Treasure Valley in SW Idaho, US

The Treasure Valley is located in southwestern Idaho and falls within the Snake River Plain, a semi-arid region with average annual temperature of 51.3 degrees F and 6-15 inches average precipitation. The valley is primarily lowlands bordered by foothills along the northeast, with elevation ranging from 665-2100 feet and an average elevation of 891 feet.

The natural landscape is characterized by sagebrush-steppe, a mixture of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa), and grasslands comprised mainly of bluegrass (Poa secunda), bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), and cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) . The Treasure Valley is an agricultural stronghold of the Intermountain West due to the “rich agricultural soils” produced by sediment from the Bonneville Flood and extensive irrigation systems that date back to the late 19^th century.

The Treasure Valley is home to Boise, the state capital and largest city in Idaho. The Boise metropolitan area is the 11^th fastest growing region in the country with a 120% population increase between 1990 and 2015. The region is characterized by low-density development, with urban land increasing 15 times between 1940 and 2014, relative to population increasing eight times within the same period. Urban expansion occurs primarily in agricultural areas due to topographic and land ownership constraints. The TV is projected to continue growing due to the low cost of living, high job growth rates, and quality of life.