One sparkling facet of this larger gem is the North End neighborhood, just a couple of miles from the tree-lined, riverside city center. This cottage neighborhood, specifically one section called Arnold’s Edition, was Boise’s first suburb, built in 1878. Like many late-19th/early 20th-century neighborhoods, it blossomed quickly with well-built cottages on small lots within a civic-savvy grid that facilitated walking, neighborly interactions, and trolley connection to the downtown. Also like many such communities, time and a penchant among new buyers for bigger, more suburban homes began to catch up to North End in the 1950s. While most people looked on the town’s outskirts for larger lots, North End homes sold in 1960 for around $10,000.

photography: Angela Wyant A statuesque Victorian perches on the corner, an example of North End's widely varying architectural styles.

“Every time somebody fixes their roof I get a kick out of it—they’re going to stay,” says longtime resident Jerry Panko. Jerry and his wife, Carolyn, bought their 1908 Craftsman bungalow in 1970 after renting for a few years in the late sixties. Carolyn remembers the area being somewhat depressed, but the couple now enjoys a revitalized neighborhood’s benefits, such as pizza at the Lucky 13 or breakfast at Java, two popular hangouts at the nearby Hyde Park retail block.

Although North End residents exude an obvious pride in their homes, there’s definitely a sense of hush-hush. Like any hidden gem, half of the beauty is that it’s unspoiled. Successful community-supported efforts to gain historic designations and repel incoherent developments have left the neighborhood right where it wants to be: quietly cruising, wingman to greater Boise, under the radar.

photography: Angela Wyant Gary and Alex Davis