Boise, ID

[powertorest]

Looks like I'll be at Boise State this fall and I have no idea what to expect.  Just wondering if anyone knows what the area around campus is like, and where do students normally rent off campus?  I've done some research with google and the travel-wiki but nothing beats talking to someone who really knows the area..

Edited April 3, 2013 by powertorest

[smokeysam81]

Boise is pretty nice, the campus is right by the river, with parks on the other side, and a big greenbelt (bike path) running along the river.  The downtown area is about a mile from campus, with a pretty good nightlife.  Try out main street or 8th street for a night out, 8th street is foot traffic only for a few blocks, and that is where the farmer's market goes on on saturdays and thursday nights.  If you follow 8th street north out of town it goes into the foothills, where there are lots of trailheads for mountain bike and running trails.

 

BSU is mostly a commuter campus, meaning lots of people live in other towns and drive, but parking is expensive and in high demand, even with a pass there are no guarantees.  If you know the area really well you can get around having a pass, but I would suggest living close enough to walk, take a bike, or ride the bus.  You can get a sticker every schoolyear for your student ID that will let you ride the bus for free, just talk to the parking office on campus when you get there.

 

It is hard to live right by campus, since there is a river and parks to the north, but there are plenty of places within a mile or three of campus, and Boise is pretty biker/walker friendly.

 

I was there for two years in school, but I grew up in a nearby town.  The first year I lived about ten miles away in Meridian, then I moved to an apartment on Front St, in an 8 story yellow building next to the courthouse and across from WINCO (24 hour cheap grocery store).  The building address was 190 E. Front St., but I don't remember the name of the complex.  They had studios, 1, and 2 bedroom apartments. 

 

Oh, and its a dry campus, (no alcohol), so if you drink, don't live in the dorms.