Tell me about the city of Boise, Idaho - its history and characteristics
Boise's Green Secret
Tell me about the city of Boise, Idaho - its history and characteristics
Tucked into the high desert of southwestern Idaho, where dry hills suddenly give way to a ribbon of green, sits a city with a name people love to argue about. Is it "BOY-see" or "BOY-zee"? Locals will tell you firmly: it's BOY-see, with a soft s, and they'll gently correct you if you slip. Welcome to Boise — the surprising green oasis in the sagebrush.
The story goes that long ago, French-speaking fur trappers crossed those bone-dry hills for days, seeing only brush and dust. Then they spotted a line of trees along a river and supposedly cried out, "Les bois!" — French for "the woods." Whether or not that exact moment happened, the name stuck. Boise really does mean "the wooded place," named for the cottonwoods hugging its river.
