Get to Know Bown Crossing

Bown Crossing is a rarity in Boise: A neighborhood outside downtown that feels like it has its own main street. That main street is called Bown Crossing Way, but it was developed with the goal of interrupting the outward spread of homes with a self-sufficient neighborhood.

How the Bown Crossing Bubble Formed

That goal was put into action in the mid-2010s, as Boise was starting to understand that its “hidden gem” growth was turning into a nation-leading population explosion.

The city stamped the area as one of a few Neighborhood Activity Centers (which sounds like, dare I say is, a redundant term for neighborhood), where mixed-use development would be possible both horizontally and vertically.

Additionally, the city opened a library at Bown Crossing in 2017, where I’m writing this. Out the window, I can see a St. Al’s urgent care, a sidewalk that leads to the Greenbelt a couple hundred feet away, and a backdrop of the Foothills.

Bown Crossing’s restaurants and amenities make it possible to live here sustainably, with one of the more favorable downtown commutes in the city.

Best Eats & Things To Do

Bown hasn’t grown into itself fully yet. For example, the corners of its main intersection are prime restaurant real estate — and one of them is occupied by an Elements Massage Therapy. But kitty-corner to it is the neighborhood’s keystone American restaurant, the Tavern at Bown.

The Tavern is joined by Nara Ramen & Sushi, Boise Fry Co., Barrio Tequila & Taqueria, Ti Amo, and a couple delicious but highly contrasting cold treat spots in Cravin’s Candy Emporium (gelato) and Lovejoy’s (ice cream).

Bown Crossing is also an excellent example of how this kind of neighborhood development spills over into its surrounding areas. Just across the Boise River, a crop of shops and restaurants like Brewed: A European Coffee Shop, Sid’s Garage, and the new House of the Little Pig connect the Barber Valley and Bown Crossing areas.