Idaho
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I·da·ho1
(Abbr. ID or Id.)A state of the northwest United States. It was admitted as the 43rd state in 1890. Explored by the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1805, the region was held jointly by Great Britain and the United States from 1818 to 1846. Idaho became a separate territory in 1863. Boise is the capital and the largest city. Population: 1,500,000.
Idahoan I'da·ho'an adj. & n.
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State, northwestern U.S. Area: 83,569 sq mi (216,443 sq km). Population: (2010) 1,567,582. Capital: Boise. Idaho is bordered by Canada and the U.S. states of Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. It is dominated by the Rocky Mountains, which extend from the Canadian border to south-central Idaho and along the Wyoming border. Its most extensive valley surrounds the Snake River, which flows through Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge in North America. First occupied by American Indians, the region was explored by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805. It was part of the disputed Oregon Country that passed to the U.S. when Britain relinquished its claims by treaty in 1846. Discovery of gold in 1860 brought an influx of settlers. It became Idaho Territory in 1863 and was admitted to the union as the 43rd state in 1890. Labour protests during 18901910 involving the Industrial Workers of the World erupted frequently. During the late 20th century, Idaho developed its agriculture and industry and promoted its natural wilderness.
For more information on Idaho, visit Britannica.com.
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Idaho State Information
Phone: 208-334-2411
Website: www.idaho.gov
Area (sq mi): 83,570.08 (Land: 82,747.21 Water: 822.87). Pop per sq mi: 17.3.
Pop 2005: 1,429,096. Pop changes: 2000-2005: +10.4%; 1990-2000: +28.5%. Pop 2000: 1,293,953 (White: 88%; Black: 0.4%; Hispanic or Latino: 7.9%; Asian: 0.9%; Other: 7.7%; including American Indian/ Alaska Native: 1.4% ) Foreign born: 5%. Median age: 33.2.
Income 2000: per capita $17,841; median household $37,572; Pop below poverty: 11.8%.
Personal per capita income 2000-2003: $24,075-$25,902.
Unemployment 2004: 4.7%. Unemployment 2000: 4.6%; Change from 2000: +0.1%. Median travel time to work: 20 minutes. Working outside county of residence: 19.1%.
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Few states are as dramatically differentiated, both geographically and culturally, as Idaho. According to the 2000 census, just 1,293,953 people inhabited its 82,751 square miles, or 15.6 people per square mile. Idaho stretches 479 miles from north to south. It has eighty mountain ranges, and at 5,000 feet above sea level, is the fifth highest state in the Union. Forests cover 41 percent of the state and 82 percent of land in the north, and the state receives 100 million acre-feet of water annually in the form of rain and snow, to supply 16,000 miles of rivers and streams. The most important tributary is the Snake River, which flows for 1,000 miles before draining into the Columbia. Culturally, the state is divided between the Mormon southeast, the new high-tech industries of Boise and the southwest, and the north, formerly devoted to mining and lumbering, and now working to develop tourist attractions.
Indians and Trappers
Native American settlement in Idaho was split between the Shoshones of the Great Basin in the south, who had access to the resources of the Snake and Boise Rivers with their fish and game, and the Nez Perce and Coeur d'Alene tribes in the north. The arrival of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805 preceded the entry of trappers and traders into the region. In 1810, Fort Henry was erected as the first American habitation. A trade war was pursued between the Hudson's Bay Company and independent American trappers, which lasted into the 1840s. Fort Hall and Fort Boise were established as part of this competition, but ultimately came to be staging posts on the Oregon Trail. The rise of Oregon "fever" in the 1840s led 53,000 settlers to take the trail in the next two decades.
Miners and Mormons
Idaho Territory had no formal settlements until the incorporation of Franklin in 1860. In the north, however, there were a set of mining camps, which were illegally established on the Nez Perce Indian reservation to service the diggings at Orofino Creek and Pierce City. The gold rush proved alluring to depression-hit farmers, and the territory produced $3 million of gold dust by 1861. Such communities were unstable and had a large proportion of saloons and theaters. Mormon pioneers made their first permanent settlement in Idaho in the 1860s as part of Brigham Young's plans for colonization. Theirs was a much harder existence but a more stable community life, centered on family and religion, with homesteads clustered around a ward meetinghouse and supported by cooperative organizations.
State Formation
In 1853, Washington Territory was separated from Oregon and the future Idaho Territory was divided between them. Six years later, Oregon became a state and southern Idaho was added to Washington Territory. Idaho Territory was created in 1863, with only 32,342 residents. Congress removed portions of the future territories of Montana and
Wyoming in 1868, but Idaho was still too sprawling to be well administered. The north fought to be annexed by Washington Territory in the 1880s, but President Grover Cleveland vetoed a bill to separate it. The territorial legislature propitiated the north by locating the state university at Moscow. In 1889, Idaho held a special convention and drafted a constitution that Congress approved, and a year later it became a state.
