EPICWINTER 2020-2021 IDAHO RELOCATION GUIDE Discover Your New Hometown PAGE 12 2 HomesByEpic.com Contents 12 6 10 54 “Which part of our beautiful area is right for you?” 52 Why Boise? Exploring Outside The Treasure Valley We Love it Here. So Will You. 4 Life Beyond the Treasure Valley 44 Featured Articles McCall 46 Winter Wonders for the Whole Familys 6 Twin Falls 48 Stressed? Try Nature’s Sun Valley 50 Medicine at Southern Featured Articles Idaho’s Hot Springs 10 Ski Like a Local 52 The Treasure Valley Sledder Heaven 54 Life is Easier Here 12 The Fun Doesn’t Have to Stop Treasure Valley Map 14 This Winter 56 Boise 16 Healthcare, Education, and Demographics Eagle 22 Idaho’s Home for Meridian 24 Health Care 60 Caldwell 27 The Treasure Valley Nampa 30 by the Numbers 62 Kuna 34 A New Way of Living Middleton 36 Ready to Make the Move? 63 Emmett 38 Star 40 Garden City 42 Epic Idaho Magazine 3 We Love It Here. Boise and the surrounding and our integrity. You’ll benefit Treasure Valley are booming — from our unique approach from and with good reason! This is the moment you call us to the the perfect place to work, play, final signature at closing. We’re retire, or raise a family. here to understand your needs, be your guide, and exceed your The question is: Which part expectations. of our beautiful area is right for you? We would be honored to work with you. Please enjoy this guide That’s where EPIC Realty shines. and let us know how we can be of We’re local experts who live and assistance. work in these growing cities and understand what makes them Sincerely, special. Our Boise-based team of Your friends at EPIC Realty professional Realtors™ prides itself on our spirit of service Boise City Skyline 4 HomesByEpic.com Top 10 Place to Buy a Home In 2019 Business Insider, January 2019 Top 10 Booming College Towns Cardrates, November 2018 #4 Best Place to Raise Kids Zumper, September 2018 #2 Best in the U.S. ‘Destinations You Need to See in 2018’ Lonely Planet, March 2018 #1 Fastest-Growing City in America Forbes, March 2018 Best-Kept Secret in the Pacific Northwest USA Today, August 2018 #4 Coolest Downtown in America Thrillist, February 2018 Top 10 Best Cities for Veterans Wallethub, November 2017 #1 Top Performing Economy Bloomberg, August 2017 Pacific Northwest’s Greatest Secret-Idaho Wines USA Today, September 2018 U.S. Cities with Highest Economic Confidence Yahoo Finance, November 2018 So Will You. Epic Idaho Magazine 5 FAMILY FUN Festival of Trees Winter Wonders for the Whole Family Cabin fever has taken on a whole new meaning this year — but we definitely have the cure! These family-friendly activities are primed to deliver a winter adventure. Ride a Camel Once the snow starts sticking to the ground (January and February are prime snow months), grab a sled and head to Camel’s Back Park in Boise’s North End. There, you’ll find the steep hills that have beckoned generations of young thrill-seekers — plus plenty of other activities to keep the kids occupied (and maybe ready for a nap on the way home). Check out the extensive play area or head just beyond the park LOCAL’S TIP to the extensive One of Boise’s most Ridge to Rivers trail iconic sweet shops, system for a snowy Goody’s, is just a short walk away on winter’s walk. 13th Street. Just follow the smell One important of freshly-made note: Boise Parks caramel corn. and Recreation occasionally installs barriers along the sledding hill to protect fragile native plants that prevent erosion come spring. If you see barriers, please respect them and stay within bounds. The Details Camel’s Back Park Corner of Heron and 13th St, Boise CityofBoise.org/Departments/Parks-and- Recreation/Parks/Camels-Back-Park/ 6 HomesByEpic.com Bogus Basin LOCAL’S TIP For more family fun, check out the Glade Runner Mountain Ski Boise’s You won’t soon Coaster. It’s open forget the thrills on Fridays during Favorite Resort the winter. Ask a native Boisean where they and chills of learned how to ski and you’ll hear zooming down the same answer over and over: an 800-foot hill in a big, inflatable Bogus Basin. This non-profit tube. And there’s no hauling the mountain recreation area and ski tube back up to the top: a conveyor resort — the largest of its kind in lift does the work for you! the country — has been thrilling locals since it was created by the Tubing at Bogus Basin is so popular Boise community in 1942. It’s just that reservations are required. Just 30 minutes away from Downtown head to their site and for $20 per Boise and a winter tradition for person, you’ll get tubes and 1.5-hour thousands of families throughout session – plenty of time for making the valley. memories! The Details Bogus Basin Mountain