, Inc.]], the parent company of [[Idaho Power]], Idaho Bancorp, Boise, Inc., American Ecology Corp., and PCS Edventures.com Inc.

Technology investment and the high-tech industry have become increasingly important to the city, with businesses including Hewlett-Packard, [[Cradlepoint]], [[Healthwise]], Bodybuilding.com, [[ClickBank]], Crucial.com, and [[MarkMonitor]]. The call center industry is also a major source of employment. There are over 20 call centers in the city employing more than 7,000 people, including WDSGlobal, [[Electronic Data Systems]], [[Teleperformance]], [[DirecTV]], Taos, and [[T-Mobile US|T-Mobile]].<ref>{{Cite news|title = Call-center industry rises here|newspaper = Spokane Journal of Business|date = January 12, 2001|url = http://www.spokanejournal.com/index.php?id=article&sub=147&keyword=|access-date = August 15, 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927203300/http://www.spokanejournal.com/index.php?id=article&sub=147&keyword=|archive-date = September 27, 2007|url-status = dead}}</ref>

[[Varney Air Lines]], founded by [[Walter Varney]] in 1926, was formed in Boise, though headquartered at Pasco, Washington due to its more attractive prospects and increased economic support in Washington. The original airmail contract was from Pasco to Elko, Nevada, with stops in Boise in both directions. Varney Air Lines is the original predecessor company of present-day [[United Airlines]], which still serves the city at the newly renovated and upgraded Boise Airport.

===Top employers===
According to the City of Boise 2023 Annual Comprehensive Report,<ref>{{cite web |date=2024-02-28 |title=City of Boise – Annual Comprehensive Financial Report – FY 2023 by City of Boise – Issuu |url=https://issuu.com/cityofboise/docs/fy23_acfr_final |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=issuu.com}}</ref> the top employers in the city are:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Employer
! # of Employees
|-
| [[St. Luke's Boise Medical Center|St. Luke's Health Systems]]
|6,000–6,999
|-
| [[Micron Technology]]
|5,000–5,999
|-
| Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center
|5,000–5,999
|-
| [[West Ada School District]]
|4,000–4,999
|-
| [[Boise State University]]
|3,000–3,999
|-
| [[Walmart]]
|3,000–3,999
|-
| [[Albertsons|Albertsons Inc.]]
| 3,000–3,999
|-
| [[Idaho Department of Health and Welfare]]
|3,000–3,999
|-
| City of Boise
|3,000–3,999
|-
| [[Simplot|J.R. Simplot Company]]
|3,000–3,999
|}
* Note: this list only includes companies who have given the [[Idaho Department of Labor]] permission to release their employment numbers.

==Culture==
[[File:Boise Art Museum.JPG|thumb|right|Boise Art Museum]]
[[File:Historical Home on Boise's Basque Block.jpg|thumb|Historical Home on Boise's Basque Block]]
Boise is a regional hub for jazz, theater, and [[indie music]]. The [[Gene Harris]] Jazz Festival is hosted in Boise each spring. Several theater groups operate in the city, including the [[Idaho Shakespeare Festival]], Boise Little Theatre, [[Boise Contemporary Theater]], and [[ComedySportz]] Boise, amongst others. The [[Treefort Music Fest]] in late March features emerging bands, as well as many other artistic endeavors,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/fortress-boise/Content?oid=3436864|title=Fortress Boise|first=Zach|last=Hagadone|website=Boiseweekly.com|access-date=January 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818091640/https://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/fortress-boise/Content?oid=3436864|archive-date=August 18, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> and has perforce "morphed from quirky music festival to consuming community event,"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/03/26/3718608/boises-biggest-week-let-the-music.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150404225849/http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/03/26/3718608/boises-biggest-week-let-the-music.html|url-status=dead|title=Let the music play: Treefort underway in Boise - Treefort Music Fest …|date=April 4, 2015|archive-date=April 4, 2015}}</ref> and the HomeGrown Theatre is notable for continuing the [[avant garde]] [[satire|satirical]] tradition of [[puppetry]] for [[millennial]]s.<ref name="Early 21st-century puppetry">{{cite web |url=https://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/horrific-puppet-affair-finds-humor-in-the-space-between-halloween-and-christmas/Content?oid=8219881 |title=Horrific Puppet Affair Finds Humor in the Space Between Halloween and Christmas |last=Berry |first=Harrison |date=December 12, 2017 |website=Boise Weekly |access-date=December 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213142725/https://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/horrific-puppet-affair-finds-humor-in-the-space-between-halloween-and-christmas/Content?oid=8219881 |archive-date=December 13, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Millennial Avant Garde Puppetry">{{cite web |url=https://www.boiseartsandhistory.org/blog/2017/12/20/creators-makers-and-doers-homegrown-theatre/ |title=Puppetry, Pantomime, & Projections: HomeGrown Theatre's Shortcut to Spectacle |last=Burton |first=Brooke |date=December 20, 2017 |website=Boise City Department of Arts & History |access-date=December 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222052857/https://www.boiseartsandhistory.org/blog/2017/12/20/creators-makers-and-doers-homegrown-theatre/ |archive-date=December 22, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> The renovated [[The Egyptian Theatre (Boise, Idaho)|Egyptian Theatre]] hosts national and regional music acts, comedians, and special film screenings.

