Growing Garden City

Growing Garden City

Garden City, Idaho has a dynamic history. At different moments over the last 150 years, the town has been known for its agriculture, its gambling establishments, and its seedier adult shops.

Just 11,000 people live in this four-square-mile town. Garden City is known for having some of the poorest neighborhoods in the Treasure Valley. The median income in the southeast part is below the federal poverty line. Mobile homes have been prevalent here for decades. But nearby, high-end homes – both new and established – serve as a stark contrast.

One area that continues to grow with new development is the Waterfront District on the banks of the Boise River. New, modern homes represent a much needed increase in city's tax base. But experts say it's inevitable that as the District grows, residents of nearby mobile homes will be pushed out. And finding similarly-priced housing won't be easy.

Garden City's 'hip factor' is also changing. In recent years, there's a fresh, creative energy that's arrived in Garden City. For some Boise artists, this less expensive industrial area is the perfect place to create their art. City officials want to see more of this, and have established a special zoning district to encourage people to live, work and create in Garden City.

All of these topics and more are part of our "Growing Garden City" series.

Education

Garden City Library Program Takes Books To Kids

An old school bus, painted blue, pulls up alongside a wooden fence around a sprawling mobile home park in Garden City. It’s the Garden City library’s…
Economy

Growing Garden City: The Man Who Started The City’s Transformation

The neighborhood known as the Waterfront District is a game changer for Garden City. It was the first high-end housing built in the historically poor,…
Economy

Listen: Growing Garden City Community Conversation

Staff

On May 14, Boise State Public Radio hosted a Community Conversation on the issue of affordable housing in the Treasure Valley. The goal was to examine how…
Economy

5 Ways To Visualize Poverty And Wealth In Garden City

You can’t understand Garden City, Idaho without understanding that compared to the cities surrounding it, it's a place of poverty and wealth and not much…
Arts & Culture

Growing Garden City: Why More Boise Artists Are Making The Move To Garden City

Frankie Barnhill

There’s an increasing number of musicians, visual artists and artisans who have chosen to set up shop in Garden City. Many of these artists are from Boise…
Economy

Growing Garden City: How 'Inevitable' Gentrification Could Push Out Low-Income Residents

Garden City has long been known for mobile home parks and poverty. But with more than three miles of underused riverfront property, developers have become…
Economy

Growing Garden City: A Town Of Poverty And Wealth And Not Much In Between

Garden City is well known for being one of the poorest towns in the Treasure Valley, but it also has some of the richest neighborhoods in the area.In the…
Idaho News

Growing Garden City: A History Of Chinese Gardens, Gambling And Change

Samantha Wright

Hay fields, vegetable gardens, and slot machines: There are several milestones that mark the timeline of tiny Garden City. This four mile burg, surrounded…
Station News

'Growing Garden City' Event Details

Staff

Housing development on Garden City’s riverfront has picked up as the economy has improved. The momentum is good for local tax rolls, but it also threatens…