Take a Look at the 12 California Cities Sending the Most People to Boise

Have a grievance about something happening in Boise? There’s a certain group of neighbors that have become the scapegoat for most of those grievances. 

Over the last few years, social media has been filled with complaints about everything from traffic congestion to housing prices to how the City of Boise handled COVID-19 restrictions compared to its neighbors. Most of the time, those posting the complaints or giving their two cents in the comment section were quick to point the finger at people who recently relocated to Boise from California. 

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There’s really no denying that the migration from the Golden State to the City of Trees is happening. According to driver's license migration statistics publically available through the Idaho Department of Transportation, 40,775 drivers swapped a California driver's license for an Idaho one from 2020-2021. 39.2% of those folks got their licenses in Ada County. 

The question is which cities in California are most responsible for Boise’s population boom? Using data from the United States Census Bureau, Stacker put together the list of the top 50 metros sending the most people to Boise. 12 California cities appear on the list. 

We took a closer look at those cities to see why people may be choosing to leave those locations and consider Boise instead. We’re talking about factors related to the cost of living, weather and safety. Here’s what we found out about these cities and how they compare to Boise. 

Our sources include Neighborhood Scout, which uses FBI crime data or their safety rankings, the American Census Bureau, BestPlaces.net, Niche.com, which allows current and former residents to grade their state/city/town and Realtor.com. Crime Index means the city is safer than (X)% of cities in America.