Idaho's ethnic [[Basque Americans|Basque]] community is one of the largest in the United States, on the order of nearly 7,000 people in 2000, many of whom live in Boise.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nabasque.org/us_basque_population.html|title=U.S. Basque Population |author1=North American Basque Organizations Inc. |website=www.nabasque.org|access-date=May 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513061420/http://www.nabasque.org/us_basque_population.html|archive-date=May 13, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> A large Basque festival known as Jaialdi is held once every five years (next in 2030). Downtown Boise features a vibrant section known as the "Basque Block". [[List of mayors of Boise|Boise's former mayor]], [[David H. Bieter]], is of Basque descent. Boise is also a sister region of the Basque communities.

Boise is home to several museums, including the [[Boise Art Museum]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Boise Art Museum|url=http://www.boiseartmuseum.org|publisher=Boise Art Museum|access-date=January 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190908132709/http://www.boiseartmuseum.org/|archive-date=September 8, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Idaho Historical Museum, the [[The Basque Museum and Cultural Center|Basque Museum and Cultural Center]], Idaho Black History Museum, Boise WaterShed and the [[Discovery Center of Idaho]]. On the first Thursday of each month, a gallery stroll known as First Thursday is hosted in the city's core business district by the Downtown Boise Association.

Boise also has a thriving performing arts community. The Boise Philharmonic,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boisephilharmonic.org/|title=The Boise Philharmonic Homepage|publisher=Boise Philharmonic|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100913043320/http://www.boisephilharmonic.org/|archive-date=September 13, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> now in its 49th season, under the leadership of music director and Conductor Eric Garcia continues to grow musically, and introduces excellent guest artists and composers year after year. The dance community is represented by the resurgent Ballet Idaho<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.balletidaho.org/|title=Ballet Idaho|publisher=Ballet Idaho|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005155317/http://www.balletidaho.org/|archive-date=October 5, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> under artistic director Peter Anastos, and the nationally known and critically acclaimed<ref>{{cite news|last=Macaulay|first=Alastair|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/07/arts/dance/07trey.html?_r=2|title=Dance Review&nbsp;— Trey McIntyre Project's Ballets at Jacob's Pillow|location=Massachusetts|newspaper=NYTimes.com|date=August 6, 2010|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628042152/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/07/arts/dance/07trey.html?_r=2|archive-date=June 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Trey McIntyre Project<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.treymcintyre.com/|title=Trey McIntyre Project|publisher=Treymcintyre.com|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208090029/http://treymcintyre.com/|archive-date=February 8, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> also make their home in Boise. All of these perform at the Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mc.boisestate.edu/|title=Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts Official Home Page|publisher=Mc.boisestate.edu|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622023851/http://mc.boisestate.edu/|archive-date=June 22, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> on the Boise State University campus. The Morrison Center also hosts local and national fine arts performances. Rounding out the classical performing arts is Opera Idaho,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.operaidaho.org/|title=Opera Idaho|publisher=Opera Idaho|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927075220/http://www.operaidaho.org/|archive-date=September 27, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> under the direction of Mark Junkert, which brings grand Opera to various venues throughout the Treasure Valley.

The Boise City Department of Arts and History was created in 2008 with the goal of promoting the arts, culture, and history of the city among its residents and visitors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cityclerk.cityofboise.org/MeetingArchive/PDF/Minutes/2008/031108m.pdf|title=March 8, 2008 Boise City Council Minutes|publisher=Clerks Office, City of Boise|access-date=March 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703075441/http://cityclerk.cityofboise.org/MeetingArchive/PDF/Minutes/2008/031108m.pdf|archive-date=July 3, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since 1978 Boise had a public arts commission like many cities to promote public art and education. The Arts Commission provided expert advice on public art installations to the city and private groups, as well as to develop many educational programs within the city promoting the arts. In 2008 the city and the Arts Commission made the decision to introduce history into the scope of the art commission and rename this new commission the Boise City Department of Arts and History.<ref name="brochure">Boise City Department of Arts and History brochure</ref>

