Potato farming may not sound very dynamic, but this honest outdoor work has long been the backbone of Idaho’s economy, and the stable basis for the Boise region’s thriving and varied business scene. Back in 1941 J.R. Simplot began processing potatoes in Caldwell; today his company is one of the state’s largest employers.
As state capital, Boise is a flourishing administrative, commercial, industrial, and tourist center and the headquarters of many well known regional, national, and international firms—including Boise Cascade, Simplot Corporation, Albertsons, Micron Technology, and Hewlett-Packard. Boise Cascade is a lumber company with two million acres of timberland at its disposal. Albertsons is another large employer; a national supermarket chain with its roots in Boise, where Joe Albertson opened his first grocery store back in 1939. Micron Technology builds semi-conductors and is Boise’s largest private employer; Hewlett-Packard is the second largest.
The beauty, culture, and centrality of the state capital draws visitors from across the nation and the world and Boise’s hospitality industry is thriving.
Primary ground, rail, and air transportation lines feed into the state hub, further supporting Boise’s ever expanding commercial interests.
Boise's relatively low cost of living, coupled with nationally competitive wages, are a further boost to the economy, and to the local real estate market.
As a neighboring center, Meridian has been the fastest growing city in Idaho since 1994, and a primary focus of commercial development in the region. En-route to Boise in the east and Nampa to the west, Meridian is a key transport and distribution center and one of the biggest shipping points for home grown honey in Idaho. The construction industry is growing rapidly in Meridian, accounting for about 2,500 jobs at present. This sector is the third largest in Meridian in terms of jobs, coming after the education/health and retail sectors.
After the school district and local healthcare providers, the largest employers in Meridian are Western States Equipment (heavy equipment), Albertsons, Wal-Mart, Crucial Technology (manufacturing), R.C. Willey Home Furnishings, and the Department of Law Enforcement.
Away from the hustle and bustle, Eagle has a flourishing business and retail district and a thriving tourist industry. Surrounded by farms, the city has a number of agriculturally supportive businesses. Many residents make a short commute to Boise, Meridin and other Treasure Valley centers of industry to work, appreciating the rural character of the town they come home to.
This said, there have been a number of new commercial and office developments on the Eagle’s outskirts in recent years and these have drawn well known companies to the city. Camille Beckman (a world wide distributor of cosmetics and toiletries), relocated its corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility to Eagle in 2002, and Conagra Foods chose the city for its Western Regional Headquarters.
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