City of Boise, Idaho
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Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, this is the most populated city of the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon. As of the 2009 Census Bureau estimates, Boise's city population was 205,707, making it the third largest city in the American Pacific Northwest. The Boise metropolitan area is estimated to have 585,207. inhabitants, by far the most populous metropolitan area in Idaho. It is also the 98th largest US city by population.
The area was called Boise long before establishment of Fort Boise. The original Fort Boise was 40 miles (64 km) west near Parma, down the Boise River near its confluence with the Snake River at the Oregon border. This defense was erected by the Hudson's Bay Company in the 1830s. It was abandoned in the 1850s, but massacres along the Oregon Trail prompted the U.S. Army to re-establish a fort in the area in 1863 during the U.S. Civil War. 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 at the time. During the mid-1860s, Idaho City was the largest city in the Northwest, and as a staging area, Fort Boise grew rapidly; Boise was incorporated as a city in 1864. The first capital of the Idaho Territory was Lewiston in north Idaho, which in 1863 was the largest community, exceeding the populations of Olympia and Seattle, Washington Territory and Portland, Oregon combined. The original territory was larger than Texas. But following the creation of Montana Territory, Boise was made the territorial capital of a much reduced Idaho in a contentious decision which overturned a district court ruling via a one vote margin in the territorial supreme court along geographic lines in 1866.
Most of the metropolitan area lies on a broad, relatively flat plain, descending to the west. Mountains rise up to the northeast, stretching from the far southeastern tip of the Boise city limits to nearby Eagle. These mountains are known to locals as the Boise foothills and are sometimes described as the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. About 34 miles (55 km) southwest of Boise, and about 26 miles southwest of Nampa, the Owyhee Mountains lie entirely in neighboring Owyhee County.
Downtown Boise is Boise's cultural center and home to many small businesses and several high-rises. The area has an array of shopping and dining choices. Centrally, 8th Street contains a pedestrian zone with streetside cafes and restaurants. The neighborhood is home to many local restaurants, bars and boutiques and supports a lively night life.
Downtown Boise's economy was threatened in the late 1990s by extensive growth around the Boise Towne Square Mall[10] (away from the city center) and an increasing number of shopping centers which have sprung up around new housing developments. Events such as Alive-after-Five and First Thursday have been created to combat this trend.
As of the census of 2000, there were 185,787 people, 74,438 households, and 46,523 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,913.1/sq mi. There were 77,850 housing units at an average density of 1,220.7/mi² (471.3/km²).
Boise is the headquarters for several major companies, such as URS Corp. Washington Division (formerly Washington Group International, formerly Morrison-Knudsen), Boise Cascade LLC, New Albertsons Inc., Albertsons LLC, J.R. Simplot Company, Idaho Pacific Lumber Company, Idaho Timber, WinCo Foods, Bodybuilding.com, and Clearwater Analytics. Other major industries are headquartered in Boise or have large manufacturing facilities present. The state government is also one of the city's largest employers.
The area's largest private employer[23] publicly traded and headquartered company in Boise is Micron Technology (NYSE: MU). Others include IDACORP, Inc. (NYSE: ida), the parent company of Idaho Power, Idaho Bancorp (NYSE: IDA), Boise, Inc. (NYSE: BZ), American Ecology Corp. (NASDAQ: ECOL), PCS Edventures.com Inc. (NASDAQ: PCSV) and Syringa Bancorp.
Technology investment and the high-tech industry have become increasingly important to the city, with businesses including Healthwise, Bodybuilding.com, Crucial.com, MobileDataForce, MarkMonitor, Sybase, Balihoo.com, ⌈wire⌉ stone and Microsoft. The call center industry is also a major source of employment; there are over 20 call centers in the city employing more than 7,000 people, including WDSGlobal, EDS, Teleperformance, DIRECTV and T-Mobile.
Varney Air Service, founded by Walter Varney, was formed in Boise, though headquarted at Pasco, Washington. The original air mail contract was from Pasco to Elko, Nevada with stops in Boise in both directions. The company is the root of present day United Airlines, which still serves the city at the newly renovated and upgraded Boise Airport.
The major Interstate serving Boise is I-84 which connects Boise with Portland, OR and Salt Lake City, UT. Highway 55 branches outward northeast. There is a network of bike paths throughout the city and surrounding region, such as the Boise River Greenbelt.
Public transportation includes a series of bus lines operated by ValleyRide. Also, the Downtown Circulator, a proposed streetcar system, is in its planning stage.
Commercial air service is provided at the Boise Airport, recently renovated to accommodate the growing number of passengers flying in and out of Boise. It is served by Delta Air Lines, US Airways, United Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Horizon Air, and Southwest Airlines. American Airlines will begin service in early 2011. The east end of the airport is home to the National Inter-agency Fire Center.
From left to right: Boise skyline, Train Depot, Idaho State Capitol, One Capitol Center, Hoff building, Grove Fountain, Capitol Blvd. and Broncos Stadium.
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