I live in Boise. Meridian, actually, which is adjacent to Boise on the west side.

This is a great place to live. Mountains just to the north, with a great ski area just behind Boise. Bogus Basin Ski Area. Then there's the desert to the south, as well as the Snake River for boating. For some wonderful mountain riding and tons of twisty roads, eastern Oregon is just an hour away.

Boise is around 225,000 population, but it's a big city with a small town atmosphere. It's neat, clean, safe, and has a pretty low crime rate compared to a lot of other areas.

I'm retired, so I can't really comment much on employment, but I can tell you that as of right now, the unimployment rate in Idaho is 9%, which is pretty high. Also, Idaho is a right-to-work state, so wages and salaries are not the highest unless you are a profession with a very marketable occupation.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that real estate is cheap, unless you are interested in some raw acreage way out there somewhere. Otherwise, it's spendy. You can expect to pay in the $200K area for the average 1800 sq. ft. single level home with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and 3 car garage, on a city lot. Homes get cheaper as you go westward. The most expensive are in Boise, and go down as you go into Meridian, then Nampa, then Caldwell. It's less again in some of the outlaying towns such as Star, Kuna, Payette, Middleton and Emmett, as well as some of the tiny farming communities.

I'm not sure where you have in mind when you say 10 or 15 miles NW of Boise. The only place can think of is Emmett. Emmett is a decent small town with a definite agricultural atmosphere, but you're right on the edge of some fine riding opportunities there without having to ride through Boise to get there.

One other thing, utilities are pretty reasonable here, too.

You can either PM or email me if you wish. I'll try to answer your questions if I can, or I'll find someone who will.

golson4649@q.com

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DL650K7--sold, sadly