The City of Boise is the largest metropolitan area in Idaho.  Home to 450,000 people, Boise is a lively city with a diverse population, rich in cultural events, replete with history, home to first-rate businesses, and loaded with great sporting events and recreational opportunities.
Some say that Boise is the most beautiful city of its size in America.  Situated where the high desert meets the western edge of the Rocky Mountains, Boise is the gateway to exceptional recreational opportunities. The residents of Boise can take a vacation every weekend!  World famous white-water rafting, Nordic and Alpine skiing, snowboarding, hunting, fishing, backpacking and camping. Hiking, biking, and fishing are popular activities right in the metro area. Boise has thousands of acres of open space around the city. The foothills of the Rockies provide trails for hikers and bikers of all abilities. The Boise River Greenbelt is a great place for biking, roller-blading or a casual stroll.

Idaho is famous for its spectacular scenery and beautiful state parks.  The Snake River runs through Hells Gate State Park located in northwest Idaho which boasts one of the deepest gorges in North America.  The Idaho portion of the renowned Oregon Trail is located just southeast of Boise where the Glenns ferry community presents a fascinating reenactment of the crossing of the Snake River twice monthly.  The Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, located 35 miles south of Boise, features the largest concentration of birds of prey in North America.  This scenic 485,000 acres holds bald and golden eagles, several species of owls, peregrine falcons, prairie falcons, kestrel, merlin, and others.

There are many fabulous Ski Resorts.  Bogus Basin Ski Resort is only 45 minutes outside Boise, Grand Targhee is located in the Teton Mountains closer to Idaho Falls; there is Schweitzer Mountain Resort, Silver Mountain, Soldier Mountain, and the famous Sun Valley Ski Resort among many. 

Idaho is a beautiful outdoor recreational paradise. There are many golf courses, both public and private, in the Boise area. The River Bend Golf Course is 18-hole course, which offers breathtaking views of the Snake River and local wildlife. Indian Lakes Golf Club offers the best view of the entire Boise Valley and the majestic Owyhee.  At Shadow Valley Golf Course the aesthetics are unmatched - rock formations, blooming flower beds, ponds and waterfall.

Sports fans have an endless season of various sports events!  Boise State Broncos football, Boise Hawks baseball, Idaho Steelheads WCHL Hockey. Fans can enjoy championship games at all times of the year. 
 
Idaho has so much to offer that you’ll have a hard time choosing what to do!

The Boise metro area is made up of various cultural and ethnic groups and the city celebrates its diversity.  There are institutions such as the Black History Museum, the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, and the Hispanic Cultural Center.  Boise is home to annual festivals and events, including the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Art in the Park, The Gene Harris Jazz Festival. The Boise Philharmonic offers a full season of classical concerts at Morrison Center on the BSU campus.  Boise State University, Idaho’s largest university, with an enrollment of over 15,000 students, offers ongoing cultural events and educational courses.
Boise is a modern industrial city of enterprise and wealth.   Many notable regional, national, and international companies are headquartered here:  Boise Cascade, Simplot Corporation, Albertsons, Micron Technology, and Hewlett-Packard are some.   Because of its advantageous location at the center of major ground, rail, and air transportation lines, Boise is a location of commercial interest and growth.

LOCATION
Boise is located between I-84 and I-184 and Hwy 20 in Ada County in the southwest portion of Idaho.  Portland Oregon is the nearest large city with a population of 200,000+.  Cities closest to Boise are Garden City (2.9 miles), Eagle, (9.3 miles), and Meridian (11.1 miles).

TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORTS
Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field is located in the southern portion of the city on I-84.  Major national and regional airlines serve the Boise airport with daily connections to major U.S. cities.

BRIEF HISTORY
French-Canadian fur-trappers inadvertently named the city of Boise when they saw the green valley arising out of the dry desert and exclaimed “Les Bois! Les Bois!” which means ‘City of Trees’ in French.   In 1834 the Hudson Bay Company, also drawn to the fertile ground surrounding the Boise River, established Fort Boise, which marked an important stopover for the Oregon Trail emigrants and other travelers.  Overwhelmed by Indian attacks, Fort Boise closed in 1854; however, when gold was discovered in the Boise Basin, interest in Fort Boise and the surrounding are area revived. Boise began to prosper and soon became known as a bustling commercial hub.

Boise was incorporated in 1864, became the state territorial capital, and, except for a short decline, the population has grown ever since.  John Lemp, a German immigrant, became known as “Beer King of Idaho”, when he opened a brewery for the thirsty miners and cowboys; and in 1872, the U.S. Assay Office opened its doors.  By 1890 Idaho had established its statehood.   

One of Boise's most prominent companies also saw its beginnings in the early 1900s. In 1912 Harry W. Morrison and Morris Han Knudson formed Morrison-Knudsen - an engineering, construction, and manufacturing company. Morrison-Knudsen had a part in some of the century's largest construction projects, including the Hoover Dam, San Francisco Bay Bridge, and the Trans Alaska Pipeline.

One immigrant group that contributed to the diversity and population growth in Idaho were the Basques.  Although the Basques started migrating to Idaho from the Pyrenees Mountains in the 1800s, the 1930s saw the largest migration, making Idaho home to the second largest group of Basque immigrants in the nation.

In 1932 Boise State University opened its doors.  Joe Albertson opened his first grocery store in Boise in 1939, marking the beginning of Albertson's Supermarkets.  J.R. Simplot started processing potatoes in nearby Caldwell in 1941. Today, both Simplot and Albertson's are among Idaho's largest employers.
Gowen Field was a training center for airmen during World War II, and the Mountain Home Air Force Base served the war effort.   Boise continued to develop industry after the war.  Boise Cascade was created in 1957 with the merging of two smaller lumber companies.  Today Boise Cascade includes two million acres of timberland.  Boise was nicknamed “Treasure Valley” in 1959, in acknowledgement of the “treasure chest of resources and opportunities in the area.”

Boise's past 20 years have seen tremendous growth closely linked with two companies - Hewlett-Packard and Micron Technology. Hewlett-Packard created its Boise Division in 1973, and is one of Boise’s largest private employers.  Micron Technology designs and manufactures semiconductor memory components, and is Boise’s largest private employer.