Developing the Land
There was little active government in Idaho during the Civil War, and many Confederate sympathizers and migrants from the border states settled in the region. In 1864, the legislature moved the capital to Boise, a site with much fertile land and a mild climate. Boise became a trade and transportation hub and two-thirds of Idaho farms were located in the Boise area by 1870. Cattle raising became common in the 1860s, and farming succeeded mining as the principal occupation in the 1870s, although it was as dependent as mining on outside financing. With irrigation, the Snake River valley became capable of development, and in the northern region of the Palouse, wheat growing was developed on a grand scale.
Silver Mining and Lumber Production
Lead and silver strikes at Wood River (1880) and the Coeur d'Alene (1883-1884) produced a new source of wealth for Idaho. The town of Hailey near Wood River had Idaho's first electric lighting and first telephone service. Initial placer methods were succeeded by hard-rock mining financed by outside investors, most notably the Sunshine Mine in the Coeur d'Alene, with the largest recorded silver production in the world. Eastern and Californian demand for timber spurred the creation of the Clearwater Timber Company by Frederick Weyerhaeuser in 1900, and by 1903, most private timberland was in the hands of the big timber companies. In 1904, production had reached 350 million board feet and by 1925, 1,100 million board feet.
Building a Transport Network
Mining, lumbering, and wheat growing companies required an effective railroad network to transport their products. In 1882, Pocatello, in the southeast, became a major railroad center, with a complex of railroad shops that was more unionized and ethnically diverse than other parts of the state, and far less Mormon than most towns in the east. The expansion of the network continued into the twentieth century, and by 1918, there were 2,841 miles of track in Idaho. Railroad stations were a matter of community pride and stimulated town growth, even though they also created dependency on the railroad timetable.
Immigration and Anti-Mormonism
The changes of the 1880s brought newcomers to Idaho. These included the Basques, who were known to work as shepherds but often worked in mining and dam construction; they developed their own hotels and boardinghouse culture. The 1880s also saw the rise of anti-Mormonism, because of the perception of the Latter-day Saints as outsiders who tended to vote as a bloc for the Democratic Party. Under the leadership of Fred Dubois, a campaign was waged against the Mormon practice of polygamy, and the legislature passed a measure in 1882 that barred Latter-day Saints from voting, holding office, or serving on a jury, although most of these restrictions were abandoned in 1893.
The Politics of the 1890s
During the 1890s, miners' support for silver monetization made Populism a political force in Idaho. Organized labor grew rapidly, and in 1907, there were forty-five unions with 2,240 members. In the Coeur d'Alene in 1892 and 1899, there were violent attacks on mine property. In 1899, Governor Frank Steunenberg declared martial law and many miners were imprisoned. In 1905, Harry Orchard planted a bomb at Steunenberg's home that killed the governor. The subsequent kidnap and prosecution of miners' leader William Haywood in 1906 set the stage in the following year for one of the more colorful trials of the century, with Senator William Borah as the prosecutor and the radical lawyer Clarence Darrow for the defense.
Idaho in the Progressive Era
Violent protest was not, however, the only means of bringing about reform. During the 1890s, Boise's Columbian Club created the first traveling library in the West. In 1900, there were about fifteen reform clubs in Idaho that pushed for progressive legislation. Although the Republican Party was strong in the state, Idaho saw the introduction of the direct primary, initiative, referendum, recall, and workers' compensation, as well as prohibition. Equally important was the irrigation of the Snake River plain, with the assistance of the federal Reclamation Bureau. By 1915, over 19 million acres (about 35 percent of state) had been formed into twenty-two national forests. Such assistance, however, created a problem of dependence on federal resources and technological expertise. The rise of irrigated land led to the "selling" of Idaho in the East by communities and railroads. Tourism was also pushed through such instruments as National Geographic.
Idaho in the 1920s
During World War I, Idaho contributed 20,000 men to the armed forces; produced food, minerals, and timber for aircraft; and purchased many war bonds and savings stamps. The state also fought the syndicalist Industrial Workers of the World, who were campaigning in the mining towns and lumbering camps for an eight-hour day and higher wages. Governor Moses Alexander asked for federal troops to quell unrest in the towns of Wallace and Lewiston, and the state legislature passed a criminal syndicalism law. The agricultural depression of 1921 prompted some out-migration and twenty-seven banks failed in the 1920s. Nevertheless, Idaho completed a basic network of highways and electric railroads for a number of communities, including Boise. Motorization spurred the creation of all-weather roads and then larger schools, and caused the demise of many remote villages. A north-south highway was completed by 1920, making possible direct communication between the two halves of the state. During the 1920s, Idaho experienced a farm revolt that led to the creation of the Progressive Party, which elected candidates in 1922 and controlled three county governments. But the Republican Party remained dominant.
