Southwest Boise, ID Homes and Neighborhoods
Southwest Boise is the part of Boise that spreads west and southwest of the Boise Airport, laid out along roads like Cole, Five Mile, Maple Grove, Overland, Victory and Lake Hazel, with I-84 close by to the north. The City of Boise describes it as a mix of rural and suburban: older subdivisions from the 1960s and 1970s, neighborhoods built since, and pockets of larger lots and farm ground that still give parts of it a semi-rural feel. Buyers look here for a detached house with a yard, quick freeway access in both directions, and a wide choice of neighborhoods at once. If you'd rather search by ZIP code, the 83709 homes for sale page covers much of the same ground.
The homes
Homes here are almost all single-family homes, built mostly between the 1990s and the 2010s, with a smaller share of condos and townhomes. Expect mostly three- and four-bedroom homes, most of them about 1,500 to 2,500 sq ft on standard-size lots.
Because the area grew over several decades, homes range from older subdivisions to much later builds, so the age of a house tells you a lot about what to inspect. If stairs are a concern, start with the single-level homes; if you have a trailer or boat, the homes with RV parking are worth a look, and the new construction homes list shows homes being sold by builders.
Schools: two districts serve Southwest Boise
A Boise address doesn't always mean the Boise School District here. Part of southwest Boise is in the Boise School District, which runs Borah High School, West Junior High, and elementary schools such as Maple Grove, Grace Jordan and Amity. Another part is in the West Ada School District, which runs Lake Hazel Middle School and elementary schools such as Lake Hazel, Pepper Ridge, Silver Sage and Desert Sage, with some West Ada high schools located in Meridian.
The school names typed into a listing aren't a reliable guide, so check each address yourself: the Boise School District has an attendance zone lookup on its website, and West Ada publishes its own boundary maps. Attendance boundaries can change, so check again close to your purchase.
What's nearby
Parks such as Molenaar Park on Maple Grove Road and Peppermint Park are spread through the neighborhoods, most shopping sits toward Overland Road and I-84, and Meridian is the next city west along the freeway. To compare other parts of town, see the Boise Bench, Southeast Boise and Northwest Boise pages. For more on day-to-day life here, see our Southwest Boise neighborhood guide.
Questions to ask before you make an offer
- City or county? Parts of southwest Boise are still unincorporated Ada County inside Boise's area of impact, and the city requires subdivisions proposed here to agree to annexation. Ask whether the home is inside city limits, since that affects services and taxes.
- Which school district? Confirm the assigned schools for the exact address with the Boise or West Ada district.
- Sewer and septic. The area was connected to city sewer after septic problems in the 1980s, but check that the specific home is on sewer, especially on older or larger lots.
- Irrigation. Ask whether the property has pressurized irrigation or canal water rights, who delivers it, and what the yearly assessment is.
- Airport noise. Homes nearer the Boise Airport may sit in the airport influence area, where the city applies noise standards. Visit at different times of day to hear it for yourself.
- HOA. Ask whether the home has an HOA, and if so, for the dues, rules and any RV or parking limits.
Your Southwest Boise real estate questions, answered
Templeton Real Estate knows the Southwest Boise market and can help you make sense of the homes, neighborhoods and prices you are seeing.
You can also get updates on the Southwest Boise market, including new listings and changes in the types of homes you are interested in. We can help you set those up. Call or text 208.473.2203 or send us a message.
