15 Silly Things That Shock People When They Move to Boise, Idaho

U.S. News and World Report has updated their list of the “25 Fastest-Growing Places in the U.S.” for 2024-2025. If you’re one of the Boise residents that wish the growth would start slowing down, this list should make you grin. 

Apparently, when it comes to relocating, Florida is the new Idaho. Of the 25 cities on the list, 11 of them are in Florida. In fact, 10 of those cities appear on the list before you ever see Boise. Boise took a giant plunge from #6 last year to #23 this year. It’s a very real possibility that by next summer when they re-rank the cities for 2025-2026, we may finally slip off the list altogether! 

READ MORE: 12 Ridiculous Myths About Idaho That People in Other States Believe 

While interest in Boise is starting to slow, there are still plenty of people interested in moving here. The publication attributes that to recreation in the foothills, rivers and lakes, new construction in Downtown Boise and how our patio scene is predominately made up of locally owned and operated restaurants. They’re also impressed that Boise is a beautiful balance of rural/wild/raw and urban/civilized/refined. 

We also rose from #12 to #2 as the best place to live in the country with an overall score of 7.0. With such positive marks, we can’t help but wonder how many people took the plunge on a move to Boise without REALLY doing any research on the city. 

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Boise’s a spectacular place to call home, but if you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, there are few things that feel like a culture shock if you were picturing the city a certain way. 

We asked people who relocated to Boise to share some of the things that surprised them the most during their first year in town and these were the 15 most common answers. Some of these surprises are wonderful (like fry sauce) others are quirky things that you eventually get used to. 

While this article does include factual information, it's meant to be a tad humorous. Don't take yourself too seriously in the comments! 😊