The Great Depression
Of the Pacific Northwest states, Idaho suffered most during the Great Depression. Farm prices fell 44 percent between 1929 and 1930; the Snake River plain experienced severe drought and declining production through the early 1930s; and average income fell 49.3 percent between 1929 and 1932. The Democrat C. Ben Ross was elected governor in 1930 and Idaho voted strongly for the Democrats in 1932. The state was fifth in the nation in New Deal per capita spending, with programs for construction, electricity in the countryside, and agricultural relief. The development of hydroelectric power by the federal government was a serious political issue in the Pacific Northwest, but Idaho proved less keen on the idea of public power than Washington and Oregon, and the legislature rejected public utility districts in 1937.
World War II and the Transformation of Idaho
During World War II, 60,000 Idahoans—11 percent of the state's population—served in the armed forces. Air bases were established at Boise and Pocatello, while the largest inland naval base was located at Sandpoint, training 293,381 sailors. After the war, the Strategic Air Command maintained Mountain Home Air Force Base for refueling, while on the Snake River, the federal government built the National Reactor Testing Station with fifty-two reactors, which produced the first electricity from nuclear power in 1951.
Postwar Reconstruction
After 1945, Idaho saw the rise of manufacturing and of firms like Morrison-Knudsen, a construction company that had worked on Hoover Dam, Albertson's grocery and drugs, one of the largest retail outlets in the United States, and the J. R. Simplot Company, with interests in food processing, fertilizers, and ranching. Other employers included Boise Cascade, one of the nation's largest producers of plywood; Micron Technology, a semiconductor company founded in 1978; and Hewlett Packard. The federal Idaho National Engineering Laboratory employed 10,000 people in the early 1990s or 5 percent of the state's jobs. Boise emerged as a major northwestern city, experienced suburban growth, and retained its small-town ambiance. It was the only city in the central Northwest with more than 100,000 residents. Big growth in the 1970s was followed by a recession in the early 1980s, especially in mining and timber. Resource-based communities turned to tourism for salvation and a large inmigration took place, mostly from California, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. During the 1990s, the state's population grew 28.5 percent.
Politics in the Late Twentieth Century
Despite holding the governorship from 1971 to 1994 and producing influential figures like Senator Frank Church, the Democratic Party became increasingly irrelevant in Idaho. The Republicans held the majority of seats in the state legislature from 1961 to the beginning of the twentyfirst century. During the 1980s, union power declined, and Idaho's first right-to-work law was enacted. Idahoans voted for Republican Bob Dole over Democrat Bill Clinton by a margin of 18 percent in 1996 and for Republican George W. Bush over Democrat Al Gore by a margin of 39 percent in 2000.
Bibliography
Arrington, Leonard J. History of Idaho. 2 vols. Moscow: University of Idaho Press, 1994.
Ashby, LeRoy. The Spearless Leader: Senator Borah and the Progressive Movement in the 1920s. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1972.
Ewert, Sara E. Dant. "Evolution of an Environmentalist: Senator Frank Church and the Hells Canyon Controversy." Montana: The Magazine of Western History 51, no. 1 (Spring 2001): 36–51.
Fahey, John. The Inland Empire: Unfolding Years, 1879–1929. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1986.
Malone, Michael P. C. Ben Ross and the New Deal in Idaho. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1970.
May, Dean L. Three Frontiers: Family, Land, and Society in the American West, 1850–1900. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
Schwantes, Carlos A. In Mountain Shadows: A History of Idaho. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1991.
Wells, Merle W. Gold Camps and Silver Cities: Nineteenth Century Mining in Central and Southern Idaho. Moscow: Idaho Department of Lands, Bureau of Mines and Geology, 1983.
Columbia Encyclopedia:
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Idaho
Idaho (ī'dəhō), one of the Rocky Mt. states in the NW United States. It is bordered by Montana and Wyoming (E), Utah and Nevada (S), Oregon and Washington (W), and the Canadian province of British Columbia (N).