The Boise City Department of Arts and History oversees several ongoing projects and programs related to art, culture, and history, and a number of short-term projects at any given time. Ongoing projects include maintenance of a public art collection valued at over $3&nbsp;million,<ref name="brochure"/> creation and maintenance of city historical and art walks and tours,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boiseartsandhistory.org/history/tours-maps/ |title=Tour Maps |publisher=Boise City Department of Arts and History |access-date=March 7, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407104225/http://www.boiseartsandhistory.org/history/tours-maps/ |archive-date=April 7, 2013 }}</ref> maintenance of a city historical research collection,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boiseartsandhistory.org/history/research-collection/|title=Research Collection|publisher=Boise City Department of Arts and History|access-date=March 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407104205/http://www.boiseartsandhistory.org/history/research-collection/|archive-date=April 7, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> artists in residence,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boiseartsandhistory.org/cultural-programs/artists-in-residence/ |title=Artists in Residence |publisher=Boise City Department of Arts and History |access-date=March 7, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407104023/http://www.boiseartsandhistory.org/cultural-programs/artists-in-residence/ |archive-date=April 7, 2013 }}</ref> and the Fettuccine Forum.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boiseartsandhistory.org/cultural-programs/fettuccine-forum/ |title=Fettuccine Forum |publisher=Boise City Department of Arts and History |access-date=March 7, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407103600/http://www.boiseartsandhistory.org/cultural-programs/fettuccine-forum/ |archive-date=April 7, 2013 }}</ref>

[[File:Idaho Historical Museum.JPG|thumb|right|[[Idaho State Historical Society|Idaho Historical Museum]]]]

According to a 2012 study performed by Americans for the Arts, arts, both public and private, in Boise is a forty-eight million dollar per year industry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boiseartsandhistory.org/media/74343/id_cityofboise_aep4_summaryoffindings_1_.pdf |title=research study |publisher=Americans for the Arts |access-date=March 7, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520071601/http://www.boiseartsandhistory.org/media/74343/id_cityofboise_aep4_summaryoffindings_1_.pdf |archive-date=May 20, 2013 }}</ref> The same study also cited the arts in and around Boise as a supplier of jobs for about 1600 people and producer of roughly $4.4&nbsp;million in revenue to state and local government.

The [[Boise Centre on the Grove]] is an {{convert|85000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} convention center that hosts a variety of events, including international, national, and regional conventions, conferences, banquets, and consumer shows. It is in the heart of downtown Boise and borders the Grove Plaza, which hosts many outdoor functions throughout the year including the New Year's Eve celebration, the Idaho Potato Drop<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idahonewyearscommission.com|title=New Year's Eve Party Boise Idaho - Idaho Potato Drop|website=Idahonewyearscommission.com|access-date=January 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627070707/http://www.idahonewyearscommission.com/|archive-date=June 27, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> hosted by the Idaho New Year's Commission.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sponsors |date=2020 |access-date=September 29, 2020 |website=idahopotatodrop.com |url=https://idahopotatodrop.com/sponsors/}}</ref> The Morrison-Knudsen Nature Center, located next to Municipal Park, features a streamwalk with wildlife experiences just east of downtown.<ref name="cityofboise1"/>

Boise has diverse and vibrant religious communities. The Jewish community is served by two synagogues: the [[Chabad]] Jewish Center, and the reform [[Ahavath Beth Israel]] Temple (completed 1896, is the nation's oldest continually used temple west of the Mississippi). [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] dedicated [[Boise Idaho Temple|a temple]] there in 1984.<ref name=ntset>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lENTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=j4QDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3803%2C6157226 |work=Deseret News |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |title=New LDS temples: since 1980 |date=March 30, 1990 |page=A2}}</ref> The first [[Christian Science]] Church in Boise, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boise,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cschurchboise.org|title=First Church Christ, Scientist, Boise|website=cschurchboise.org}}</ref> was built in 1898, with a new Church building built in 1989. The Boise Church is a branch of The Mother Church, [[The First Church of Christ, Scientist]], in Boston, MA. The [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise|Diocese of Boise]] includes the entire state and is seated at [[Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (Boise, Idaho)|St. John's Cathedral]], completed in 1921. The [[Boise Hare Krishna Temple]] opened in August 1999,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vnn.org/usa/US9908/US28-4605.html |title=VNN USA&nbsp;— Mayor To Open New Boise Temple |website=Vnn.org |access-date=November 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225113511/http://www.vnn.org/usa/US9908/US28-4605.html |archive-date=February 25, 2012 }}</ref> and the Vietnamese Linh Tuu-temple<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/linhthuutemple/?pageid=351114251665366&ftentidentifier=2059779577465483&padding=0 |title=Linh Thuu Buddhist Temple - Home |website=Facebook.com |date= |access-date=February 28, 2022}}</ref> opened in 2016.

