Got an enterprising outdoor spirit? Ditch the car and bike, walk, rideshare or cross country ski these beautiful Boise neighborhoods. The Pacific Northwest’s third largest city is gaining traction as a “best kept secret” among home buyers. You can speed right past it on I-84, almost without realizing there’s a vibrant, tree-lined city nearing a population of 215,000 people nestled between the interstate and the deceptively-boring looking dust brown hills surrounding it. If you’re moving to “Treasure City” without wheels, however, you’ll need to know where to live in Boise without a car. There’s no dedicated public transportation; no buses, trams or trains—at least not yet. The topic comes up regularly during city council meetings. Nevertheless, there are a few neighborhoods where biking, walking and ridesharing work very well. Remember that Boise usually has cold, snowy winters that can make walking or pedaling a challenge. (Locals recommend breaking out your cross country skis in winter.) Still, living without a car in Boise is very doable if you focus your home search on these neighborhoods.
Mapmyride.com lists over 8,000 potential biking routes throughout the Boise area, and a lot of them are concentrated downtown, as well as right along the Boise River, Zoo Boise and Boise State University (BSU). Even downtown proper has easy bike and walking access to parks, the river and all kinds of nature. The Boise biking craze is nothing new; construction of dedicated, tree-lined bike lanes and paths has been going strong in Boise since 1976 according to comparison maps from BSU. With a lot of students sans cars and commuters who prefer a more environmentally-friendly way to get around, you’ll be in good company on two wheels or two feet here. It’s very easy to visit Boise’s many cool shops and restaurants on foot or by bike. Downtown Boise residents also love to get out in nature and they have very easy access to walk or bike the Boise River Greenbelt path between Glennwood and Lucky Peak. You can also bike or walk a number of paths on the Ridge to River trail system that starts on West Royal Boulevard near Ann Morrison Park. Ada County also provides a helpful map showing current dedicated bike paths in Downtown Boise, as well as streets with bike lanes, non-motorized multi-use paths and walking areas. If you’ll be grocery shopping on foot or bike in Boise, make sure to get a rear cargo trailer for your bike, or invest in a sturdy backpack or wheeled grocery bag to tote your things, and get winter gear ready for November through March commuting.
Located northwest of Downtown Boise, Veteran’s Park is another neighborhood where you can live without a car in Boise. Home prices here are a little lower than those in the Downtown Boise area, and the area easily connects you by foot or bike (via the Boise River Greenbelt path) to other areas of town along the river. One road you want to avoid traveling, if you’re walking or biking, is Veteran’s Memorial Parkway between Stockton on the west side of the river to State St. on the east side. Veteran's Park is full of outdoor green space for those of you who need your outdoor fix on a daily basis. In addition to Veteran’s Memorial Park in the center of the neighborhood, this area is bounded by Willow Lane Park and Quinn Riverside Park.
Almost directly north of downtown Boise and heading into the hills, North End is great for recreational biking and walking, but a bit more of a challenge for practical daily life without a car, particularly in the winter. Yet North End is loaded with charming streets, trees and community feeling. In fact, the American Planning Association designated it one of the 10 Great Neighborhoods in the country in 2008. Carless-transportation challenges aside, there are many dedicated biking families in the North End who manage to make this one of the Boise neighborhoods where you can live without a car, even through the winter. It’s naturally easier along the border between the North End and Downtown Boise proper. There are dedicated bike paths along Hill and also along 36th as well as several bike-friendly roads intersecting the entire North End.
West of downtown, on the other side of the Boise River and south of 184, the Morris Hill neighborhood also has a good bike-friendly score, though it’s only partially-friendly to walkers. The area itself has good bike access to local shops with bike lanes and bike friendly paths and a connection to a dedicated walking/biking path along Morris Hill Cemetery. Access to Boise State University is relatively good, so you can bike or walk into downtown from various streets on the southern side of BSU, but try to avoid traveling into downtown via Americana or Capitol.
On those occasional days when biking, walking or cross country skiing aren't reasonable options, Boise also has several rideshare and carpool options. Ada County has a dedicated car/vanpooling website serving the entire Treasure Valley region, and there are also numerous Boise rideshare opportunities listed on Ridester and CarpoolWorld.
Boise has a fun, off-beat, outdoorsy vibe that shimmers even in the winter, and its best features are still accessible even if you’ve decided to forgo four wheels in favor of two, or even none. In fact, the Greenbelt is even friendly to cross country skiers in the winter, so there’s no reason you can’t make a go of it in Boise without a car, as long as you have the right trekking equipment. With median home prices now hovering around $187,000, it’s both affordable and foot-friendly.