Facts and Figures
Area, 83,557 sq mi (216,413 sq km). Pop. (2000) 1,293,953, a 28.5% increase since the 1990 census. Capital and largest city, Boise. Statehood, July 3, 1890 (43d state). Highest pt., Borah Peak, 12,662 ft (3,862 m); lowest pt., Snake River, 710 ft (217 m). Nickname, Gem State. Motto, Esto Perpetua [It Is Perpetual]. State bird, mountain bluebird. State flower, syringa. State tree, white pine. Abbr., ID
Geography
Much of Idaho has an unspoiled beauty, with rugged slopes and towering peaks, a vast expanse of timberland, scenic lakes, wild rivers, cascades, and spectacular gorges. From the northern Panhandle, where Idaho is about 45 mi (72 km) wide, the state broadens south of the Bitterroot Range to 310 mi (499 km) in width. The Snake River flows in a great arc across S Idaho; with its tributaries the river has been harnessed to produce hydroelectric power and to reclaim vast areas of dry but fertile land. To the north of the Snake River valley, in central and north central Idaho, are the massive Sawtooth Mts. and the Salmon River Mts., which shelter magnificent wilderness areas, including the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness Area, and the Idaho Primitive Area.
In the central and north central regions and in the Panhandle there are tremendous expanses of national forests covering approximately two fifths of the state and constituting one of the largest areas of national forests in the nation. Idaho's jagged granite peaks include Mt. Borah, which is 12,662 ft (3,859 m) high. Hells Canyon, which at one point is 7,900 ft (2408 m) below the mountaintops, is the deepest gorge in North America. The state also contains Craters of the Moon National Monument and a protected grove of ancient cedars at Upper Priest Lake.
Rushing rivers such as the Salmon and the Clearwater, and many lakes, notably Lake Pend Oreille, Lake Coeur d'Alene (often described as one of the world's loveliest), and Priest Lake, as well as the state's mountain areas, make Idaho a superb fish and game preserve and vacation land. The state is especially inviting to campers, anglers, and hunters (Idaho has one of the largest elk herds in the nation). The state's climate ranges from hot summers in the arid southern basins to cold, snowy winters in the high wilderness areas of central and northern Idaho. The capital and largest city is Boise; other cities of importance are Pocatello and Idaho Falls.
Economy
Manufacturing has recently supplanted agriculture as the most important sector of Idaho's economy. Cattle and dairy goods are among the leading agricultural products. Idaho's chief crops are potatoes (for which the state, easily the nation's largest producer, is famous), hay, wheat, peas, beans, and sugar beets. Electronic and computer equipment, processed foods, lumber, and chemicals are the major manufactured items.
The unspoiled quality of much of Idaho's land has nourished one of the youngest of Idaho's businesses-the tourist trade. Sun Valley, one of the nation's best-known year-round vacation spots, is an example of the development of resorts in Idaho. Mining, once the major source of income, and still economically important, produces phosphates, gold, silver, molybdenum, antimony, lead, zinc, and other minerals.
Government, Politics, and Higher Education
Idaho's constitution, adopted in 1889, became effective in 1890 upon statehood. The state's chief executive is a governor elected for a term of four years. The legislature consists of a 42-member senate and an 84-member house of representatives. The state also elects two representatives and two senators to the U.S. Congress and has four electoral votes.
Idaho is a Republican state in national politics but had Democratic governors from 1970 to 1994. Cecil D. Andrus, elected governor in 1970 and reelected in 1974, served as secretary of the interior during the Carter administration; he was elected governor again in 1986 and 1990. Republican Phil Batt, elected governor in 1994, was succeeded by Republican Dirk Kempthorne, elected in 1998 and reelected in 2002. Kempthorne was appointed secretary of the interior in 2006. He was succeeded as governor by Lt. Gov. James E. Risch, also a Republican. Republican Butch Otter was elected to the post later in the year and was reelected in 2010.
Outstanding among Idaho's institutions of higher learning are the Univ. of Idaho, at Moscow; Idaho State Univ., at Pocatello; and Boise State Univ., at Boise.
History
Early Explorers and Fur Traders
Probably the first nonnatives to enter the area that is now Idaho were members of the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1805. They were not far ahead of the fur traders who came to the region shortly thereafter. A Canadian, David Thompson of the North West Company, established the first trading post in Idaho in 1809. The next year traders from St. Louis penetrated the mountains, and Andrew Henry of the Missouri Fur Company established a post near present-day Rexburg, the first American trading post established in the area.
In this period the fortunes of the Idaho region were wrapped up with those of the Columbia River region, and the area encompassed by what is now the state of Idaho was part of Oregon country, held jointly by the United States and Great Britain from 1818 to 1846. Fur traders in an expedition sent out by John Jacob Astor came to the Snake River region to trap for furs after having established (1811) a trading post at Astoria on the Columbia River. In 1821 two British trading companies operating in the Idaho region, the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company, were joined together as the Hudson's Bay Company which, after 1824, came into competition with American mountain men also trapping in the area. By the 1840s the two groups had severely depleted the region's fur supply.
