One of USA’S Fastest Growing Boomtowns is Located in Idaho

Of all the words in the English language, “growth” is probably one of the least popular in Boise and its surrounding neighbors. The mere mention of that word produces a colorful array of reactions. 

Some will instantly gripe about how the influx in transplants from California have made the dream of homeownership unrealistic for many people who’ve lived and worked in the Boise area for decades. We have a friend who looked at a house on a Saturday. By the time she and her significant other talked it over and decided to make an offer, it had already gone pending with a $900,000 cash offer which was over the original asking price. Many of us have been waiting for the market to crash for years, but it doesn’t look like that’s happening anytime soon. 

READ MORE: 30 Google Maps Images Show How Much Meridian Has Changed

According to data on Realtor.com, the median listing price in Ada County is currently $589,000. It was $559,900 at the same time two years ago and it keeps trending upward. The news in Canyon County is a little bit better, but not great. In October 2024, the median listing price was $470,992. That’s also up from where it was at the same time two years ago. 

Others will instantly complain about what growth has done to traffic. We can’t deny that. Traffic has gotten so bad that if we’re hoping to make it from Downtown Boise to one of our regular appointments near Ten Mile and Chinden, we need to give ourselves almost an hour to get there. We’re not even talking about 5 p.m. rush hour. We’re talking 3:30-4 p.m. in the afternoon. While ITD and ACHD are trying to catch up, we’re facing constant road construction. 

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But not all the side effects of growth are a bad thing. It’s also provided the opportunity for new businesses to open their first locations in the Treasure Valley. In turn, those provide more job opportunities which could lead to higher household incomes. More people working and making money? That’s a good thing. 

Idaho’s Fastest Growing Boomtown

GoBankingRates recently ranked the fastest growing “Boomtowns” in every state in the country. In order to do that, they examined several years of the Census Bureau’s “American Community Survey.” They only considered cities with a population of 25,000-500,000. Once the numbers were tallied, a city just outside Boise took Idaho’s “crown.” 

GoBankingRates says that Meridian’s population has grown 32.4% since 2014, good enough to make it the Gem State’s biggest boomtown. Here’s a look at the data they shared to support their pick: 

• Change in population since 2014: 38,847 (32.4%)
  • Population: 119,872
• Change in per-capita income: 40%
  • Per-capita income: $44,540
• Change in occupied housing units: 14,412 (33.6%)
• Change in owner-occupied housing units: 11,319 (34.6%)

Why is Meridian Attractive?

If you live in Meridian, you’re literally in the center of everything in the Boise area. When the traffic gods want to behave, you’re about 20 minutes from Boise or Nampa. It’s also home to recreation and shopping destinations like Roaring Springs and The Village at Meridian, both of which are growing. They also perform pretty well in Niche.com’s ranking of the best school districts in the state. West Ada ranks #4, actually placing ahead of the Boise School District. 

If You MUST Move to Meridian, Know What to Expect…

While there are some great reasons to relocate to Meridian, Idaho or one of its surrounding communities, you may be a bit surprised if you move there, sight unseen, without doing any research. 

That’s why we asked our listeners who didn’t necessarily grow up in the Treasure Valley, but have lived here for at least 10 years or longer to tell us what things initially surprised them after making their move. While the list heavily focuses on Boise, many of the aspects also hold true for Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Kuna, Eagle, etc.