Greetings from Connecticut, where I'm attending (and live blogging) Everyday Democracy's Communities Creating Racial Equity Learning Exchange. I usually only read USA Today when I'm on the road, but it was interesting to see Boise showcased on its front page Tuesday in a story about refugees resettling in Boise, of all places.
Boise actually got two mentions on Page 1; the second was in an article about how new air quality standards will affect many cities this year. It's ironic that a refugee quoted in the other article praised Boise's clean air. Better than Baghdad's, I suppose, but he clearly hasn't been through a Boise summer smog yet.
It's not just Iraqis, and it's not just Boise. There are a fair number of Iranians in Twin Falls, for example. This is in addition to the significant Russian and Bosnian communities in both cities.
Posted by: W. Lane Startin | April 24, 2008 at 03:15 PM
Lane, the USA Today story noted Twin Falls as well. Click and read.
I always marveled at Twin Falls being a resettlement area. Per capita, it may be one of the biggest, though I learned on my trip here that Burlington, VT, is a major refugee destination as well.
Boise also is a large resettlement area for folks from many war-torn African nations.
On my to-read list: "The Middle of Everywhere" by Mary Pipher, in which she writes about refugee resettlement in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Posted by: Julie in Boise | April 24, 2008 at 04:18 PM