Gold, Settlement, and Resistance
In 1846 the United States gained sole claim to Oregon country south of the 49th parallel by the Oregon Treaty with Great Britain. The area was established as a territory in 1848. Idaho still had no permanent settlement when Oregon Territory became a state in 1859 and the eastern part of Idaho was added to Washington Territory. A Mormon outpost founded at Franklin in 1860 is considered the first permanent settlement, but it was not until the discovery of gold that settlers poured into Idaho.
Gold was discovered on the Clearwater River in 1860, on the Salmon in 1861, in the Boise River basin in 1862, and gold and silver were found in the Owyhee River country in 1863. The usual rush of settlers followed, along with the spectacular but ephemeral growth of towns. Most of these settlements are only ghost towns now, but the many settlers who poured in during the gold rush-mainly from Washington, Oregon, and California, with smaller numbers from the east-formed a population large enough to demand new government administration, and Idaho Territory was set up in 1863.
Native Americans, mostly Kootenai, Nez Percé, Western Shoshone, Bannock, Coeur d'Alene, and Pend d'Oreille, became upset by the incursion of settlers and some resisted violently. The federal government had subdued many of these groups by 1858, placing them on reservations. The Bannock were defeated in 1863 and again in 1878. In 1876-77 the Nez Percé, led by Chief Joseph, made their heroic but unsuccessful attempt to flee to Canada while being pursued by U.S. troops.
Development and Disputes
A new mining boom started in 1882 with the discovery of gold in the Coeur d'Alene, and although the gold strike ended in disappointment, it prefaced the discovery there of some of the richest silver mines in the world. Coeur d'Alene and Kellogg became notable mining centers, and the Bunker Hill and Sullivan (a lead mine) became extremely famous mines. Severe labor troubles in the mines at the end of the century led to political uprisings. Frank Steunenberg, who as governor had used federal troops to put down the uprisings, was assassinated in 1905. The trial of William Haywood and others accused of involvement in the murder drew national attention and marked the beginning of the long career of William E. Borah (who had prosecuted the mine leaders) as an outstanding Republican party leader in the state and nation.
The late 19th cent. also witnessed the growth of cattle and sheep ranching, along with the strife that developed between the two groups of ranchers over grazing areas. The coming of the railroads (notably the Northern Pacific) through Idaho in the 1880s and 90s brought new settlers and aided in the founding of such cities as Idaho Falls, Pocatello, and American Falls.
Putting Water and the Atom to Work
Expanding Idaho farming led to private irrigation projects. Some of these aroused public opposition, which led to establishment of state irrigation districts under the Carey Land Act of 1894. The Reclamation Act of 1902 brought direct federal aid. Notable among public reclamation works are the Boise and Minidoka projects. Both public and private, these have also helped to increase the development of Idaho's enormous hydroelectric potential. Further private hydroelectric projects along the Snake River were put into operation between 1959 and 1968.
In 1949 the Atomic Energy Commission built the National Reactor Testing Station in SE Idaho. Now known as the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, the facility in 1955 provided energy for nearby Arco, the first American town to be lighted by electricity from a nuclear power plant.
Idaho suffered during the recession of the early 1980s but rebounded later in the decade by attracting new business, including high-technology firms. The growth of the winter sports industry has helped make Idaho a leading tourist state. These improvements in its economy made Idaho one of the nation's fastest-growing states in population between 1990 and 2000.
Bibliography
See Federal Writers' Project, Idaho (1938, rev. ed. 1950); M. W. Wells, Idaho: An Illustated History (1980).
State in the Rocky Mountains bordered by British Columbia, Canada, to the north; Montana and Wyoming to the east; Utah and Nevada to the south; and Oregon and Washington to the west. Its capital and largest city is Boise.
Local Time:
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Idaho (northern)
| It is 7:34 PM, May 31, in Idaho (southern). |  |
| It is 6:34 PM, May 31, in Idaho (northern). |  |
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- Abbreviation: ID
- Capital City: Boise
- Date of Statehood: Jul. 3, 1890
- State #: 43
- Population: 1,293,953
- Area: 83574 sq.mi. Land 82751 sq. mi. Water 823 sq.mi.
