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Idaho is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890 as the 43rd state.
• State Bird: Mountain Bluebird
• State Dance: Square Dance
• State Fish: Cutthroat Trout
• State Flower: Syringa (Syringa vulgaris)
• State Fossil: Hagerman Horse (Equus simplicidens)
• State Fruit: Huckleberry
• State Gem: Idaho star garnet
• State Horse: Appaloosa
• State Motto: Esto perpetua ("Let it be perpetual")
• State Insect: Monarch butterfly
• State Raptor: Peregrine falcon
• State Song: Here We Have Idaho
• State Tree: Western White Pine
• State Soil: Threebear (soil)
Idaho is mostly mountainous and is larger than all of New England. It is landlocked, surrounded by the states of Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and the Canadian Province of British Columbia. The Port of Lewiston is the farthest inland Pacific port on the west coast. A series of dams and locks on the Snake River and Columbia River facilitate barge travel from Lewiston to Portland, where goods are loaded on ocean-going vessels.
In Central Idaho, Sun Valley is one of the oldest ski resorts where the world's first chairlift was installed. A ski resort is adjacent to nearly every urban area. Whitewater rafting and kayaking are among the state's major pastimes. Hell's Canyon and the Salmon River have some of North America's best whitewater, with Riggins, ID the state's "informal" whitewater capital.
According to the 2008 US Census Bureau, the population for Idaho was estimated to be 1,523,816. Southern Idaho is in the Mountain Time Zone and areas north of the Salmon River, are in the Pacific Time Zone.
Idaho's highest point is Borah Peak, 12,662 feet and the lowest point, 710 feet, is in Lewiston. Idaho 's most famous mountain range is called Sawtooth Range .
The climate in Idaho can be hot, but extended periods over 100 °F are rare. Hot summer days are helped by low humidity and cooler evenings. Winters can be cold, but long periods of temps below zero are unusual.
Humans may have been present in the Idaho area as long as 14,500 years ago. Native American tribes predominant in the area included the Nez Perce in the north and the Northern and Western Shoshone in the south.
Idaho is the sixth fastest-growing state after Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Georgia, and Utah. Since 1990, Idaho 's population has increased by 386,000 (38%).
In Southern Idaho , the largest metropolitan area is the Boise Metropolitan Area. Other metropolitan areas in order of size are Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Lewiston.
Religion affiliations are as follows: Protestant, 29.3%; LDS (Mormon), 22.8%; Catholic, 14.3%; Non-Denominational Christian, 13.6%; Non-Affiliated, 12.7%; and Other, 7.2%.
Idaho is an important agricultural state, producing nearly one third of the potatoes grown in the United States . Important industries in Idaho are food processing, lumber and wood products, paper products, (a very stinky pulp mill is in Lewiston ), machinery, chemical products, electronics manufacturing, silver and other mining, and tourism. Idaho also has three facilities of Anheuser-Busch which provide a large part of the malt for breweries located across the nation.
Idaho is home to many technology-based companies: Micron Technology in Boise, the only U.S. manufacturer of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips; Hewlett-Packard in Boise, devoted primarily to LaserJet printer production; Dell, Inc. in Twin Falls operates a major customer support call center; Coldwater Creek in Sandpoint, a women's clothing retailer; Fortune 500 Sun Microsystems (with two offices in Boise and parts depot in Pocatello). Sun brings $4M in annual salaries and over $300M of revenue to the state each year.
The state personal income tax ranges from 1.6% to 7.8% in eight income brackets. Idahoans may apply for state tax credits for taxes paid to other states, as well as for donations to Idaho state educational groups and some nonprofit youth and rehabilitation facilities. The state sales tax is 6%. Food is taxed, but prescription drugs are not. Hotel, motel, and campground usages are taxed at a higher rate (7% to 11%).
Idaho has a state gambling lottery which contributed $333.5 million in payments to all Idaho public schools and Idaho higher education from 1990 - 2006.
Major airports include Boise International serving southwest Idaho , and Spokane International (located in Spokane, Washington), serves northern Idaho . There are several other small airports throughout the state (the best one being in Lewiston , which I use when flying into Lewiston for visits with my relatives).
Idaho's railroads are The Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) which connects North Idaho with Seattle, Portland and Spokane to the west, and Minneapolis and Chicago to the east; The Union Pacific Railroad crosses southern Idaho traveling between Portland, Green River, WY, and Ogden, Utah; and Amtrak's Empire Builder crosses northern Idaho, with its only stop being in Sandpoint.
After the Civil War, many Southern Democrats moved to the Idaho Territory making the early territorial legislatures solidly Democrat-controlled. However, most of the territorial governors were appointed by Republican Presidents and were Republicans themselves. This led to bitter clashes between the two parties. In the 1880s, Republicans became more prominent in local politics.
The Republican Party has usually been the dominant party in Idaho , when the Democrats became more liberal and the Republicans more conservative. Since World War II, most statewide elected officials have been Republicans. Idaho Congressional delegations have been Republican since statehood. Several Idaho Democrats have had electoral success in the House over the years, but the Senate delegation has been Republican for decades.
Idaho has not supported a Democrat for president since 1964. In that election, Lyndon Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater by less than two percentage points. In 2004, Republican George W. Bush carried Idaho by a margin of 38 percentage points, winning in 43 of 44 counties. Only the Sun Valley ski resort supported John Kerry, who owns a home in the area. In 2008, Barack Obama's 36.1% showing was the best for a Democratic presidential candidate in Idaho since 1976.
The Idaho State Board of Education oversees three universities: The University of Idaho in Moscow (the first university in the state, founded in 1889); Idaho State University in Pocatello (in 1901, as the Academy of Idaho and granted university status in 1963); and Boise State University (geared toward being a commuter school for part-time undergraduate students). Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston is the only public, non-university 4-year college in Idaho .
Idaho has three regional community colleges: North Idaho College in Coeur d'Alene; College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls; and The College of Western Idaho in Nampa, which opened in 2009.
Private institutions in Idaho are Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg, which is affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; The College of Idaho in Caldwell, which still maintains a loose affiliation with the Presbyterian Church; Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa; and New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, of reformed Christian theological background.