OGolly

West Taft Street extends eastward from the Collister Fire Station, crosses N 36th Street and ends at 28th Street. The largest thoroughfare is W State Street just to the south, while Hill Road to the north is only a two lane through road, but very busy during "drive times." Traffic all along Taft Street is very bearable, and between midnight and 5:30 a.m. almost non-existent. This is a residential street all the way, and is populated mostly by lower middle class homes. The area used to be farm & pasture lands before the mid 1960s, and gradually the farm plots were sold off to accommodate residential homes. A small irrigation canal still flows nearby, and the are is heavily wooded with such trees as ash and sycamores.

Crime rates are really pretty low, but there have been intermittent vandalism problems (teenagers) from time to time. Racial composition is almost entirely Caucasian, with a smattering of Hispanic, oriental and former Yugoslavian Republic emigrants. I know of no serious racial or cultural problems between residents. Some homes are a bit run down, wile others are well maintained.

Access to public schools is very good, with two grade schools (Taft and Collister) and a junior high school (Hillside) within walking distance from the western end of Taft. Access to public parks is also excellent, with a small neighborhood park located right on 39th Street, Collister Park to the north just a couple of blocks, Sunset Park nearby and Veteran's Park and Boise River Walk access within walking distance just across State Street to the South. All have picnic and restroom facilities (except 39th Street). In addition, Collister, Taft and Hillside schools all have spacious public areas, including a few tennis courts, and there is a baseball complex adjacent to Hillside Jr. High. Owned by the city and operated by the North Boise Little League, the complex has a 60 foot baseball diamond, a 90-foot diamond and a softball diamond. The 90 foot diamond is lighted.

There is an Albertson's (groceries & etc) within walking distance (from the western half of Taft) on the corner of 36th & States Streets, with three nearby fast food stops. There is a city bus stop on the corner of Taft and 36th Streets.

There is a Collister Neighborhood organization that almost nobody belongs to, and in truth neighborly friendliness is not a strong point here, though there seems to be little animosity anywhere as well. There is a community church located on W. Taft Street just before the fire station that has been here many years. Several churches are located within a mile of Taft Street, including an LDS (Mormon) chapel.

Not the sleepy, family friendly small city it was 20 years ago, Boise still ranks pretty high in such quality of life features as family friendliness, available outdoor activities, and business. The capital city of Idaho, Boise is at the cross-roads of the Northwest between Salt Lake City (Utah), Reno (Nevada), and Portland (Oregon). Well known for its' parks and abundance of trees throughout the city, Boise features a great abundance of outdoor activities within a short distance of wherever you live. CLIMATE: a very livable arid (high desert) climate means relative low humidity, plenty of sunshine and seasonal temperatures that vary widely from a few degrees below 0 (F) in the winter and up to 105-107 degrees (F) in the summer. Air quality is usually very good with an occasional problem due to inversions. Boise and the Treasure Valley are known as the "banana belt" of Idaho due to the relatively small amount of snow that accumulates in Winter months. ECONOMY: generally excellent, with a low unemployment rate and very attractive climate for business all the way around. Boise employees are high quality, but pay isn't as high as in other capital cities. HEALTH: Excellent. Medical facilities are very adequate and disease rates (both mental and physical) are below natioanal averages. SOCIAL: a relatively cosmopolitan center for Idaho and the western states in general; many races, religions and cultures blend very well together. Live theater availability ranks below average, but there are plenty of social opportunities. The city hosts an AA baseball team (Boise Hawks), an arena football team (Boise Burns) and a hockey team (Boise Blades). A healthy and dominate Christian ethic is obvious in most communities, however tolerance levels of other social norms are relatively high, with small but healthy representation from Jewish, Muslim, pagan and most near and far eastern cultures. GOVERNMENT: While Democrats dominate local city offices, the county and state is overwhelmingly Republican. A vibrant libertarian and independent political philosophy can be found. City services are adequate for the region, and not unduly obtrusive or obstructive. The city police force I would rate as only average in service to the community, but with a very low level of corruption. County and state troopers are generally very well respected. SCHOOLS: a major university (BSU) with an excellent football team not generally found in a city this size. Public schools are above average in comparison with national norms, private educational opportunities are generally excellent, and home schooling is well tolerated. OUTLOOK: Excellent.