- Economy:
Agriculture: cattle, potatoes, dairy products, wheat, sugar beets, barley;
Industry: food processing, lumber and wood products, machinery, chemical products, paper products, silver and other mining, tourism - Where the name comes from: Idaho is a coined or invented word
- State Bird: Mountain Bluebird
- State Flower: Syringa
- About the Flag: The silk flag, adopted in 1907, is a blue field, bordered with gilt fringe, with Idaho's state seal, in the center. A woman represents liberty, justice and equality; a man is a miner. The pictures on the shield represent the main industries of forestry, farming and mining. The cornucopias, or horns of plenty, are symbols of abundance. The elks head representing wildlife appears under the words "Esto perpetua" (Let it be perpetual). The words "State of Idaho" are embroidered in block letters.
- State Motto: Esto perpetua -- Let it be perpetual
- State Nickname: Gem State
- State Song: Here We Have Idaho
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This article is about the U.S. state of Idaho. For other uses, see Idaho (disambiguation).
Idaho (
i/ˈaɪdəhoʊ/) is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. Idaho is the 14th most expansive, the 39th most populous, and the 7th least densely populated of the 50 United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state.
Idaho is a mountainous state with an area larger than that of 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. However, the network of dams and locks on the Columbia River and Snake River make the city of Lewiston the farthest inland seaport on the Pacific coast of the contiguous United States.
Idaho's nickname is the Gem State, because nearly every known type of gemstone has been found there.[5] In addition, Idaho is one of only two places in the world where star garnets can be found (the other is the Himalaya Mountains, in India)[citation needed], and is the only place six-pointed star garnets have been found[citation needed]. Additionally Idaho is sometimes called the Potato State owing to its popular crop. The state motto is Esto Perpetua (Latin for "Let it be forever").
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Etymology
The exact origin of the name remains a mystery.[6] In the early 1860s, when the United States Congress was considering organizing a new territory in the Rocky Mountains, eccentric lobbyist George M. Willing suggested the name "Idaho," which he claimed was derived from a Shoshone language term meaning "the sun comes from the mountains" or "gem of the mountains". Willing later claimed that he had made up the name himself.[7][8] Congress ultimately decided to name the area Colorado Territory when it was created in February 1861. Thinking they would get a jump on the name, locals named a community in Colorado "Idaho Springs".
However, the name "Idaho" did not go away. The same year Congress created Colorado Territory, a county called Idaho County was created in eastern Washington Territory. The county was named after a steamship named Idaho, which was launched on the Columbia River in 1860. It is unclear whether the steamship was named before or after Willing's claim was revealed. Regardless, a portion of Washington Territory, including Idaho County, was used to create Idaho Territory in 1863.
Despite this lack of evidence for the origin of the name, many textbooks well into the 20th century repeated as fact Willing's account that the name "Idaho" derived from the Shoshone term "ee-da-how".
The name "Idaho" may be derived from the Plains Apache word "ídaahę́" which means "enemy." The Comanches used this word to refer to the Idaho Territory.[9]
An excerpt from a 1956 Idaho History Textbook:
- "Idaho" is a Shoshoni Indian exclamation. The word consists of three parts. The first is "Ee", which in English conveys the idea of "coming down". The second is "dah" which is the Shoshoni stem or root for both "sun" and "mountain". The third syllable, "how", denotes the exclamation and stands for the same thing in Shoshoni that the exclamation mark (!) does in the English language. The Shoshoni word is "Ee-dah-how", and the Indian thought thus conveyed when translated into English means, "Behold! the sun coming down the mountain".[10]
Geography
Further information: List of Idaho counties
Idaho borders six states and one Canadian province. The states of Washington and Oregon are to the west, Nevada and Utah are to the south, and Montana and Wyoming are to the east. Idaho also shares a short border with the Canadian province of British Columbia to the north. The landscape is rugged with some of the largest unspoiled natural areas in the United States. For example, at 2.3 million acres (9,300 km²), the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area is the largest contiguous area of protected wilderness in the continental United States. Idaho is a Rocky Mountain state with abundant natural resources and scenic areas. The state has snow-capped mountain ranges, rapids, vast lakes and steep canyons. The waters of the Snake River rush through Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge in the United States.
Shoshone Falls plunges down rugged cliffs from a height greater than that of Niagara Falls. The major rivers in Idaho are the Snake River, the Clark Fork/Pend Oreille River, the Clearwater River, the Salmon River. Other significant rivers include the Coeur d'Alene River, the Spokane River, the Boise River, and the Payette River. The Salmon River empties into the Snake in Hells Canyon and forms the southern boundary of Nez Perce County on its north shore, of which Lewiston is the county seat. The Port of Lewiston, at the confluence of the Clearwater and the Snake Rivers is the farthest inland seaport on the West Coast at 465 river miles from the Pacific at Astoria, Oregon.[13]
Idaho's highest point is Borah Peak, 12,662 ft (3,859 m), in the Lost River Range north of Mackay. Idaho's lowest point, 710 ft (216 m), is in Lewiston, where the Clearwater River joins the Snake River and continues into Washington. The Sawtooth Range is often considered Idaho's most famous mountain range.[14] Other mountain ranges in Idaho include the Bitterroot Range, the White Cloud Mountains, the Lost River Range, the Clearwater Mountains, and the Salmon River Mountains.
