Of note, there are no revolutionary war hero statues nor any of the civil war. Their history begins in the mid-1800’s.

Anecdotal Stories & Observations

We met a docent at the World Center for Birds of Prey who told us he had retired from the US Forestry Service in Boise. He mentioned that Boise is experiencing a significant amount of growth from people re-locating from other states, but mostly from California and mostly those who self-describe as politically “red”. Property values have escalated, we were told, by $200,000 in the last 18-24 months. And it did seem that way - armed with my trusty Zillow app, I looked up the values of homes in a number of neighborhoods we passed through and was stunned. While we had not planned on re-locating there, the prices would be prohibitive - at least in terms of buying. What’s more, Boise is located in essentially the desert and while there is a river, water is in short supply. Over the summer several people found their wells completely dry. The incoming residents will strain the city’s resources on every level.

Susan talked to the man who runs the African American museum. A long-time resident and well connected to the city political system, he told her that they are well aware of the issues and and working on solutions to manage the growth. As an example, while we found the traffic to be very manageable, the growth in residents has been such that they find it significantly worse. I don’t envy them resolving these issues. But I do understand the appeal - lovely stores, interesting restaurants, many lush parks and cultural attractions - it is truly a gem in the gem state!