Boise

Boise sits at the foot of the Boise Foothills where the Snake River Plain meets the edge of the Rocky Mountains, at an elevation of 2,730 feet with approximately 206 sunny days per year. The Boise River runs through the city's core, lined by the Greenbelt, a 25-mile paved path that connects 10 parks and provides year-round cycling, walking, and running. The Basque Block on Grove Street is a two-block preservation of Basque culture Boise has the largest Basque population outside the Basque Country in Europe, descendants of sheepherders brought to Idaho in the late 19th century. The Basque Museum and Cultural Center and Bar Gernika (a working Basque tavern) anchor the block. The Boise Co-op, established in 1973, is the Pacific Northwest's oldest natural food cooperative and something of an institution. The Bench and Hidden Springs neighborhoods have become centers for local food culture. The Snake River Valley AVA, stretching east from Boise along the Snake River, was recognized as an American Viticultural Area in 2007 and produces Syrah, Tempranillo, and Viognier that punch well above their profile. The nearby Sawtooth Mountains, two hours north via ID-21 through the Boise Basin mining history corridor, offer some of Idaho's most dramatic high-alpine scenery.