Home / Neighborhoods / Southwest Boise
Southwest Boise: where the lots get bigger.
Cross I-84 heading south and Boise changes: 84% of homes owner-occupied, the highest share of households with children in this guide, and the airport sixteen minutes away — closer than downtown.
Sources: Redfin & Zillow (market) and the U.S. Census ACS (owner-occupied). Live IMLS numbers arrive with the feed.
What it’s actually like to live in Southwest Boise.
Southwest Boise is the area south of I-84 around Five Mile and Overland, zip code 83709, and unlike most neighborhoods in this guide it is a single neighborhood association: the Southwest Ada County Alliance. The change is noticeable the moment you cross the freeway. Streets get wider, houses get newer, and the lots keep growing the further south you go toward Lake Hazel.
The numbers say the same thing. 84.4% of homes here are owner-occupied and 38.4% of households have children at home — both the highest of any neighborhood we cover. Median household income is about $98,183, with tract medians running from $77,028 to $137,171. This is the settled end of the city: people buy here and stay.
The trade-off is worth stating plainly. There is no mall and no department store inside the boundary — the shopping is one cluster on Overland Road at the northern edge, a Fred Meyer and an Albertsons, with a second Albertsons far south on Lake Hazel. Downtown is nineteen minutes, not five. What you get back is space, and the Boise Airport at sixteen minutes.
Southwest Boise, in three dimensions.
South of the freeway, between Cole and Five Mile down to Lake Hazel. Lake Hazel Middle, Rockhampton Park and Molenaar Park are pinned.
Interactive 3D map: drag to rotate, scroll to zoom. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · tiles by OpenFreeMap · terrain by Mapzen/AWS. Landmark and points-of-interest coordinates from OpenStreetMap, each checked against the neighborhood boundary.
Who lives in Southwest Boise?
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates, census tracts aggregated to this neighborhood boundary; tracts and boundaries don’t align perfectly, so treat these as close estimates, refreshed yearly.
Where Southwest Boise goes to school.
Lake Hazel Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 986 studentsWest Ada School District
Desert Sage Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 477 studentsWest Ada School District
Pepper Ridge Elementary
Grades PK–5 · 472 studentsWest Ada School District
Christine Donnell School of the Arts
Grades KG–5 · 464 studentsWest Ada School District
Amity Elementary School
Grades PK–6 · 371 studentsBoise School District
Maple Grove Elementary School
Grades PK–6 · 370 studentsBoise School District
Two districts serve this neighborhood: four of these schools belong to West Ada and two to the Boise School District, despite every one of them carrying a Boise address. No high school sits inside the boundary. Borah Senior High, in the Boise district, is about 2.4 miles north; the nearest West Ada high schools are further east in Meridian. We could not verify which high school this area actually feeds into from any published attendance-zone map, so we check it with the district per address instead of guessing — it is exactly the kind of detail that decides an offer. Enrollment figures via NCES.
How far is everything?
The Boise Airport sits about 16 minutes away by car, downtown Boise roughly 19 minutes out, and Micron on Federal Way around 19 minutes.
Drive times via OpenStreetMap routing (off-peak) from the center of the neighborhood; actual times vary with traffic.
The neighborhoods within.
Southwest Boise is made up of 118 named subdivisions, from Rockhampton and Countryman Estates to Boulder Creek at Southpoint, Pepper Hill and Fox Ridge Estates.
Southwest Boise questions, answered.
Is Southwest Boise a good place to live?
Yes, if space and a settled street matter more to you than a short downtown commute. It is the most owner-occupied neighborhood in this guide at 84.4%, with 38.4% of households raising children, newer homes than central Boise and lots that get larger the further south you go.
How much does a home in Southwest Boise cost?
The median Southwest Boise home recently sold around $503,495. That figure moves every month and says nothing about your specific street. Ask us for this month’s exact median price and days-on-market from the Intermountain MLS.
Which schools serve Southwest Boise?
Both West Ada and the Boise School District, with Lake Hazel Middle School as the anchor. Four schools inside the boundary are West Ada and two are Boise district. No high school sits within the neighborhood: Borah Senior High is about 2.4 miles north. We confirm the exact assignment with the district for every address.
How’s the commute from Southwest Boise?
The airport is closer than downtown. Boise Airport is 7.1 miles out, about sixteen minutes off-peak; downtown Boise is 9.6 miles and about nineteen. Micron on Federal Way is roughly nineteen minutes as well.
What should I know before buying in Southwest Boise?
Check the school district and plan your errands. The district line splits the neighborhood, and there is no mall or department store inside the boundary — shopping is the Overland Road cluster at the north edge and an Albertsons far south on Lake Hazel. For plenty of buyers that is the point; it should just not be a surprise.
How fast do homes sell in Southwest Boise?
Homes here go under contract in about 20 days on average. 122 homes sold in the neighborhood over the most recent 90-day window, so well-priced listings tend not to sit for long.
Who lives in Southwest Boise?
About 32,514 people, with a median age of 37.4. It is the settled end of the city: 84.4% of homes are owner-occupied, 38.4% of households include children, and the median household income is about $98,183, ranging by census tract from $77,028 to $137,171.
What is there to do in Southwest Boise?
It is a residential neighborhood, and the recreation is close to home. Rockhampton Park on the western edge, Molenaar Park in the northeast corner, a fenced community dog park in the southern subdivisions, and a pair of independent gyms along Overland and Five Mile.
Homes for sale in Southwest Boise.
The median Southwest Boise home recently sold around $503,495, spending about 20 days on the market. The live listing feed straight from the Intermountain MLS lands here once the IDX feed is authorized. Until then, call us: we often know what’s coming before it hits the market.
See what’s available now →Full details10685 W Hollandale Dr · 11200 W Soluna Dr (under contract)
Market figures: Redfin & Zillow, refreshed monthly.
Buying or selling in Southwest Boise? You want a local.
— Alyssa & Shannon, Keller Williams Realty Boise
Thinking about Southwest Boise? Talk to us.
Estates and character homes: start with Alyssa. Investment and multifamily: start with Shannon. Not sure? Either. One team, one conversation.