Boise (along with Valley and Boise Counties) hosted the [[2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games]]. More than 2,500 athletes from over 85 countries participated.<ref>[http://www.specialolympics.org/Special+Olympics+Public+Website/English/Press_Room/Global_news/Boise+site+of+2009+Games.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101123420/http://www.specialolympics.org/Special%2BOlympics%2BPublic%2BWebsite/English/Press_Room/Global_news/Boise%2Bsite%2Bof%2B2009%2BGames.htm|date=January 1, 2016}}</ref>

In 1972, [[John Waters (filmmaker)|John Waters]] set the final scene of his film ''[[Pink Flamingos]]'' in Boise.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0069089/quotes|title=Pink Flamingos (1972)|publisher=imdb.com|access-date=December 17, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The 1995 independent film [[Not This Part of the World]] was filmed in Boise.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Proctor |first=David |date=September 29, 1995 |title='Not This Part of the World' comes to this part of the world |pages=61 |work=[[The Idaho Statesman]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-idaho-statesman-not-this-part-of-th/131161489/ |access-date=September 4, 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

Boise's [[sister city]] is [[Guernica|Gernika]], [[Southern Basque Country|Spanish Basque Country]].<ref name="Sister Cities">{{cite web |title=Sister Cities & States |url=https://www.idaho.gov/about-idaho/sister-cities-states/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213102536/https://www.idaho.gov/about-idaho/sister-cities-states/ |archive-date=February 13, 2023 |access-date=February 21, 2023 |website=The Official Website of the State of Idaho.}}</ref>

===Major attractions===
[[File:Boise Capitol.jpg|thumb|upright|Capitol in July]]

Boise offers numerous recreational opportunities, including extensive hiking and biking in the foothills to the immediate north of downtown. Much of this trail network is part of Hull's Gulch and can be accessed by 8th street. An extensive urban trail system called the [[Boise greenbelt|Boise River Greenbelt]] runs along the river and through Pierce Park. The Boise River is a common destination for fishing, swimming and rafting.<ref>{{cite web |title=Float the Boise River |url=https://adacounty.id.gov/parksandwaterways/float-the-boise-river/#floating_safety |website=Parks & Waterways |publisher=Ada County Parks and Waterways |access-date=June 25, 2022}}</ref>

In Julia Davis Park is [[Zoo Boise]], which has over 200 animals representing over 80 species from around the world. Its most recent exhibit, the Virginia R. Bartak Red Panda Passage, opened in May 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moody |first=Abigail |date=May 15, 2025 |title=Zoo Boise opens brand new red panda exhibit to the public |url=https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/arts-culture/2025-05-15/zoo-boise-red-pandas-new-enclosure |access-date=May 24, 2025 |website=Boise State Public Radio News}}</ref> The city is also home to the [[Idaho Aquarium|Aquarium of Boise]], a hands-on facility that houses over 250 species of animals and marine life.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aquarium of Boise {{!}} Education. Inspiration. Conservation. |url=https://www.aquariumboise.net/ |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=www.aquariumboise.net}}</ref>

The [[Bogus Basin]] [[ski area]] opened in 1942 and hosts multiple winter activities, primarily [[alpine skiing]] and [[snowboarding]], but also [[cross-country skiing]] and [[snow tubing]]. "Bogus" is {{convert|16|mi|abbr=on}} from the city limits (less than an hour drive from downtown) on a twisty paved road which climbs 3400 vertical feet (1036&nbsp;m) through sagebrush and forest.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

[[File:AnneFrankHumanRightsMemoriaCentopahBackDetail.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial]]]]

Boise is the site of the only [[human rights]] memorial in the U.S., the [[Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial]], located next to its main library.<ref name="Only Human Rights Memorial in the U.S.">{{cite web |url=http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/article153899354.html |title=Bieter urges crowd to 'stand up to power' at anti-hate Anne Frank Memorial ceremony |last=Webb |first=Anna |date=June 1, 2017 |website=The Idaho Statesman}}</ref>

The [[World Center for Birds of Prey]], just outside city, is a key part of the re-establishment of the [[peregrine falcon]] and its subsequent removal from the [[endangered species]] list. The center is breeding the rare California condor and the Aplomado Falcon, among many other rare and endangered species.

