The criteria for ranking included adult education levels, unemployment data, schools data, best children’s hospitals, violent crime rates, parks, playgrounds, and public facilities.

Now everyone knows what we locals already knew!

Source: AOL’s DailyFinance.com article

And, Men’s Health magazine named Boise as the #5 healthiest U.S. city for men.

The survey ranked 100 U.S. cities and considered 35 health factors including locally-grown foods, exercise, air quality, employment, disease, and mental health.

Now I don’t feel so guilty about my apple-smoked bacon addition

Source: KTVB.com

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Boise City, ID: Number eight on the turnaround report, Boise has seen a year-over-year inventory count decrease of more than 40 percent, according to Realtor.com October real estate data. Also, the market has experienced a median list price increase of more than 14 percent, and a more than 23 percent drop in median age of inventory. Further, new foreclosures counts have decreased since January.

CNNMoney.com has named Boise as the #3 best place to retire in the United States.

That’s not a news flash for those of us who already live here

He says it takes teams a full quarter of a game to get used to it and that BSU “should get rid of it”.

Long’s former New Mexico team scored a 20-9 loss against BSU at Bronco Stadium in 1999.

Boise State’s Broncos are 69-2 at home since 2000 and hold the highest home winning percentage in the country.

That record was earned solely due to the color of the BSU field, right?

Interestingly, BSU plays at San Diego State on November 19th.

Gee, how will the Broncos ever be able to deal with playing on a green field?

The reduction, if approved, would lower the typical residential customer’s bill by roughly $3 a month starting June 1st.

Just imagine what you could do with that extra $3 a month !!!

The company has also submitted two other proposals designed to recover costs, that would reduce the overall reduction to $25 million.

How often do we see a utility company reduce rates these days?

Many newcomers wonder about those chains and ask about them.

The answer is simple ~ those chains are there to anchor the the home to the ground so it won’t blow away when we have high winds.

As you can see, the home in this photo is at risk of blowing away because the chains are not securely anchored to the ground.

Okay, I’m kidding!

They’re actually chain downspouts, used in place of traditional piped downspouts.

They must be somewhat unique to the Boise real estate market because I have had many serious questions about them from out-of-area buyers.

Chain downspouts are the “in” thing, but I can tell you from firsthand experience that they don’t work all that well.

During a heavy rain, runoff water from the roof gushes down the chains and splatters nearby bark all over the ground.

But, they look really, really kewl and that’s what really matters, right?

That, combined with our heavy snowpack, could mean heavier than normal Boise River flows and the possibility of flooding.

Now, the Idaho Statesman is reporting that river flows will increase tomorrow.

Reminders From 2006

If you live near the river, or in a low-lying area prone to flooding, NOW is the time to look into getting flood insurance.

Here’s more information about the FEMA flood insurance program.

The cost is minimal, but there’s a waiting period.

That means you can’t wait until the water is flowing through your family room to get your flood insurance!

I am an active member of the Business Development Committee of ESTech, the Eagle-Star Technology Corridor.

ESTech’s mission is to attract businesses and jobs to the Eagle-Star-Emmett area.

This group began more than a year ago with two members and has since grown to more than 350 members.

If you know of someone who is interested in moving their business/company to our area, please contact me so I can provide full information on the benefits of relocating a business to our area.