Boise, Idaho

Floating the Boise River

The origin of the name is uncertain. One account credits Capt. B. L. E. Bonneville of the 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 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-speaking guide, overwhelmed by the sight of the verdant river, yelled "Les bois ! Les bois !" ("The woods! The woods!")—and the name stuck.

The name may also derive from earlier mountain men who named the river that flows through it. In the 1820s, French Canadian fur trappers associated with the British-owned HBC 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 cottonwood trees. They called this "La rivière boisée", which means "the wooded river."[4]

Most local and longtime residents use the pronunciation /ˈbɔɪsiː/ (BOYSS-ee),[5] as given on the city's website.[3] The pronunciation is sometimes used as a shibboleth, as outsiders (and newcomers) tend to pronounce the city's name as /ˈbɔɪziː/ (BOY-zee).[6][7]

The area of Boise valley was inhabited by Boise Valley Shoshone and Bannock tribes, a part of the "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."[8]

Boise Valley 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 Country.

In 1811, 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[9] on an overland expedition to establish a fur trading outpost at the mouth of the Columbia River.[9][10] This expedition passed through the Boise valley, and was the first ever time a white American has entered the region.[11][12] 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, up until the 1840s, 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. This was due to two main reasons. Firstly, the general region to the East of the Rockies at the time, was described in the media and literature of Eastern US as the "Great American Desert", an arid unproductive region, unsuitable for habitation.[13][14] Thus the region of Boise itself was of no interest to settlers. Oregon Country, on the other side of the Rockies, was however a desirable destination for settlers. Nevertheless, the British had an official policy of discouraging American settlers. Thus, settler incursions into Boise Valley along the Oregon Trail remained low, until early 1840s.

The HBC established a fort in the region, the Old Fort Boise, 40 miles (64 km) west, near Parma, down the Boise River near its confluence with the Snake River at the Oregon border. They were present in the fort until 1844, handing the fort over to the United States Army afterwards.

Starting from early 1840s, developments further West, in modern Oregon, meant significant changes to the region of Boise. At this time, 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 cumulated in 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 Shoshone and 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.[15][16]

One such attack, referred to as "Ward Massacre", was in Boise Valley, about 20 Miles to the West of modern Boise. On August 20, 1854, Alexander Ward's five-wagon caravan of 20 emigrants was passing through, when a group of Shoshone and Bannock warriors ambushed the caravan. The goal of the ambush was initially to take away the horses of the caravan. However, 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.[17] 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 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 Old Fort Boise. Intensified attacks against passing caravans made travel impossible for settlers except with US Army escort, which started from 1858.

For much of the rest of the 1850s, and even after the pulling out of the United States Army to be deployed at the American Civil War, and their replacement with "volunteer" militias from California and Oregon. Decline of gold business in California prompted white settlers to search for gold elsewhere. This included an inclusion of much of Idaho in this search. The 1860 discovery of gold in Pierce, Idaho on the territory of Nez Perce nation, and the settling down of settlers in this location, raised tensions significantly.[18] On the same year in September, another major event happened along Oregon Trail, the Utter Party Massacre at about 100 miles to the Southeast of Boise, during which 29 out of a group of 44 settlers were either killed or captured in an intense and organized ambush. It appeared that this region of Snake Country was on the verge of war.

Discovery of gold around Boise valley in 1863, and ongoing warfare 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) and the Owyhee (Silver City) mining areas, both of which were booming. On the same year, the United States established Idaho Territory, whose declared 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. The location of was in the middle of the Snake Country, on the lands of Boise Valley Shoshone and Bannock Tribes. 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 2nd governor of Idaho, negotiated with the Boise Valley Shoshone Tribe, and concluded the "Treaty of Fort Boise" on October 10, 1864.[19] 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.[20]

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.[21] Idaho Statesman, the daily newspaper of Boise, which started publishing in 1864, reflected many such incitements and demands:

...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, [21]

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, [21]

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 guerilla 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.[21] 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.[22]

In 1868, Fort Hall Indian Reservation was established in Southeastern Idaho, about 220 miles upstream, according to the terms of Fort Bridger Treaty. The Boise Valley Shoshone and 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 Shoshone and Bannock people as Idaho's Trail of Tears. The forced march to Forth Hall took one month, and out of 500 natives, only 350 made it. Some of the natives managed to escape, and they ran to either Duck Valley or Fort McDermitt in Nevada.[23][24]

Main Street in 1911

Designed by Alfred B. Mullett, the U.S. Assay Office at 210 Main Street was built in 1871 and today is a National Historic Landmark.[25]

In 1925, with the construction of Chicago-Portland railway line, Boise Union Pacific Depot was established in the city. This train station served passengers until 1997.

