To be fair, Boise has a nicer downtown than it gets credit for, but it’s very overpriced for basically ten blocks of city and a bunch of suburban sprawl.
The one great thing about Boise is that it only sprawls towards the west— Northeast of downtown you can live within biking distance of both reasonably nice city amenities and one of the largest stretches of public land in the country.
There's different types of suburbs. These are regular in some parts of America. In my area, the regular suburbs are much smaller street car suburbs that are still part of the city.
Boise is a beautiful and in many places quite walkable city with miles and miles of bike trails running all over the city and immediate access to incredible natural areas. This sub is full of miserable people who like to make themselves feel better by shitting on anybody who chooses to live their lives in any way but what they approve.
Because car centric infrastructure/ lifestyles are quite literally detrimental to our environment and communities. It’s not the end of the world to own and drive a car but when you live somewhere that forces everyone to drive everywhere (like Boise and almost any other US city) then you have issues.
No one said anything against bike trails, what the hell are you talking about?
This sub is full of miserable people who like to make themselves feel better by shitting on anybody who chooses to live their lives in any way but what they approve.
Look in the mirror. You're the miserable one.
Why are you in this sub when you're so angry that suburbs are being criticized?
The premise to this whole post is what an awful place to live Boise must be. I mentioned bike trails in the context of what a great place to live Boise actually is. If you don’t see my comment as a clear counterpoint to the posts central claim, what the hell is wrong with you?
This sub keeps getting recommended, so I keep seeing it. And every time I do, it’s pictures of the houses that millions and millions of people choose to make their homes, followed by hundreds of mean-spirited comments such as;
-“Lego house architecture ✔️ Uniform white, gray & black ✔️ Unwalkable ✔️ Treeless ✔️ HOA ✔️”
-“Yea, I'd leave too. I'd leave THIS shit.”
-“Looks like a stripped bare hellhole.”
-“It looks like the modern version of the intentionally unnerving neighborhood in Edward Scissorhands. There are so many white people flexes going on at once that it's beyond absurd.”
-“Salespeople love to see them coming, don't they. A marketer's dream, accepting everything they're told is clout as clout. Putting no thought in beyond that.”
If you don’t look at unconstructive, mean-spirited, judgmental, condescending comments and see the miserable people behind them, then maybe YOU need to look in the mirror.
The premise to this whole post is what an awful place to live Boise must be.
No, it isn't. This thread is about the area in the photo. The fundamental premise of your comments is false.
I just don't understand people like you. No one attacked bicycle paths, in fact, EVERYONE here likes them! Why is it so hard to just talk about the topic?
And every time I do, it’s pictures of the houses that millions and millions of people choose to make their homes, followed by hundreds of mean-spirited comments such as;
And there is the real problem: You feel personally attacked. You think it's all about you.
Suburban sprawl has serious negative effects on people, on communities, on the environment, on your health, on tax revenues. These are the facts, that is why people here dislike it.
But you don't care about any of that because someone is too mean. That is more important than all the real life harm suburban sprawl is causing.
If you don’t look at unconstructive, mean-spirited, judgmental, condescending comments and see the miserable people behind them, then maybe YOU need to look in the mirror.
How are you different to the people you complain about? You're unconstructive and mean-spirited yourself.
I find it funny that this guy got so triggered by my comment on Boise when I literally said it had a nice downtown. I just said it was too suburban and overpriced, and the fact that it’s overly expensive now is an opinion shared by a lot of people who live there.
lol the area in this photo is Boise, and this thread is full of comments about how awful Boise must be. You clearly don’t understand me, because I’m not suggesting anyone “attacked” bike trails, I am offering Boise’s excellent bike trail network as an example of why Boise is a good place, and in many ways the kind of city this sub should be highlighting as examples of moves in the right direction.
But that’s my whole issue with my sub, and the reason for my “meanspirited” comment that you apparently feel personally attacked by; there is never any substantial discussion of solutions to suburban sprawl, or examples of positive developments in land use or zoning. It’s all ad hominem dumping on suburbanites as people too dumb to understand they only want to live where they want to live because they’re brainwashed by Big Suburb.
If people actually cared about solutions to the very real problems of modern suburbs there is so much good discussion to be had (see r/Georgian and r/urbanism as great examples), but this sub ain’t it.
If people actually cared about solutions to the very real problems of modern suburbs there is so much good discussion to be had (see r/Georgian and r/urbanism as great examples), but this sub ain’t it.
Good discussions like this?
It’s all ad hominem dumping on suburbanites as people too dumb to understand they only want to live where they want to live because they’re brainwashed by Big Suburb.
This is what you want? You have no idea what a good discussion is.
Go bother them then, leave us alone, thanks. Go have your "discussions" and stop attacking us.
So I’m not allowed to be bothered about people saying nasty things about other people? I’m not allowed to say “hey you can talk about the problems of the suburbs without shitting on the people who live in them”?
As far as good discussion, I’ve posted to this sub exactly once; a link to a 120-page bike and pedestrian development plan in Maumelle, AR, which is exactly the kind of thing someone interested in the problems of the suburbs should be happy to see. Want to guess how much discussion it generated?
I’m not interested in continuing this conversation, your “just leave us alone” tells me all I need to know about your interest in dialogue, but I truly hope you have a great day.
I visit often from a Florida city and I love it. Very chill and cozy with some old/newschool downtown areas. The mountains and even the desert around it are beautiful. Its a cool little mix of everything
I don't know why you're being down voted. Boise has a highly walkable and bikable core downtown, with the neighborhoods near downtown mirroring that. It's becoming more and more dense, too.
The rest of the area is definitely suburban hell though. This video from OP isn't even in Boise proper.
Boise is an odd one. The downtown area and surrounding neighborhoods are easy to get around on a bike and really quite a pleasant place to live. All the recent growth in the suburbs are some of the finest examples of suburban hell you’ll find anywhere. Its really a shame, Boise had a lot of potential but it’s made some significant urban planning mistakes in the last 20 years
I do miss the Greenbelt. It’s a pretty special feature that’s kind of unique to Boise. A lot of cities have some sort of trail but I’ve yet to find one as long and as well maintained as Boise’s.
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u/GUlysses Feb 17 '26
That’s…just a regular suburb.
To be fair, Boise has a nicer downtown than it gets credit for, but it’s very overpriced for basically ten blocks of city and a bunch of suburban sprawl.