Local Real Estate Resources

Boise Area Information

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Boise's History

Nestled on a high desert plain in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains with a pristine river flowing through its center, Boise finds its roots from the gold rush days of the 1800s.

In 1834 Fort Boise, owned by the Hudson Bay Company, was established by British fur traders. The fort, now known as Old Fort Boise, was located at the mouth of the Boise River, 40 miles from present day Boise. In 1854, due to frequent Indian raids, the fort was abandoned. Despite this, the military desired to build another fort in the area, but, before this plan could go into effect, gold was discovered in the Boise Basin in 1862. It was now necessary, more than ever, to protect the vast number of travelers coming to the area.

On July 4th, 1863, the military chose a location for the new Fort Boise and construction began soon afterward. A town site was located next to the fort, and with the protection of the military, the town grew quickly. A major reason for this growth, other than the gold rush, was its location along the Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail was a thoroughfare for thousands of travelers heading for the Oregon Territory. Of all the western roads, the Oregon Trail was the longest at 2,020 miles. It began in Independence, Kansas and ended at Oregon City, Oregon. Its route in Idaho began at the Idaho-Wyoming border, crossed through Bear Valley, turned north toward Fort Hall and then followed the Snake River until it reached the Boise River. It followed the south side of the river winding through what is now the southern part of Boise. To this day, wheel ruts can still be seen along various spots of its path.

Adding to this major thoroughfare were the routes to the Boise Basin and Owyhee mines. These routes crossed the Oregon Trail at the Fort Boise location. Because it was located at these major crossroads, Boise became a prosperous commercial center.

In 1864, when the territorial legislature held its second session in Lewiston, Boise was incorporated as a city and proclaimed the capital of the Idaho Territory. This same year, on July 26, the Idaho Statesman newspaper produced its first publication and became the second newspaper in Idaho. The first was the Idaho World in Idaho City.

After the gold rush, Boise's population declined from 1,658 citizens in 1864 to 995 in 1870. With new construction, including the territorial prison in 1869 and the U.S. Assay Office in 1872, Boise began to grow again. The capitol building was completed in 1886 and in 1887 Boise built a streetcar system. In 1890, Idaho became a state.

In the early 1900s Boise once again enjoyed rapid growth. This growth came with the expansion of irrigation in the valley in 1902. This led to the construction of Arrowrock Dam, the tallest in the world from 1915 to 1932.

In the late 1930s, Boise was graced with the massive migration of Basques from their native home in the Western Pyrenees Mountains. These proud people became sheepherders, a large industry at the time, and gradually moved into the mainstream of city life in Boise, bringing their colorful culture with them. Today Boise has the largest concentration of Basques per capita outside the Pyrenees Mountains.

As the Great Depression ravaged many cities in the nation, Boise enjoyed growth. And during World War II, multitudes of airmen trained at Gowen Field, Boise's air base.

Today Boise is still the largest metropolitan community in the state with over 185,000 residents. Numerous international, national, regional and state corporations have their headquarters in Boise. Some of these include Boise (formerly Boise Cascade), Simplot Corporation, Albertsons, Micron and Washington Group International. Boise is the hub of commerce, banking and government for the state and is located midway between Salt Lake City, UT and Portland, OR.

Facts About The Area:

• Population: 534,100
• 75,000 people live downtown and near downtown in the surrounding neighborhoods.
• Currently 44,000 employees work downtown. In over 300 public and private businesses.
• Major Downtown Employers: JR Simplot Company – Agriculture (Corp HQ); US Bank – Financial (Regional HQ); Boise Cascade - Wood Products (Corp HQ); Idaho Power – Utility; Qwest – Telecommunications (Regional HQ); Wells Fargo – Financial (Regional HQ); Key Bank Corp – Financial (Regional HQ); CSHQA – Architects; Idaho State Offices – Government; Ada County Courthouse – Government; Boise City Offices – Government
• 103 retail shops - a great mix of specialty stores, art galleries and much more.
• 82 restaurants & nightclubs - including comedy, dance clubs, live music venues, and fine dining.
• 57 Business & Retail Services
• 21 Arts & Entertainment Facilities
• One Major Downtown Department Store - Macys.
• 6,330 public parking spaces - 3,200 public parking garage system & 3,000 street metered spaces. First Hour Free in Public garage spaces. 20 minutes free parking at all Meters. Merchant tokens are available for as low as $0.25 per hour.
• Short Term Customer public parking in 2004 was 548,216 parkers
• 5,000 seat Bank of America arena. Home of the Idaho Steelheads professional hockey team, the Idaho Stampede basketball team and today’s touring concert acts .

Business, Civic and Community Resources:

• Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce boisechamber.org
• Boise Convention and Visitors Bureau - boise.org
• City of Boise - www.cityofboise.org
• City of Meridian - www.meridiancity.org
• Lions Club - www.lions39w.org
• Exchange Club of Boise
• Boise Southwest Rotary Club
• United Way Volunteer Center
• Downtown Boise Association - downtownboise.org
• WHAT TO DO in Boise (Dining, Nightlife, etc.) 

Accolades For Boise

Ada County Assessor / Property Information

Who do I contact with questions about my property's appraised value or maps?

Click Here for more information on Appraisals / Assessments.

Is There data available online?

Yes. Please click here to learn more about Ada County's new Online Mapping System!

Is the ownership of property public information? If so, how can you find the information?

The ownership of property is public information, but privacy concerns prevents owners names to be published on the internet. If you need ownership information on one or two parcels, please call the Ada County Assessors office at 208-287-7200. If your research is more extensive, please visit their office and help yourself to the information at our public terminals.

What is a HOMESTEAD exemption?

People frequently ask whether a person must file under the Homestead Act to protect his or her home from creditors or a judgment.  According to Idaho Code 55-1001 through 55-1005, a person does not need to file under Idaho Homestead provisions to protect his or her homestead if the home is occupied as a principle residence.
 
Homestead is defined as "the dwelling house or mobile home in which the owner resides or intends to reside, with appurtenant buildings, and the land on which the same are situated.."  The exemption amount shall not exceed the lesser of the total net value of the lands, mobile home and improvements, or $50,000. 
 
If the property meets the definition of homestead, then it is automatically protected.  If a person owns unimproved or improved land that is not yet occupied as a homestead, then the owner must file a declaration of homestead, stating that he or she intends to make the premises his or her principle residence and include a legal description and an estimate of the cash value.  If a person owns land that is not yet occupied as a homestead, but also owns another parcel on which the owner presently resides, the owner must execute a "declaration of abandonment" (55-1004(4)).  This prevents a person from claiming two homesteads at the same time.

Property Tax Billing and Histories

Who do I contact with questions about property tax bills or payments?

The Ada County Treasurer's Office. Contact information:
200 West Front Street,
New Ada County Courthouse - 1st Floor
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 287-6800
FAX: (208) 287-6809
Hours: M-F, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Website

Other Departments

Who do I contact with questions about Planning and Zoning?

Ada County Development Services
200 West Front Street
New Ada County Courthouse - 2nd Floor
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 287-7900
FAX: (208) 287-7909
Hours: M-F, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Who do I contact with questions about accessing Recorder's documents?

The Ada County Clerk/Auditor/Recorder's Office
200 West Front Street
New Ada County Courthouse - 1st Floor
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 287-6840
Hours: M-F, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Who do I contact with questions about the Commissioners' Hearing Schedule?

The Ada County Commissioners Office
200 West Front Street
New Ada County Courthouse - 3rd Floor
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 287-7000
FAX: (208) 287-7009
Hours: M-F, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.