Boise loves absolutely nothing if not being listed on every top 10 list it can. Here we're attempting the near-impossible: a comprehensive index of every top-10 list appearance Boise's ever made. Please help us round this out. And, if you're an editor of a publication (no matter how minor or obscure), please add us to your top 10 list!

The nation has discovered what Boiseans have known for years: the City of Trees is a great place to live, work, and build a successful business venture. Here are some samples of the talk about Boise:

 

2013

Men's Health Magazine, December 2012 -- No. 1 Best Cities for Men 2013

 

2012

Livability.com, October 2012 -- No. 4 of Top 10 Downtowns in America

 

CNN Money, October 2012 -- No. 6 Most Inventive State

 

Outside Magazine, September 2012 -- No. 3 Best River Town in America

 

Forbes, April 2012 -- No. 2 Best City for Raising a Family

 

The Atlantic, March 2012 -- No. 6 America's Hottest Music City

 

KPMG Report, March 2012 -- No. 3 Lowest Cost of Business in Pacific Northwest

 

Brookings Institute, March 2012 -- Top 20 Fastest Recovering Cities

 

Sunset Magazine, February 2012 -- Fittest Towns of the West

 

CNN Money, February 2012 -- Top 10 Turnaround Towns

 

Women's Health/Men's Health, January 2012 -- No. 5 Healthiest City

 

2011

The Fiscal Times, November 2011 -- Ten Best Places to Find A Job

 

CNN Travel, November 2011 -- Best College Football Stadiums

 

SportingNews.com, October 2011 -- No. 62 Best Sports Cities

 

Men's Health, October 2011 -- No. 13 America's Luckiest Cities

 

Allstate Insurance Company, September 2011 -- No. 2 Safest City for Driving in America

 

Urban Land Institute, September 2011 -- No. 8 Top 25 Metro Areas Gaining Kids

 

CNN Money, September 2011 -- 25 Best Places to Retire

 

CBS Market Watch, August 2011 -- No. 8 10 Best Places to live in the U.S.

 

RelocateAmerica, August 2011 -- No. 8 Top Ten Places to Live

 

USA Today, August 2011 -- 10 Great Places for Paddling in the City

 

MSN, August 2011 -- Great Cities for Cycling

 

Triathlete, August 2011 -- Best Places to Live 2011

 

The Daily Beast, July 2011 -- No. 10 Top Twenty Longest Living Cities

 

U.S. Chamber of Commerce, June 2011 -- No. 7 Long-Term Job Growth Rate

 

U.S. Chamber of Commerce, June 2011 -- No. 9 Top Entrepreneurship & Innovation

 

Moody's Analytics, April 2011 -- No. 17 of 384 Cities for Vitality

 

Men's Health, March 2011 -- No. 20 Most Socially Networked City

 

U-Haul International, Inc., February 2011 -- No. 2 Top Growth Towns for Families

 

2010

Women's Health Magazine, December 2010 -- No. 7 Best Places for Women

 

Yahoo! Finance, September 2010 -- No. 6 Best Place to Retire

 

Outside Magazine, August 2010 -- Best Town in the Western U.S.: "Boise, to put it mildly, has been on a roll. Government, education, and health care remain core industries, but dozens of high-tech startups have moved to town, joining behemoths like Hewlett-Packard and Micron Technology. And while its population has more than doubled in the past 30 years and jaded locals bemoan the sprawl, Boise has managed its growth impressively well: The city is home to nearly 2,000 acres of parks and a 25-mile greenbelt. The outlying areas feel a bit bland, but the older neighborhoods have that Boulder vibe—cruiser bikes, farmers' markets, and prayer flags—only with reasonably priced homes."

 

Forbes.com, June 2010 -- No. 16 Most Innovative City

 

Life Magazine, June 2010 -- No. 8 Most Underrated City in the West

 

Forbes Magazine, May 2010 -- No. 9 Best Places for Business and Careers:

 

Sunset Magazine, February 2010 In the West: 20 Towns of the Future

 

2009

Market Watch, December 2009  --  #6 Best U.S. Cities for Business

 

Brookings, June 2009  --  Bootstrapping High Tech: Evidence from three Emerging High Technology Metropolitan Areas:  "Idaho may be an unlikely state for high-technology development but it largest metropolitan area, Boise, has developed an entrepreneurial and innovative technology community." Boise is remarkable. Christopher Leinberger

 

Brookings Institute Scholar, April 2009 --  Best Downtown in the Rocky Mountain West

 

Smithsonian.com, March 2009  --   Boise, Idaho: Big Skies and Colorful Characters, "Boise is still so young and new- changing almost every day- and I don't think it's an overstatement to suggest that our town represents everything that remains great about America: potential youth natural beauty, quality of life."

 

MSNBC.com, March 2009 -- No. 8 Best Mid-size Metropolitan Area

 

Bizjournal.com, February 2009 -- No. 5 Best Places to Start a Small Business

 

Landscape & Hardscape Construction, February 2009  --  Redevelopment and Renewal, firm transforms cities by design: " Private development doesn't do this on its own" (public infrastructure) "to remake a city."

 

2008

National League of Cities, November 2008  -- Award for Municipal Excellence

 

Business Week Magazine, November 2008 --  "Best Places to Raise Your Kids 2009"

 

Food and Wine Magazine, November 2008  --  "Across the U.S., restaurateurs are opening ever-more-casual places. I've seen it in New York, Chicago, San Francisco…and now Boise, Idaho."

 

American Planning Association, October 2008 -- "North End" Top 10 Neighborhoods in the Country

 

Rock & Ice Magazine, September 2008  --  No. 2, "Best Places to Go Bouldering"

 

Sperlings, August 2008  -- No. Most Secure U.S. Place

 

Kiplinger.com, July 2008  --  Rocky Mountain High Tech, Employers know they'll find a high proportion of college graduates here (37%) compared with the national average of 37%) and new hires will find affordable housing…  (t)he area also cradles smaller technology and e-commerce forms, which come to make the most of low business costs - about a third less than in California or Washington.

 

Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine, July 2008 -- "...But Idaho's capital alone offers many jewels for adventurous travelers."

 

Brookings Institute Economic Vitality Report, June 2008  -- No. 1 Economic Vitality Among U.S. Metro Areas

 

MSNBC, June 2008 --  No. 2 Top 10 Best Places to Live in the U.S.

 

Boston Globe, June 2008  --  "Best Urban Parks," Boise River Greenbelt: "...this riverfront park was reclaimed in the 1960s and transformed into a haven for outdoor lovers, with 25 miles of pathways geared to walkers, runners, skaters, bikers."

 

Kiplinger.com, May 2008 -- No. 4 Best Cities to Live, Work, and Play

 

Brookings Institution, May 2008  --  No. 5 Lowest Carbon Footprint

 

Forbes Magazine, March 2008 -- No. 13 Best Places for Business and Careers

 

Forbes, March 2008  --  Boise is No. 9 for business careers. Of cities in the top 10, only Boise and Raleigh N.C. have been the most consistent top performers in recent years.

 

CNN Money.com, 2008  --  Top 100 best places to live and launch, Boise #19

 

American Planning Association, 2008   --   Boise's North End: "Top 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2008"

 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 2008  --  Boise State University: "Best Workplace for Commuters"

 

 

List Place Date Publication
Best Cities for Raising a Family 2 4/4/2012 Forbes
Best Town In the West 1 7/29/2010 Outside