Publications such as ''[[Forbes]]'', ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]'' and ''[[Sunset Magazine|Sunset]]'' have cited the city for its quality of life. An article published by ''Forbes'' in 2018 named Boise the fastest-growing city in America. In the wake of the pandemic, Boise was the fifth-fastest-growing city in the U.S. in 2022 and 2023.<ref>{{cite web |last=Shaw |first=Jeff |title=Post-Pandemic Boise Tries to Keep Up with Explosive Population Growth |url=https://rebusinessonline.com/the-post-pandemic-boise/ |website=REBusinessOnline |date=September 22, 2023 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref> The metro area population of Boise in 2024 is 476,000, a 1.28% increase from 2023. Along with the population growth, the employment rate has grown 4.6% from 2012 to 2022.<ref>{{cite web |last=Day |first=Don |title=Boise boom: Strong decade for growth, wages – but some parts of metro area struggle |url=https://boisedev.com/news/2024/03/06/boise-metro-growth/ |website=BoiseDev |date=March 6, 2024 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The cornerstone mall in Boise, Boise Towne Square Mall, is also a major shopping attraction for Boise, Nampa, [[Caldwell, Idaho|Caldwell]], and surrounding areas. The mall received upgrades and added several new retailers in 1998 and 2006. Home prices, a proxy for wealth, increased 11.58%--number four in the U.S.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

The state's largest [[giant sequoia]], grown from a seedling that was a gift from the naturalist [[John Muir]], was on the grounds of St. Luke’s Medical Center until 2017 and now can be found in Fort Boise Park, to which it was moved over a four-day period that year.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Daley |first=Jason |date=June 27, 2017 |title= Watch a 100-foot-tall Giant Sequoia Get Transplanted in Boise |url= https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/watch-movers-transplant-100-foot-tall-giant-sequoia-boise-180963848/ |magazine=Smithsonian Magazine |access-date=September 18, 2025}}</ref>

===Sports===

Professional sports teams in Boise include the [[Boise Hawks]] of the independent baseball [[Pioneer League (baseball)|Pioneer League]] and the [[Idaho Steelheads]] of the [[ECHL]] (minor league [[Ice hockey|hockey]]).<ref>{{cite news |last=Cripe |first=Chadd |date=March 10, 2019 |title='Really unique, really cool, really vibrant.' Pro soccer could thrive in Boise. |url=https://www.idahostatesman.com/sports/soccer/article226617749.html |work=Idaho Statesman |url-access=limited |accessdate=October 30, 2024}}</ref> The Treasure Valley Spartans ([[Semi-professional|semi-pro football]]) of the (Rocky Mountain Football League) operated from 2009 to 2012.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} An [[arenafootball2]] franchise, the [[Boise Burn]], began play in 2007 but folded after the 2009 season.<ref>{{cite news |last=Day |first=Don |date=July 18, 2023 |title=An upstart football league says it will field a pro team in Boise, but there are few specifics |url=https://boisedev.com/news/2023/07/18/afl-boise-burn/ |work=[[BoiseDev]] |accessdate=October 30, 2024}}</ref> [[Athletic Club Boise]] was established in 2024 with plans to field professional soccer teams in the men's [[USL League One]] and the women's [[USL Super League]].<ref>{{cite news |date=October 30, 2024 |title=Boise to welcome new professional soccer teams, transforming Expo Idaho |url=https://idahonews.com/news/local/boise-will-soon-be-home-to-mens-and-womens-professional-soccer-teams |publisher=[[KBOI-TV|KBOI]] |accessdate=October 30, 2024}}</ref>

Boise is home to an all-female, [[DIY]], flat track [[roller derby]] league, the [[Treasure Valley Rollergirls]], which beginning on Labor Day Weekend 2010 hosted an international, two-day, double elimination tournament, the first Spudtown Knockdown,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogs/vulture/50252181-56/shakers-derby-salt-roller.html.csp|title=Utah Local News&nbsp;— Salt Lake City News, Sports, Archive&nbsp;— The Salt Lake Tribune|publisher=Sltrib.com|date=October 4, 2010|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221538/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogs/vulture/50252181-56/shakers-derby-salt-roller.html.csp|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ktvb.com/home/Spudtown-Knockdown-returns-to-Boise-129200268.html |title=Spudtown Knockdown returns to Boise |publisher=KTVB.com |date=September 3, 2011 |access-date=November 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111123090039/http://www.ktvb.com/home/Spudtown-Knockdown-returns-to-Boise-129200268.html |archive-date=November 23, 2011 }}</ref> featuring eight teams from throughout the American West and Canada.<ref>[http://www.qwestarenaidaho.com/events/event.aspx?eventid=757] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719161437/http://www.qwestarenaidaho.com/events/event.aspx?eventid=757|date=July 19, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Darr|first=Deanna|url=http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/spudtown-knockdown/Content?oid=1755752|title=Spudtown Knockdown &#124; Rec Extra|publisher=Boise Weekly|access-date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325121234/http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/spudtown-knockdown/Content?oid=1755752|archive-date=March 25, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Boise State University]] campus is home to [[Albertsons Stadium]], a 36,800-seat outdoor [[College football|football]] stadium known for its blue playing surface, currently [[FieldTurf]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boisestatefootball.com/facilities/bronco-stadium-and-blue |title=Bronco Stadium and The Blue |publisher=Boise State Football |access-date=November 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104180824/http://www.boisestatefootball.com/facilities/bronco-stadium-and-blue |archive-date=November 4, 2012 }}</ref> and [[ExtraMile Arena]], a 12,000-seat basketball and entertainment venue which opened in 1982 as the BSU Pavilion. Boise State University is known primarily for the recent successes of its football team.

