Thanks for all the comments guys. I think I was able to accomplish what I set out to do when I created the series.
Hoover: I know what you mean about those 'hills'. To me though, that's what Boise's mountains look like in general, while in Salt Lake they're just these little hills behind the city that lead into the real mountains, which you typically see in the Salt Lake and Utah.
A lot of people out here have mentioned an MLB team as well, though the market isn't that great yet. Hockey to me also seems like a good fit with the winter sport atmosphere - I wouldn't mind the Coyotes actually