Southern Idaho, including the Boise metropolitan area, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, and Twin Falls are in the Mountain Time Zone. (A legislative oddity (15 U.S.C. ch.6 §264) theoretically placed this region in the Central Time Zone, but this error was corrected with a 2007 Amendment.)[15] Areas north of the Salmon River, including Coeur d'Alene, Moscow, Lewiston, and Sandpoint are in the Pacific Time Zone and revolve commercially and culturally around Washington State through the second largest city, Spokane, Washington.
Climate
Idaho has much variation in its climate. Although the state's western border is located about 350 miles (560 km) from the Pacific Ocean, the maritime influence is still felt in Idaho, especially in the winter when cloud cover, humidity, and precipitation are at their maximum extent. This influence has a moderating effect in the winter where temperatures are not as low as would otherwise be expected for a northern state with a predominantly elevated altitude.[16] The maritime influence is least prominent in the eastern part of the state where the precipitation patterns are often reversed, with wetter summers and drier winters, and seasonal temperature differences more extreme, showing a more semi-arid continental climate.
Climate in Idaho can be hot, although extended periods over 100 °F (38 °C) for the maximum temperature are rare, except for the lowest point in elevation, Lewiston, which correspondingly sees very little snow. Hot summer days are tempered by the low relative humidity and cooler evenings during summer months since, for most of the state, the highest diurnal difference in temperature is often in the summer. Winters can be cold, although extended periods of bitter cold weather below zero are unusual. This is what led the railroad tycoon Harriman family to develop the most famous ski resort, Sun Valley. Idaho's all time highest temperature of 118 °F (48 °C) was recorded at Orofino on July 28, 1934; the all time lowest temperature of −60 °F (−51 °C) was recorded at Island Park Dam on January 18, 1943.
| Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Idaho Cities. (F) | ||||||||||||
| City | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise | 38/24 | 45/27 | 55/33 | 62/38 | 72/46 | 81/53 | 91/59 | 90/59 | 79/50 | 65/40 | 48/31 | 38/23 |
| Lewiston | 42/30 | 47/31 | 55/36 | 62/41 | 71/47 | 79/54 | 89/60 | 89/60 | 78/51 | 63/41 | 48/34 | 40/28 |
| Pocatello | 33/16 | 38/19 | 49/27 | 59/33 | 68/40 | 78/46 | 88/52 | 88/51 | 76/42 | 62/33 | 45/24 | 33/16 |
| [3] | ||||||||||||
Lakes
- Alturas Lake
- Bear Lake (Idaho-Utah)
- Dierkes Lake
- Hayden Lake
- Henry's Lake
- Hidden Lake
- Lake Cascade
- Lake Coeur d'Alene
- Lake Lowell
- Lake Ruvet
- Lake Walcott
- Payette Lake, (McCall)
- Pend Oreille
- Little Redfish Lake
- Lucky Peak Lake
- Pettit Lake
- Priest Lake
- Redfish Lake
- Sawtooth Lake
- Stanley Lake
- Warm Lake
- Williams Lake (Salmon)
History
Main article: History of Idaho
Humans may have been present in the Idaho area as long as 14,500 years ago. Excavations at Wilson Butte Cave near Twin Falls in 1959 revealed evidence of human activity, including arrowheads, that rank among the oldest dated artifacts in North America. American Indian peoples predominant in the area included the Nez Perce in the north and the Northern and Western Shoshone in the south.
An early presence of French-Canadian trappers is visible in names and toponyms that have survived to this day: Nez Percé, Coeur d'Alène, Boisé, Payette, some preexisting the Lewis and Clark and Astorian expeditions which themselves included significant numbers of French and Metis guides recruited for their familiarity with the terrain.
Idaho, as part of the Oregon Country, was claimed by both the United States and Great Britain until the United States gained undisputed jurisdiction in 1846. From 1843 to 1849 present-day Idaho was under the de facto jurisdiction of the Provisional Government of Oregon. When Oregon became a state, what is now Idaho was in what was left of the original Oregon Territory not part of the new state, and designated as the Washington Territory.
