Boise Idaho Quick Facts

*  The greater Boise Valley is comprised of the following fast-growing communities: Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Eagle, Star, Emmett, Garden City, and Caldwell.
* Total Population within a 45-minute draw area: 632,000
* Average Age: 33.1 years
* Average Commute Time: 18 minutes
* Forbes, Wall Street Journal and Inc. Magazine rate Boise as one of the best places in the US to live and work.
* Money magazine rates the Boise Valley as one of the best places to live in the U.S.
* National Geographic Adventure says the Boise Valley is one of the Top 31 Best Live & Play Towns.
* The Boise Valley has a workforce of more than 280,000. Nearly 110,000 of the workforce are degreed workers.
* Workforce within a 45-minute draw area: 330,000
* The overall cost of doing business is nearly a third lower than in California or Washington.
* The cost of living is 96 percent of the national average, and the average cost of a home in the boise Valley is approximately $170,000 compared to a national average of $226,000.
* The Boise Valley is located 430 miles from the seaport terminal of Portland, Oregon; 384 miles south of Spokane, Washington; and 360 miles northwest of Salt Lake City, Utah.
* The airport serves more than 3 million people a year and is less than five miles from downtown Boise.
* Idaho Northern & Pacific Railroad (INPR) provides freight service over four branch lines in southwestern Idaho and northeastern Oregon.
* There have been more patents generated in the Boise Valley than any other region in the country
* Boise and Nampa, Idaho, are ranked as the most secure locations to live in the United States among large metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or greater. (Source: Third Annual Most Secure U.S. Places to Live rankings from Farmers Insurance Group of Companies)
* According to the National Census Bureau, Idaho is among the top five fastest growing states in the nation.