While Meridian is a little known town located in the Boise metropolitan area, this city has a lot to offer. Known for its quality of life, Meridian offers affordable housing, an excellent school system and an expanding business climate. With its close proximity to Boise, residents of Meridian enjoy all of the amenities of urban life including ready access to the rich cultural life.
Location
The city of Meridian is located in the heart of Treasure Valley, a southwestern region of Idaho spanning 7 counties, 1 of which is in Oregon: Ada County, Boise County, Canyon County, Gem County, Owyhee County, Payette County and also Malheur County of Oregon. Just a 15-minute drive from Boise, Idaho, residents of Meridian enjoy all the amenities offered by the nearby metropolitan area. The states of Oregon, Nevada and Utah are nearby, all under a 7-hour drive from Meridian.
Geography/Terrain
Scenic Meridian is centrally located alongside the foothills of the famous Rocky Mountains. Residents enjoy the close proximity to the beautiful Boise River, as well as the nearby forested areas including the Boise National Forest. The whole of Meridian, encompassing 11.8 square miles of land, contain rich grounds and soil as the city was formerly strictly farmlands.
Distance to 3 Closest Major Cities
Salt Lake City, Utah is the closest major city to Meridian, 348 miles to the southeast, or just under a 5-hour drive. Reno, Nevada, “America’s Adventure Place”, is 413 miles southwest of Meridian, a 6 hour and 50 minute drive. Spokane, Washington is 417 miles northwest of Meridian, a 6 ½ hour drive, while Seattle, Washington is 79 miles further northwest, an additional hour’s drive. Portland, Oregon is 421 miles southwest of Meridian, a 6 ½ hour drive.
Jobs
The city of Meridian boasts a strong business climate, providing its residents with diverse employment opportunities and entrepreneurial ventures. Meridian is home to such major companies as Blue Cross of Idaho, United Heritage, Western Electronics, Crucial.com, Great Western Casualty Insurance Company, CitiCards and Computrol, Inc. Many residents of Meridian find employment in nearby Boise where the Idaho state government is a major employer.
Housing
Originally, Meridian was once rich farmlands and agricultural grounds, most of which have been converted to residential homes including single and multi-family homes, apartment buildings and condominiums. While there are still such lands yielding fresh fruits and produce in Meridian, more and more of these lands are being transformed into new housing to accommodate Meridian’s growth. Many new residents as well as entrepreneurs are relocating to Meridian, attracted by both the family-oriented community as well as the booming economy in the Boise metropolitan area. Popular Meridian is the fastest growing city in the state of Idaho, with a population increase of 14.5% between 2004 and 2005.
Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
The city of Meridian is proud of its parks and recreation areas. There are large, green, well-maintained open spaces with many amenities for residents and visitors to enjoy. For instance, Bear Creek Park has 2 outdoor basketball courts, 2 large fenced-in softball fields, a large playground for the kids as well as restroom facilities. Tully Park offers a well-groomed concrete skate park, 2 fully fenced softball fields, 1 outdoor basketball court, 2 sheltered, areas with tables, benches and waste baskets, a playground for the children which includes 2 swing sets, slides, monkey bars and a jungle gymnasium as well as a large restroom and changing room facility.
Currently, Meridian boasts 10 parks and open spaces – but there are 5 additional parks being built for the public to enjoy. Settlers Park is being built in conjunction with the Meridian Youth Baseball Association – a 23-acre park which will include 8 (yes, 8!) youth baseball fields. Kiwanis Park will be a 9-acre neighborhood park including walking paths, a fishing pond, a playground, picnic shelter and restroom facilities. Heroes Park is being built in conjunction with the Meridian Police Activities League with the goal of providing 30-acres of beautiful park land for children of all ages, and will include a 24 field soccer complex. And there are 2 yet unnamed neighborhood parks in the planning stages. As you can see, Meridian
Check out the Meridian Parks and Recreation Activity Guide – it’s easy to do as it’s posted online. There are a plethora of activities for the children to participate in. For instance, the After School Art Program offers a wide range of arts to choose from including multi-media, portrait drawing, fun with sculpture, cartoon creations, creative beading and jewelry making. There are dance, sports and fitness classes, gymnastics and even cheerleading! The adults are not left out, by any means. There are joint activities with the children, or adult recreation programs to explore such as yoga, volleyball, basketball, football, bingo and so much more!
Meridian has 4 golf courses within its city limits offering large greenways and beautiful Rocky Mountain views: Lakeview Golf Club offering an 18-hole course featuring 6,521 yards of golf from the longest tees with a par of 72; Meadow Lake Village and Golf Course offering a 9-hole course; Foxtail Golf Course and Drive offering an 18-hole course featuring 4,031 yards of golf from the longest tees with a par of 61; SpurWing Country Club offering an 18-hole course featuring 7,082 yards of golf from the longest tees with a par of 72. There are an additional 19 golf courses with a 20-mile radius of Meridian, so pick up those clubs for a day of golf!
Special Attractions/Events
Located within Treasure Valley near to Meridian is Roaring Springs Water Park offering such attractions as Viper’s Vortex, Mammoth Canyon Family Raft Ride, White Water Bay Wave Pool, Pipeline Mines, The Avalanche and more. For those looking for a less adventuresome day in the sun and water, visit Leisure Lagoon where you can sit back and relax. Open all summer long, the entire family can enjoy the fun and excitement at Roaring Springs Water Park.
In nearby Tamarack lies the famous Tamarack Resort, the first all-season resort to open in the nation in more than 20 years. Tamarack Resort offers world-class skiing, hiking, mountain biking and golfing. Lake Cascade is on the property offering great swimming, sailing and fishing. And there is real estate available to prospective home owners or for those looking for a vacation getaway.
World Center for Birds of Prey is internationally known for its conservation and recovery efforts of rare and endangered species, such as the Peregrine falcon. Their efforts have, in a large way, given the Peregrine falcon a fighting change for survival, which has now been removed from the Endangered Species list. The California condor is the World Center for Birds of Prey’s next crusade. Take a tour of the facilities and learn about their efforts and how you, too, can participate in this noble cause.
Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places
Meridian is the home town for Brock Forsey of the NFL’s Washington Redskins.
Meridian is named for the Boise Meridian, the Idaho land surveyor’s north-south line running through Initial Point located within the city limits.
The World Center for Birds of Prey has the most dense population of nesting eagles, hawks and falcons in the world.
- NUMBER1EXPERTS™ 
