Idaho

State
State of Idaho
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):
Motto(s):
Anthem: "Here We Have Idaho"
Map of the United States with Idaho highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Oregon Territory, Washington Territory, Idaho Territory
Admitted to the Union	July 3, 1890 (43rd)
Capital (and largest city)	Boise
Largest metro	Boise
Government
• Governor	Brad Little (R)
• Lieutenant Governor	Janice McGeachin (R)
Legislature	Legislature
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
U.S. senators	Mike Crapo (R) Jim Risch (R)
U.S. House delegation	1. Russ Fulcher (R) 2. Mike Simpson (R) (list)
Area
• Total	83,557 sq mi (216,443 km2)
• Water	926 sq mi (2,398 km2)  .99%
Area rank	14th
Elevation	5,000 ft (1,520 m)
Highest elevation (Mt. Borah)	12,662 ft (3,859 m)
Lowest elevation (Lewiston, ID)	738 ft (217 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,839,106
• Rank	38th
• Density	21.6/sq mi (8.33/km2)
• Density rank	44th
• Median household income	$52,225
• Income rank	41st
Demonym(s)
Language
• Official language	English
Time zones
primary	UTC−07:00 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (MDT)
Idaho Panhandle	UTC−08:00 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−07:00 (PDT)
USPS abbreviation	ID
ISO 3166 code	US-ID
Latitude	42° N to 49° N
Longitude	111°03′ W to 117°15′ W
Website	www.idaho.gov

Idaho State symbols
The Flag of Idaho.
The Seal of Idaho.
Animate insignia
Amphibian	Tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum)
Bird(s)	Mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) Raptor: Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Fish	Cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii)
Flower(s)	Syringa (Philadelphus lewisii)
Insect	Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
Tree	Western white pine (Pinus monticola)
Inanimate insignia
Dance	Square dance
Food	Fruit: Huckleberry Vegetable: Potato
Fossil	Hagerman horse (Equus simplicidens)
Gemstone	Star garnet
Soil	Threebear
Route marker(s)
State Quarter
Quarter of Idaho
Released in 2007
Lists of United States state insignia

Idaho is a state in the northwestern United States, and was the 43rd state to join the union.

Idaho became a state in 1890, and it is the 11th largest state in land area, and the 14th largest in total area (land and water). Despite this, the population of Idaho was estimated at only 1,787,065 by the United States Census Bureau in 2019, making it ranked the 39th largest state by population.

Idaho is bordered by Washington and Oregon on the west, Montana and Wyoming on the east, Utah and Nevada on the south and the country of Canada (British Columbia) on the north side. Idaho is known for its vast mountainous landscapes, and it is literally covered from north to south by the Rocky Mountains. Idaho is also home to the massive Snake River, which comes from the Grand Tetons in Wyoming and eventually flows to meld with the Columbia River in Washington state. This river dissects Hell's Canyon, the deepest gorge in America, which lies the state's Oregon border, and flows through south central Idaho. This river provides a fertile plain which is the base for most of the state's agricultural industries, and the production of the potatoes for which Idaho is known. Idaho's state nickname is the "Gem State", despite also being known as the "Spud State", because of a man named George M. Willing who claimed it was derived from a Shoshone term.

Idaho's most prominent universities are Boise State University in its capital, Idaho State University in Pocatello, and the University of Idaho in Moscow.

Idaho's state motto is Esto perpetua, which is Latin for "Let it be forever".

Cities and towns

Population > 100,000 (city area) Boise (state capital) Population > 50,000 (city area) Idaho Falls – The main offices of the Idaho National Laboratory are here Nampa – Home of Northwest Nazarene University Pocatello – Home of Idaho State University Meridian – Suburb of Boise Population > 30,000 (city area) Caldwell – Home of the College of Idaho Coeur d'Alene – Home of North Idaho College, major tourist hub Lewiston – Home of Lewis-Clark State College Twin Falls – Home of College of Southern Idaho Population > 10,000 (city area) Ammon – Suburb of Idaho Falls Blackfoot – Home of the Idaho Potato Museum Burley Eagle – Suburb of Boise Garden City – Suburb of Boise Hayden Jerome Kuna – Suburb of Boise Moscow – Home of the University of Idaho Mountain Home – U.S. Air Force Base Post Falls Rexburg – Home of Brigham Young University-Idaho

Smaller Towns and Cities American Falls – First town to be entirely moved Arco – First city to be lit by electricity from a nuclear power plant Bonners Ferry – Northernmost major town in Idaho Buhl – "Trout capital of the world" Bone- Population 2 Driggs – skiing Eden Emmett Greenleaf Firth Fruitland Filer – Suburb of Twin Falls Hazelton Homedale – town's name was chosen from a hat Island Park Kimberly – Suburb of Twin Falls Kellogg – skiing Malad City McCall – skiing Melba, Idaho - South of Nampa, Idaho Middleton Montpelier bank robbed by the wild bunch Mullan – mining for silver, lead, zinc New Meadows - at the 45th parallel north New Plymouth – first planned community in Idaho, third west of the Rocky Mountains Notus Oakley – pioneer town, home of many historic buildings Orofino – Clearwater County seat, site of Dworshak Dam Paris – Bear Lake County seat Parma Payette – Payette County seat Plummer- CDA tribal headquarters Preston- location of the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite and the annual International Bed Races Rupert- Minidoka County seat Rigby – Television birthplace Salmon – Gateway to "River of No Return" (Salmon River) Sandpoint – skiing (Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort) and Recreation Lake Pend Oreille Shelley – Home of the Russet SPUD Soda Springs – U.S.'s only captive geyser St. Anthony – sand dunes and several lava tubes St. Maries – Benewah County seat Stanley, Idaho – center of the Sawtooth mountains Star, Idaho Sun Valley – Year-round resort with skiing Wallace – Historic district and Shoshone County seat Weiser – Washington County seat, home of the National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest Wilder Worley – casino

History of Idaho

Idaho was formerly Idaho Territory, until July 27, 1890, when it became the 43rd state. In the 1930s, Idaho suffered a lot economically as as a result of the Great Depression. Prices plummeted for Idaho's major crops: in 1932, a bushel of potatoes was worth only ten cents compared to $1.51 in 1919, while Idaho farmers´ annual income of $686 in 1929 fell to just $250 by 1932.

Politics

Today, Idaho is a very conservative state. In the 2016 election, just two counties in Idaho supported Hillary Clinton. Idaho as a whole last voted Democratic in 1964, and that by a narrow margin of less than 2 percent. Both of Idaho's senators (Jim Risch and Mike Crapo) are Republican.

Related pages

• Colleges and universities in Idaho
• List of counties in Idaho
• List of rivers of Idaho