When the snow hits, head to Recreation Area | 2600 North Bogus Basin Bogus Basin for skiing, boarding, Road, Boise | BogusBasin.org snowshoeing and our favorite family activity, winter tubing! Epic Idaho Magazine 7 FAMILY FUN Discover Something New The Discovery Center is When the weather outside is appropriate for kids as young as 2, frightful, take refuge among a T but fascinating enough to capture Rex and robots! At the Discovery the interest of older kids, too. Center of Idaho, kids get a crash course in science and technology If you can’t make it to the sprawling while having oodles of fun. Recent Discovery Center itself, check exhibitions include “King Tut: out DCI at Home, which features Treasures of STEM-friendly activities kids can LOCAL’S TIP the Tomb,” do on their own time. The center’s During a normal Young Discoverer educators post year, the Discovery which features Center hosts four elaborate new videos to their YouTube page Adult Nights for the replicas of the every Wednesday so your young curious and kids at world’s most scientists can follow along at home. heart. Admission is famous resting open only to those The Details The Discovery Center of Idaho place, and 21 and up and all 131 W. Myrtle Street, Boise | DCIdaho.org proceeds go back “Tinker the T Hit the Ice to the center and Rex,” a life-size The sprawling Village at Meridian its programs. dinosaur cast. has become a Treasure Valley go-to for its outdoor atmosphere, shops, and popular restaurants. But it really comes to life in the McCall Winter Carnival Photo by TravelingSpud.com winter, when LOCAL’S TIP it’s transformed Check out the into a magical Deals section of the wonderland with Village’s website before you go for an ice-skating rink sale info so you can at the heart of it plan your trip. all. The rink is open daily through January 31 and offers skate rental and lessons, so there’s no excuse not to get out on the ice! Just be sure to call ahead: Due to COVID, you must make a reservation before hitting the ice rink. When you’re ready for a break, wrap your hands around a gourmet hot chocolate or organic coffee and snuggle around one of the Village’s many fire pits. The Details The Village at Meridian Corner of North Eagle Road and East Fairview Avenue, Meridian TheVillageatMeridian.com 8 HomesByEpic.com McCall Winter Carnival Epic Idaho Magazine 9 HOT SPRINGS Rocky Canyon Hot Springs Stressed? Try Nature’s Want to feel like a true adventurer? Try a trek to these springs! You’ll Medicine at Southern need to drive down a dirt road, take a half-mile walk, and cross a river Idaho’s Hot Springs — but the hunt is half the fun of hot springs. Be prepared for the river: Thousands upon thousands of years ago, Southern Idaho it will be cold and rocky, so wear was aflame with the volcanic activity that gave the area its shoes or sandals. You’ll be rewarded signature dark rocks — and left behind a mosaic of soothing hot with three levels of pools, which get springs. The therapeutic effects these mineral-rich waters have progressively cooler as the water been soothing mind and body for thousands of years. Some are descends the rocks and joins the totally undeveloped, some have been turned into luxe retreats, Middle Fork of the Payette River. and some specialize in fun for all ages. These hot springs are Details About 12 miles from Crouch on just a short drive from the Treasure Valley, and they’re the the South Middle Fork Road. The road will perfect place to enjoy Idaho’s natural wonders. turn to gravel after about 8 miles; travel another four miles and you’ll see a small pull-off on the left-hand side. The Springs The Springs in Idaho City came on the scene a few years ago and quickly became a go-to for Treasure Valley residents. A typical year features a schedule with dedicated date night (adults-only) and family time slots, but The Springs has been open only for private parties due to COVID-19. That’s scheduled to change in early 2021, when the main facilities are slated to reopen. You’ll need reservations to enjoy the massive warm pool, the ahhh- inducing hot tub, or private bathing facilities, so be sure to check the website to secure your spot. Details3724 Highway 21, Idaho City (208) 392-9500 | TheSpringsID.com 10 HomesByEpic.com Make It an Adventure Our bounty of hot springs doesn’t stop at our corner of the state! These soothing waters require a slightly longer drive but are well Kirkham Hot Springs worth it — why not make a Winter is the best time for a soak at this popular, weekend of it? undeveloped spot: The adjacent campground is closed, so you have a better chance of experiencing this 1,000 SPRINGS 1 hour 40 minutes from Boise unspoiled beauty in peace.