[[File:Boise Basque Soccer Friendly, July 2015.png|thumb|An international club soccer [[friendly (association football)|friendly]] match hosted at Albertsons Stadium in July 2015]]

The [[Famous Idaho Potato Bowl]] football game (formerly known as the Humanitarian Bowl and the MPC Computers Bowl) is held in late December each year, and pairs a team from the [[Mountain West Conference]] with a [[Mid-American Conference]] team.
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col"|Club
! scope="col"|League
! scope="col"|Sport
! scope="col"|Venue
! scope="col"|Established
! scope="col"|Championships
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal;"|[[Boise Hawks]]
|align=center|[[Pioneer League (baseball)|Pioneer League]]
|align=center|[[Baseball]]
|align=center|[[Memorial Stadium (Boise)|Memorial Stadium]]
|align=center|1987
|align=center|6
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal;"|[[Idaho Steelheads]]
|align=center|[[ECHL]]
|align=center|[[Ice hockey]]
|align=center|[[Idaho Central Arena]]
|align=center|1997
|align=center|2
|}

==Policing and crime==
In 1864, John Ward became the first [[law enforcement]] [[Marshal]] in the newly formed city of Boise.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hart|first1=Arthur|title=To Protect and to Serve|date=2000|isbn=0-9702761-0-9|page=2 |publisher=Book Lore }}<!--|access-date=22 October 2015--></ref> The Boise Police Department was inaugurated in 1903; at the time it consisted of a [[chief of police]], a [[police sergeant]], and seven [[police officer]]s.<ref name="police.cityofboise.org">{{cite web |url=http://police.cityofboise.org/ |title=Police |publisher=City of Boise |access-date=September 21, 2022}}</ref> The Boise City Police Department now employs just over 400 people, with 325 allocated positions for [[sworn officer]]s and 82 civilians.<ref name="police.cityofboise.org"/>

For 2020, Boise Police reported four murders, 147 rapes, 210 sexual assaults, 56 robberies, 380 aggravated assaults, 1465 cases of assault/battery, 479 burglaries, 3164 thefts, 292 motor vehicle thefts, and 35 robberies. Total crimes have decreased overall between 2016 and 2020. Over the same time, rapes and sexual assaults have trended upwards while assault/battery, burglary, theft, and vandalism have trended downwards.<ref>{{cite web |title=Crime Report |url=https://www.cityofboise.org/media/12744/crimereport20152020.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.cityofboise.org/media/12744/crimereport20152020.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |publisher=City of Boise |access-date=September 21, 2022}}</ref>

==Education==
The [[Boise School District]], which includes the majority of the city,<ref name=AdaCoSDMap2020>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st16_id/schooldistrict_maps/c16001_ada/DC20SD_C16001.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st16_id/schooldistrict_maps/c16001_ada/DC20SD_C16001.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=2020 Census – School District Reference Map: Ada County, ID|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=March 13, 2024}}</ref> includes 31 elementary schools, eight junior high schools, five high schools, and two specialty schools. Part of the [[West Ada School District]] is within the Boise city limits,<ref name=AdaCoSDMap2020/> and the city is therefore home to six public high schools: [[Boise High School|Boise]], [[Borah High School|Borah]], [[Capital High School (Idaho)|Capital]], [[Timberline High School (Boise, Idaho)|Timberline]], the [[Alternative school|alternative]] [[Frank Church High School|Frank Church]], and the West Ada School district's [[Centennial High School (Idaho)|Centennial]]. Boise's private schools include the [[Catholic school|Catholic]] [[Bishop Kelly High School|Bishop Kelly]], [[Foothills School of Arts and Sciences]], the [[International Baccalaureate]]-accredited [[Riverstone International School]], and the only student-led school in the country [[One Stone (nonprofit)|One Stone]].

Post-secondary educational options in Boise include [[Boise State University]] (BSU) and a wide range of technical schools. The [[University of Idaho]] and [[Idaho State University]] each maintain a satellite campus in Boise. As of 2025, the only law school in Boise is the Boise campus of the [[University of Idaho College of Law]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uidaho.edu/law/academics/boise |title=Boise second and third Year Program-College of Law-University of Idaho |publisher=Uidaho.edu |access-date=August 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508122711/http://www.uidaho.edu/law/academics/boise |archive-date=May 8, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ([[Concordia University School of Law]] previously operated from 2012-2020<ref name="KTVB.com">{{cite news|title=First law school opens in Boise |url=http://www.ktvb.com/news/First-law-school-opens-in-Boise--167641165.html |access-date=February 13, 2013 |date=August 27, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628202514/http://www.ktvb.com/news/First-law-school-opens-in-Boise--167641165.html |archive-date=June 28, 2014 }}</ref>). 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.

