Dreaming of a place where incredible skiing is just minutes away?
Where you’re a short drive from wilderness where the deer and the antelope really do play? (Not to mention elk, moose, bighorn sheep and river otters.)
Where you can see opera or live theater without searching for parking or fighting traffic?

Stop dreaming and pack your bags for a virtual visit to the Treasure Valley!

No longer just for the outdoor lover, southwest Idaho has become a haven for those seeking a better life. With mountains at your front door and rivers pulsing through the heart of vibrant communities, the Treasure Valley has everything you’re looking for.

Terrain

The Treasure Valley spans the Snake River plain from Mountain Home, Idaho, in the east to Ontario, Oregon at the west. Its varied terrain includes high deserts, mountains, forests, lush farmland and river valleys. Within it you’ll find tiny communities that have changed little in the last hundred years and the vibrant capital city of Idaho, Boise, a growing, thriving commercial and business center that retains the charm of a small town.

Boise History

Boise’s trees in the high desert setting inspired French Canadian fur trappers to name the river and valley after them (Boise translates to wooded in English). The Boise valley remained merely a corridor through which emigrants passed until gold was discovered in 1862. Enterprising developers established the town to supply the many nearby mining camps, and to serve as a governmental center. A fort was built in 1863, and in 1864 Boise was made the territorial capital. Railroads arrived in the 1880’s, an irrigation system in the early 1900’s, and the rest is history.

Treasure Valley Communities

The Treasure Valley is composed of the major community of Boise with outlying communities in Ada, Canyon and Elmore counties. These include Mountain Home, home of one of the largest Air Force bases in the United States; Nampa, site of the Snake River Stampede, one of America’s top 25 rodeos; Caldwell, home to Albertson College; and the communities of Meridian, Kuna, Eagle, Star, Emmett, Weiser, Parma, Wilder, and Marsing, Idaho and Ontario and Payette, Oregon. The Boise Metropolitan Statistical area of Ada and Canyon counties has a population of 465,000.

Economy

The economic base for the Treasure Valley is diverse, including manufacturing, agriculture/food processing, medical, high tech, services, government and education. The valley is headquarters to several large employers: Albertson’s, Micron Technology, Morrison Knudsen Corporation (renamed Washington Group International). Boise Cascade Corporation (now named Boise) and the J.R. Simplot Company. Boise is also the location for the Hewlett-Packard Company’s largest and most profitable division of its 60 worldwide facilities. The Treasure Valley is also hospitable to entrepreneurs, with self-employment the fourth fastest growing industry in Idaho.

Education

The Treasure Valley is the home of Boise State University, with an enrollment of 18,000. Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa provides undergraduate and graduate degrees to its 1500 students. In Caldwell, Albertson College of Idaho is a small, prestigious private college boasting several Rhodes scholars as graduates. Treasure Valley Community College has campuses in Ontario and Nampa. Idaho State University and the University of Idaho also maintain active satellite campuses in the valley.

Arts & Entertainment

For those who seek cultural enlightenment, the city is home to several live theater companies including the 26-year old Shakespeare Festival, Ballet Idaho, Opera Idaho and the Boise Philharmonic Orchestra. Venues such as the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, the Boise Pavilion on the campus of Boise State University, the newer Bank of America Centre in downtown Boise and Idaho Center in nearby Nampa are host to a large number of productions including the annual Gene Harris Jazz Festival, touring Broadway stage shows and local and nationally prominent musicians.

Sports

The sports-minded can attend professional hockey (Idaho Steelheads), basketball (CBA Idaho Stampede) and baseball (Boise Hawks) events, or see any number of exciting sports in the Boise State University athletics program.

Dining

Boise’s downtown retains its vibrancy day and night. After the thriving business day ends, Boiseans find company, food, and entertainment in a growing number of downtown restaurants and clubs, many with open-air dining.