Pictures from Space Showcase Boise’s Growth

When I was a kid, I loved space.  Like all kids my age, I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up, then I realized that you had to be smart for that, so I quickly changed course into the career that I’m in today.  When I come across a story about space, I’ll typically read it and when I found out that astronauts at the International Space Station were taking pictures of Earth and posting them online, I had to check it out.  The website, Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth, allows you to search for photos of every country or state.  My search for Boise included photos that went back several years so you can easily see the growth of the Treasure Valley and how areas like Nampa and Meridian have grown into the cities that they are today.   

The first one is from 1995.  The camera technology wasn’t quite as good and you’ll have to tilt your head a little. 

The next one is from 2002, nearly seven years after the last one and you can see how the city has expanded. 

In 2009, the expansion towards the foothills is evident as the city begins to see exponential growth. 

2014 is the last photo taken from space of Boise, but you can see the amazing growth in just the five years from the previous pictures.