[[Basque School of Boise|Boiseko Ikastola]] is the only [[Basque language|Basque]] preschool outside of the [[Basque Country (greater region)|Basque Country]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.idahostatesman.com/entertainment/festival/article41562069.html|title=Boise's Basque Preschool thrives and expands into a new home}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boisekoikastola.org/ |title=Boiseko ikastola, July 18, 2013 |publisher=Boisekoikastola.org |access-date=August 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828180011/http://www.boisekoikastola.org/ |archive-date=August 28, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Media==
{{Main|Media in Boise, Idaho}}
The greater Boise area is served by two daily newspapers, ''[[Idaho Statesman|The Idaho Statesman]]'' and the ''[[The Idaho Press|Idaho Press]]'', a free alternative newsweekly, ''[[Boise Weekly]]''; a weekly business news publication, ''Idaho Business Review'', and a quarterly lifestyle magazine, ''Boise Magazine''. In addition to numerous radio stations, Boise has five major commercial television stations that serve the greater Boise area. The major television stations include [[KBOI-TV]] 2 ([[CBS]], with [[The CW]], via low-powered [[KYUU-LD]], on DT2), [[Idaho Public Television|KAID]] 4 ([[PBS]]), [[KIVI-TV]] 6 ([[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]), [[KTVB]] 7 ([[NBC]]) and [[KNIN-TV]] 9 ([[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]) and Boise State Television.

==Transportation==

The major Interstate serving Boise is [[Interstate 84 in Idaho|I-84]], which connects Boise with [[Portland, Oregon]], and [[Salt Lake City, Utah]]. A spur route, [[Interstate 184]] (locally known as "The Connector"), travels {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} from I-84 to downtown Boise.<ref>{{cite map |date=May 2017 |title=Idaho State Highway Map |scale=1:1,248,000 |url=https://visitidaho.org/content/uploads/2019/01/Idaho-State-Hwy-Map.pdf |publisher=Idaho Transportation Department |accessdate=August 23, 2025}}</ref> Highway 55 branches outward northeast. There is a network of [[bike path]]s, such as the Boise River Greenbelt, throughout the city and surrounding region.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}}

Public transportation within Boise and to surrounding cities is operated by [[Valley Regional Transit]], also known as ValleyRide. It runs bus routes from Main Street Station, an underground [[bus station|hub]] that opened in 2016 near North 8th Street.<ref>{{cite news |last=Berg |first=Sven |date=October 25, 2016 |title=Boise's new Downtown transit center is open. Here's how to use it. |url=https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/boise/article110203587.html |work=Idaho Statesman |accessdate=August 23, 2025}}</ref> The city government has proposed the construction of a [[streetcar]] line in Downtown Boise several times, most recently in 2017 to connect to the Boise State University campus.<ref>{{cite news |last=Berg |first=Sven |date=May 19, 2017 |title=Boise having another go at a streetcar for Downtown transit |url=https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/boise/article151236082.html |work=Idaho Statesman |accessdate=August 23, 2025}}</ref> A [[commuter rail]] line between Caldwell in Boise, connecting areas of the Treasure Valley using existing freight tracks, has been proposed by local officials. A 2025 study commissioned by the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho found that a system with trains every 15 minutes at [[peak period]]s and hourly during the day would carry 24,000{{nbsp}}daily passengers and cost from $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion to construct.<ref>{{cite news |last=Evans |first=Rose |date=August 22, 2025 |title=Commuter rail in Boise? Really? Treasure Valley transit leaders keep dreaming |url=https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/traffic/article311773561.html |work=Idaho Statesman |accessdate=August 23, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Idsal |first=Barclay |date=August 21, 2025 |title=COMPASS identifies commuter rail as the preferred mass transit solution for the Treasure Valley |url=https://www.kivitv.com/news/compass-identifies-commuter-rail-as-the-preferred-mass-transit-solution-for-the-treasure-valley |publisher=[[KIVI-TV|KIVI]] |accessdate=August 23, 2025}}</ref>

