BOISE, Idaho — Despite that inevitability, some people around here want Boise’s growth to slow down, at least a little. And the bane of the existence for folks like that, are top ten lists. This started a couple decades ago, when the Boise metro started showing up on every top online ten list for great areas to move to. The idea is that people around the country discovered Boise through those lists, and started pouring into the Valley, making the housing crisis worse and worse. That’s not the only reason for the housing crisis, but it probably didn’t help.
So now, when locals hear about a top ten list, they hope the Boise metro is not on it. Well, last week, LinkedIn came out with their list of ‘Cities on the Rise 2025.’ And everyone braced for impact. People thought, “Maybe Boise is not on that list?” Come on, of course it is.
According to the data from LinkedIn, these are the mid-size U.S. cities with vibrant job markets and growing professional communities. Boise is not number one. That’s Grand Rapids, Michigan. But there’s Boise at number two. LinkedIn cites the booming tech industry, led by Micron’s manufacturing expansion. They also credit a surge in development, and mountain trails, rivers and outdoor access in helping attract jobs and top talent. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Albany, New York; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin round out the top five…