Home / Neighborhoods / West Boise
West Boise: between two downtowns.
Thirteen minutes to downtown Boise. Thirteen to downtown Meridian. In between sits a neighborhood of 469 named subdivisions where the era, the price and even the school district can change from one street to the next.
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 West Boise.
West Boise is everything west of Cole Road: three neighborhood associations — West Boise, West Bench and West Valley — that together cover nearly all of zip code 83704. Its defining fact is the position. Downtown Boise is 6.1 miles east, downtown Meridian 5.8 miles west, and both are about a thirteen-minute drive off-peak. You are not picking a side of the valley here; you get both.
Inside that one boundary sit 469 named subdivisions, and they are genuinely different from one another. Median household income by census tract runs from $53,103 to $98,642, and median age from 30.3 to 48.3 — the widest spread of any neighborhood in this guide. Practically that means the block matters more than the neighborhood name, and a listing three streets over is not a comparable sale.
The commercial heart is Boise Towne Square, the valley’s enclosed regional mall since 1988, with the Milwaukee and Fairview corridor built up around it. Away from that, it is a settled residential grid: 68.7% of homes are owner-occupied and 27.9% of households have children at home.
West Boise, in three dimensions.
Fly the grid from Cole Road out to the Meridian line. Boise Towne Square, Capital High and the Fairmont block 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 West 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 West Boise goes to school.
Centennial High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,743 studentsWest Ada School District
Capital Senior High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,170 studentsBoise School District
Lowell Scott Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 773 studentsWest Ada School District
Fairmont Junior High School
Grades 7–9 · 659 studentsBoise School District
Pioneer School of the Arts
Grades PK–5 · 658 studentsWest Ada School District
Eliza Hart Spalding STEM Academy
Grades PK–5 · 610 studentsWest Ada School District
Horizon Elementary School
Grades PK–6 · 472 studentsBoise School District
Cecil D. Andrus Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 377 studentsWest Ada School District
Summerwind STEM Academy
Grades PK–5 · 370 studentsWest Ada School District
Valley View Elementary School
Grades PK–6 · 330 studentsBoise School District
Koelsch Elementary School
Grades PK–6 · 321 studentsBoise School District
Mountain View Elementary School
Grades PK–6 · 292 studentsBoise School District
Frontier Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 263 studentsWest Ada School District
West Boise is split between two districts — six of these schools belong to the Boise School District and seven to West Ada — and the line runs through the neighborhood rather than around it. On the West Ada side the elementaries feed into Lowell Scott Middle School and then Centennial High; on the Boise side it is Fairmont Junior High and Capital. Which district an address falls in is a street-level question, so we still confirm it per home rather than go by the neighborhood name. This list was compiled with Shannon, who knows these attendance areas from working them; enrollment figures are NCES Common Core of Data for 2024.
How far is everything?
Downtown Boise sits about 13 minutes away by car, downtown Meridian about 13 minutes the other direction, and the Boise Airport roughly 19 minutes out.
Drive times via OpenStreetMap routing (off-peak) from the center of the neighborhood; actual times vary with traffic.
The neighborhoods within.
West Boise is really 469 named subdivisions under one name, from The Hickories and Capital Manor to Brookhollow Estates, Frontier and Skyline.
West Boise questions, answered.
Is West Boise a good place to live?
Yes, especially if you commute in two directions. West Boise sits between downtown Boise and downtown Meridian, about thirteen minutes from each, with the valley’s largest retail district in the middle of it. It is a settled residential grid: 68.7% owner-occupied, 27.9% of households with children.
How much does a home in West Boise cost?
The median West Boise home recently sold around $439,550. 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 West Boise?
West Boise is split between the Boise School District and West Ada. Six schools inside the boundary belong to Boise (including Capital Senior High and Fairmont Junior High) and five to West Ada. The district line runs through the neighborhood, so the answer is address-specific and we verify it for every home we show you.
How’s the commute from West Boise?
About thirteen minutes to either downtown. Downtown Boise is 6.1 miles east and downtown Meridian 5.8 miles west, both roughly thirteen minutes off-peak. The Boise Airport is about nineteen minutes out.
What should I know before buying in West Boise?
Compare blocks, not the neighborhood. With 469 named subdivisions inside one boundary and tract median incomes running from $53,103 to $98,642, a sale three streets away is often not a comparable. Check the school district for the exact address too: it changes within the neighborhood.
How fast do homes sell in West Boise?
Homes here go under contract in about 12 days on average. 189 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 West Boise?
About 54,978 people, with a median age of 39.4. Roughly 68.7% of homes are owner-occupied, 27.9% of households include children, and the median household income is about $78,002. It is the most mixed of the neighborhoods in this guide: by census tract, median age ranges from 30.3 to 48.3.
What is there to do in West Boise?
This is the valley’s shopping and everyday-errands side of town. Boise Towne Square and the Milwaukee corridor cover retail, with a WinCo and a Natural Grocers nearby. For the rest: Fairmont Park and the outdoor Fairmont Pool, DeMeyer Park in the northwest corner, and gyms and swim schools along Milwaukee.
Homes for sale in West Boise.
The median West Boise home recently sold around $439,550, spending about 12 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 details12460 W Azure St · 3752 Jackie Lane (under contract) · 2952 N Milwaukee Ct
Market figures: Redfin & Zillow, refreshed monthly.
Buying or selling in West Boise? You want a local.
— Alyssa & Shannon, Keller Williams Realty Boise
Thinking about West Boise? Talk to us.
Estates and character homes: start with Alyssa. Investment and multifamily: start with Shannon. Not sure? Either. One team, one conversation.