Commercial air service is provided at the [[Boise Airport]], which opened in 1936 and is also used by the [[Idaho Air National Guard]]. The terminal was renovated in stages between 2001 and 2005 to accommodate the growing number of passengers flying in and out of Boise.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Westover |first1=Amy |last2=Bubb |first2=Matilda |year=2023 |title=Boise Airport Arts Master Plan: Land Side, Air Side |pages=9–10 |url=https://www.boiseartsandhistory.org/media/5991/airport-art-plan-v212.pdf |publisher=Boise City Department of Arts & History, Boise Airport |accessdate=August 23, 2025}}</ref> It is served by [[Allegiant Air]], [[Alaska Airlines]], [[American Airlines]], [[Avelo Airlines]], [[Delta Air Lines]], [[Frontier Airlines]], [[Southwest Airlines]], and [[United Airlines]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Fixler |first=Kevin |date=March 16, 2022 |title=Discount airline coming to Boise Airport with cheap flights to popular Western city |url=https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/traffic/article259442194.html |work=Idaho Statesman |accessdate=August 23, 2025}}</ref> The airport's east end is home to the [[National Interagency Fire Center]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Sowell |first=John |date=September 5, 2015 |title=As West burns, fire command center in Boise does its triage |url=https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/environment/fires/article41567394.html |work=Idaho Statesman |accessdate=August 23, 2025}}</ref>

The Seattle–Chicago [[Amtrak]] ''[[Pioneer (train)|Pioneer]]'' passenger train stopped at [[Boise Union Pacific Depot]] from June 7, 1977, until May 10, 1997, when it was discontinued.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Zach Hagadone|title=Idaho's Lone Amtrak Station Undergoing Renovation|url=http://www.boiseweekly.com/CityDesk/archives/2014/08/14/idahos-lone-amtrak-station-undergoing-renovation|work=Boise Weekly|access-date=August 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910092932/http://www.boiseweekly.com/CityDesk/archives/2014/08/14/idahos-lone-amtrak-station-undergoing-renovation|archive-date=September 10, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | title=The Pioneer's last stand | author=Johnston, Bob | journal=[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]] |date=August 1997 | pages=24–26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://history.amtrak.com/archives/i-amtrak-news-i-june-15-1977|title=Pioneer Inaugural Run Brings Out The People|work=Amtrak News 4 (11)|date=June 15, 1977|access-date=February 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016055802/http://history.amtrak.com/archives/i-amtrak-news-i-june-15-1977|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> A short line railroad ([[Boise Valley Railroad]]) serves industries in Boise, connecting with the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] in Nampa.

== Sister cities ==

* {{Flagicon|Spain}} [[Guernica, Basque Country|Gernika, Basque Country]], Spain<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berg |first=Sven |date=July 18, 2015 |title=Idaho's Basque torch passes to Boise's mayor and the Bieter family |url=https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/boise/article41561154.html |work=Idaho Statesman |accessdate=January 29, 2024}}</ref>
* {{flag icon|United States}} [[Syracuse, New York|Syracuse]], New York, United States<ref>{{cite news |last=Abbott |first=Ellen |date=August 14, 2024 |title=Syracuse, Boise now 'sister cities,' connected by Micron investment opportunities |url=https://www.wrvo.org/2024-08-14/syracuse-boise-now-sister-cities-connected-by-micron-investment-opportunities |publisher=[[WRVO]] |accessdate=August 19, 2024}}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of people from Boise, Idaho}}

==See also==
* {{portal-inline|Idaho}}
* {{portal-inline|Pacific Northwest}}
* [[List of parks in Boise]]
* [[USS Boise|USS ''Boise'']], 2 ships

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{See also|Timeline of Boise, Idaho#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Boise, Idaho}}
* {{Cite book|author=MacGibbon, Elma|title=Leaves of knowledge|publisher=Shaw & Borden Co|year=1904}} [http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/publications%5Fdetail.aspx?p=63 Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection] Elma MacGibbons reminiscences of her travels in the United States starting in 1898, which were mainly in Oregon and Washington. Includes chapter "Boise, the capital of Idaho".
* Roger Weston: ''The Recruiter''. Novel with sequences in Boise and Sun Valley Idaho.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Boise, Idaho}}
{{Wikivoyage|Boise}}
{{EB1911 poster|Boisé}}
* {{official website|https://www.cityofboise.org}}
* [https://www.boise.org Boise Convention and Visitors Bureau]
* [https://www.boisechamber.org Boise Area Chamber of Commerce]
{{Boise, Idaho}}
{{Ada County, Idaho}}
{{Treasure Valley}}
{{Idaho county seats}}
{{Idaho}}
{{US state capitals}}
{{USPopulousCities}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Boise, Idaho| ]]
[[Category:Basque-American history]]
[[Category:Boise metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Cities in Idaho]]
[[Category:County seats in Idaho]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1863]]
[[Category:Cities in Ada County, Idaho]]
[[Category:1863 establishments in Idaho Territory]]
[[Category:State capitals in the United States]]