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About Boise

Downtown Boise

ABOUT BOISE

Boise, Idaho’s Capital City, is as unexpected as it is beautiful. It’s a rare blend of urban and outdoors with hundreds of restaurants, hundreds of miles of trails, a mountain-fed river running through the center of town and the nicest people you will ever meet. Boise is full of unique sites and attractions, unlimited recreation and a melting pot of culture. Our city is home to several Fortune 500 companies with national and international headquarters, sprawling high-tech campuses and a major university with a distinctive blue football field.

Boise city view from Camels Back Park

History

According to oral history, French-Canadian fur trappers named Boise in the early 19th century. The trappers, after crossing the hot, dry desert, crested a hill and, gazing down on the woods surrounding the Boise River, exclaimed “Les bois! Les bois!” (“Woods! Woods!”).

Fort Boise was established in July of 1863 to keep peace in the mining camps. The City of Boise was established quickly thereafter and served as a service center for gold and silver miners in the nearby mountains and foothills. The wooded Boise River is now the scenic backdrop for the beautiful and popular Greenbelt path. So many species of trees have been planted that today Boise is known as the “City of Trees.”

A low-angle view of a young girl out with her family for a day out in a public park in Newcastle upon Tyne. She is a wheelchair user and is pushing herself ahead of her family in the park.

Accessible Parks

Many of Boise’s parks are accessible for people with disabilities. Check out our Accessible Recreation page to find out more about the city’s accessible parks.

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NEIGHBORHOODS

Boise neighborhoods are rich and full of culture.

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BOISE

Airport

Boise Neighborhoods

Download or request our free visitor’s guide

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