While to this day, Boise is on top of unceded indigenous land, and its legal status has not been determined yet, in the spirit of reconciliation between Boise's residents and the native tribes of Boise Valley, on June 8, 2017, Mayor David Bieter has declared the start of the annual "Return of the Boise Valley People Day". The Mayor's declaration stated that descendants of Boise Valley indigenous peoples will return to the site of "Eagle Rock" on the East End of Boise, a site near the State of Idaho's Old Penitentiary compound and adjacent to the Idaho Botanical Gardens.[26] In 2019, this declaration was followed up by the official renaming of "Quarry View Park" to "Eagle Rock Park" with signage also displaying the native Shoshoni name "Pava Kweena Teppi", and the "Castle Rock Reserve" to "Chief Eagle Eye Reserve" with signage also displaying the native Shoshoni name "Ige Dai Teviwa".[27] This site has spiritual and traditional importance to the natives of Boise valley, and is home to a Native American burial ground.[27]

Boise occupies an area of 64 sq mi (170 km²), 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 (BPD) partnered with the neighborhood blogging site Nextdoor, the first city in the Northwest and the 137th city in the U.S. to do so.[29] 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,[30] 101 neighborhoods and sections of neighborhoods have joined.[31]

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 Egyptian Theatre on the corner of Capitol Boulevard and Main Street, the Boise Art Museum[32] on Capitol in front of Julia Davis Park, and Zoo Boise on the grounds of Julia Davis Park.[33]

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.[34]

Cultural events in Downtown Boise include Alive after Five[35] and First Thursday.[36]

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. The campus is also home to the Benjamin Victor Gallery and Studio.[37] 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.

Hyde Park

The North End, generally defined as the part of Boise north of State Street, contains many of the city's older homes.[38] 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.[39] On 13th Street, Hyde Park[40] 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.[41]

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. Its neighborhood is mostly filled with homes constructed in the 1970s, as well as a golf course/country club known as Crane Creek.

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, theaters, shopping, the airport, golf and the Boise Bench area.

Northwest Boise lies against the Boise Foothills to the north, State Street to the south, the city of 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[39] 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, and Middleton.

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.

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.

The newest[42] Boise Public Library[43] 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.[44] The rest of Southeast Boise was developed over the decades, largely by a variety of 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 35-acre (14 ha) Bown Crossing, which has easy access to the Boise Greenbelt.[45]

On August 25, 2008, at about 7:00 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.[46]

The Bench, generally bounded by Federal Way to the east, Cole Road to the west and Garden City to the north, sits on an elevation approximately 60 feet (18 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.[47]

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.

Boise has a semi-arid continental climate (Köppen climate classification BSk), with four distinct seasons. Boise experiences hot and dry summers with highs reaching 100 °F (38 °C) nine days in a typical year and 90 °F (32 °C) on 55 days.[48] Yet because of the aridity, average diurnal temperature variation exceeds 30 °F (17 °C) in the height of summer. Winters are moderately cold, with a December average of 32.1 °F (0.1 °C), and lows falling to 0 °F (−18 °C) or below on around one night per year, with some winters having several such readings and most having none at all.[48] Snowfall averages 18 inches (46 cm), but typically falls in bouts of 3 inches (8 cm) or less.[49] Spring and fall are mild. Extremes have ranged from −28 °F (−33 °C) on January 16, 1888, to 111 °F (44 °C) on July 12, 1898, and July 19, 1960;[48] temperatures have reached −25 °F (−32 °C) and 110 °F (43 °C) as recently as December 22, 1990, and August 10, 2018, respectively. Precipitation is usually infrequent and light, especially so during the summer months. It averages approximately 12 inches (30 cm) 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.[50]

As of the 2020 census,[54] there were 235,684 people residing in the city. 49.8% of population were female persons, 19.9% of persons were under 18 years of age, and 14.6% of persons were 65 years of age and older.

The city's racial composition was 88% White, 9.0% Hispanic or Latino, 3.1% Asian, 1.6% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian or Alaska Native, .02% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 4.3% Two or more races. 82.6% identified as White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.

There were 94,449 households with 2.38 persons per household, and 82.5% of persons lived in the same house as they had the previous year. 10.0% of households used a spoken language other than English at home.

As of the census[54] of 2010, there were 205,671 people, 85,704 households, and 50,647 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,591.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,000.6/km²). There were 92,700 housing units at an average density of 1,168.1 per square mile (451.0/km²). The city's racial makeup was 89.0% White, 1.5% African American, 0.7% Native American, 3.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.5% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or 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 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.

According to Boise Valley Economic Partnership,[57] the top private employers in the city are:

• Note: this list only includes companies who have given the Idaho Department of Labor permission to release their employment numbers.

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 River Greenbelt runs along the river and through Pierce Park. The Boise River is a common destination for fishing, swimming and rafting.[85]

In Julia Davis Park is Zoo Boise, which has over 200 animals representing over 80 species from around the world. An Africa exhibit, completed in 2008, is the most recent addition.[86] Boise is also home to the Idaho Aquarium.

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 16 mi (26 km) from the city limits (less than an hour drive from downtown) on a twisty paved road which climbs 3400 vertical feet (1036 m) through sagebrush and forest.

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.[87]

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, among many other rare and endangered species.

Publications such as Forbes, Fortune and 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. Its population of around 220,000 grew 3.08% in 2017, as well as employment by 30.58%.

The cornerstone mall in Boise, Boise Towne Square Mall, is also a major shopping attraction for Boise, Nampa, 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.

The state's largest giant sequoia can be found near St. Luke's Hospital.[88]

Professional sports teams in Boise include the Boise Hawks of the independent baseball Pioneer League, the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL (minor league hockey). The Treasure Valley Spartans (semi-pro football) of the (Rocky Mountain Football League) operated from 2009 to 2012. An arenafootball2 franchise, the Boise Burn, began play in 2007 but is now defunct.

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,[89][90] featuring eight teams from throughout the American West and Canada.[91][92]

The Boise State University campus is home to Albertsons Stadium, a 36,800-seat outdoor football stadium known for its blue playing surface, currently FieldTurf,[93] 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.

Boise Basque Soccer Friendly, 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.

• Guernica, Basque Country, Spain