The Buzz About Boise: November 2019

Hello fall!  As always, there's a lot of buzz circulating about Boise and the Treasure Valley. Here's a small excerpt from our monthly recap designed to highlight "all the buzz about Boise". If you'd like to receive the full monthly e-newsletter,  click here, otherwise keep reading to get a quick highlight of what's happening across our community...

Amazon Coming to Nampa in 2020!
Source: Amazon

Amazon recently announced plans to open its first fulfillment center in Idaho! This will create more than 1,000 full-time jobs with comprehensive benefits and opportunities. The state-of-the-art 650,000 square foot facility will be located in Nampa, Idaho, and will open in 2020. Read all of the details here.


In Ranking of Fastest-Growing Cities, Meridian and Nampa Beat Out Boise - Here's Why
Source: Idaho Statesman

As we all know, growth has been a hot topic in the Treasure Valley. Idaho is one of the fastest-growing states in the country and Boise is one of the fastest-growing metro areas. Some were surprised when it was recently announced that growth in Meridian and Nampa exceeded that of Boise. That WalletHub report, accessible here, pulled upon 17 metrics that held varying weights and fell in two broader categories: sociodemographics and jobs and economy. Meridian’s ranking was hugely influenced by its sociodemographic metrics (overall, it had the fourth-highest score for those measurements). On the other hand, Nampa and Boise were both stronger in economic measurements. To glean more insights into growth across the valley, read the full Idaho Statesman article here.

10 States with the Fastest Growth Rates of Job Growth, 2020 (Idaho is #4)
Source: Kiplinger

It is predicted that U.S. job growth across 2019 is likely to average 170,000 jobs per month (down from 223,000 in 2018). According to this article, the decline "is partly attributable to fewer available workers to hire with the low unemployment rate. Also, businesses are reluctant to aggressively pursue growth, given increasing economic uncertainty from the trade war with China." Idaho was noted as number 4 on this list. The increase in tech firms that are starting up (or expanding) has helped fuel job growth across the state. Kudos are given to Boise-based Cradlepoint and to Paylocity and Clearwater Analytics. Read the  full article here.  

Best Cities to Trick-or-Treat 
Source: Yahoo! Finance

While Halloween is now over, this was a fun national shoutout to the Treasure Valley. To find the best places to trick-or-treat, Yahoo! Finance looked at the following seven metrics: single-family housing density, percentage of residents younger than age 15, median home value, violent crime rate, property crime rate, precipitation rate and average temperature. Nampa took the No. 2 spot in the study as it had the second-lowest number of historic incidents of precipitation (at just 0.6%). Also of note, Nampa's average Halloween-day temperature of 58.5 degrees (which ranked among the top 25) and the density of single-family homes is approximately 854 per square mile (a top-third rate). Read more here.

A Cheap Traveler’s Guide on Visiting Boise, the City Everyone’s Suddenly Talking About
Source: 303 Magazine

Here's a fun article covering some fun (and less expensive) things to do around Boise. The author describes Boise saying "It’s situated in a high desert with nearby mountains to climb, but also takes pride in offering gorgeous green spaces that help it earn the nickname “City of Trees.” And don’t forget the river. It’s the city’s soul and seems to be where locals spend 90% of their time after indulging in farm-to-table fare, fishing or drinking beer at a festival." Check out the full article for a quick list of some fun "staycation" ideas!

Report: Idaho Sees the Largest Jump in Uninsured Children in the U.S.
Source: Boise Weekly

It's no secret that the debate over federally provided healthcare is a complex and messy one. According to a report from Georgetown University, it just got bigger and messier for our beloved state! Their report found that Idaho has experienced the largest jump in uninsured children across the nation. According to a Boise Weekly's report, “while some have argued that the strong economy led children to move to employer sponsored insurance, private coverage rates in Idaho remained consistent while public coverage decreased last year.” With Medicaid expansion approved in Idaho, many more families with children should have the opportunity to acquire coverage. For more information click here.

What's Happening In and Around Boise: Calendar of Events
Source: Boise Convention and Visitors Bureau

There really is always something happening in Boise! From concerts and art exhibits to holiday bazaars and comedy shows - our valley seems to bursting with fun experiences. If you're looking for something to do tonight (or tomorrow, or this weekend, or next week, etc.) take a look at this great calendar to discover something new to experience.