Between then and the creation of the Idaho Territory on July 4, 1863 at Lewiston, parts of the present-day state were included in the Oregon, Washington, and Dakota Territories. The new territory included present-day Idaho, Montana, and most of Wyoming. The Lewis and Clark expedition crossed Idaho in 1805 on the way to the Pacific and in 1806 on the return, largely following the Clearwater River both directions. The first non-indigenous settlement was Kullyspell House, established on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille for fur trading in 1809 by David Thompson of the North West Company.[17][18] In 1812 Donald Mackenzie, working for the Pacific Fur Company at the time, established a post on the lower Clearwater River near present-day Lewiston. This post, known as "MacKenzie's Post" or "Clearwater", operated until the Pacific Fur Company was bought out by the North West Company in 1813, after which it was abandoned.[19][20] The first attempts at organized communities, within the present borders of Idaho, were established in 1860.[21][22] The first permanent, substantial incorporated community was Lewiston in 1861.
After some tribulation as a territory, including the illegal and chaotic transfer of the territorial capital from Lewiston in December 1864 to Boise in January 1865, disenfranchisement of Mormon polygamists upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1877,[23] and a federal attempt to split the territory between Washington Territory which gained statehood in 1889, a year before Idaho, and the state of Nevada which had been a state since 1863, Idaho achieved statehood in 1890. The economy of the state, which had been primarily supported by metal mining, shifted towards agriculture, forest products and tourism.
In recent years, Idaho has expanded its commercial base as a tourism and agricultural state to include science and technology industries. Science and technology have become the largest single economic center (over 25% of the state's total revenue) within the state and are greater than agriculture, forestry and mining combined.[24]
The Idaho State Historical Society and numerous local historical societies and museums preserve and promote Idaho’s cultural heritage.
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 14,999 |
|
|
| 1880 | 32,610 | 117.4% | |
| 1890 | 88,548 | 171.5% | |
| 1900 | 161,772 | 82.7% | |
| 1910 | 325,594 | 101.3% | |
| 1920 | 431,866 | 32.6% | |
| 1930 | 445,032 | 3.0% | |
| 1940 | 524,873 | 17.9% | |
| 1950 | 588,637 | 12.1% | |
| 1960 | 667,191 | 13.3% | |
| 1970 | 712,567 | 6.8% | |
| 1980 | 943,935 | 32.5% | |
| 1990 | 1,006,749 | 6.7% | |
| 2000 | 1,293,953 | 28.5% | |
| 2010 | 1,567,582 | 21.1% | |
| Source: 1910–2010[25] | |||
The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Idaho was 1,584,985 on July 1, 2011, a 1.11% increase since the 2010 United States Census.[1]
At the 2010 Census, 89.1% of the population was White (84.0% non-Hispanic white), 0.6% Black or African American, 1.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 2.5% of two or more races. 11.2% of Idaho's population was of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin (they may be of any race).[26]
Idaho had an estimated population of 1,429,096 in 2005, which was an increase of 33,956, or 2.4%, from the prior year and an increase of 135,140, or 10.4%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 58,884 people (that is 111,131 births minus 52,247 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 75,795 people into the state. There are large numbers of Americans of English and German ancestry in Idaho. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 14,522 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 61,273 people.
This made Idaho the sixth fastest-growing state after Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Georgia, and Utah. From 2004 to 2005, Idaho grew the third-fastest, surpassed only by Nevada and Arizona.
Nampa, the state's second largest city, has experienced particularly strong growth in recent years. According to census estimates Nampa has grown 22.1% to nearly 65,000 residents between 2000 and 2003. As of 2007, the population in Nampa was estimated at 84,000. Growth of 5% or more over the same period has also been observed in Caldwell, Coeur d'Alene, Meridian, Post Falls and Twin Falls.[27]
From 1990 to 2010, Idaho's population increased by over 560,000 (55%).
The Boise Metropolitan Area (officially known as the Boise City-Nampa, ID Metropolitan Statistical Area) is Idaho's largest metropolitan area. Other metropolitan areas in order of size are Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Lewiston.
As of 2006, six official micropolitan statistical areas are based in Idaho. Twin Falls is the largest of these.
The center of population of Idaho is located in Custer County, in the town of Stanley.[28]
The most common reported ancestries in the state are: German (18.9%), English (18.1%), Irish (10%), American (8.4%), Norwegian (3.6%), and Swedish (3.5%).
Religion
According to a report produced by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life the self-identified religious affiliations of Idahoans over the age of 18 as of 2008 are:[29]
| Denomination | % |
|---|---|
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | 23 |
| Evangelical Protestant | 22 |
| Catholic | 18 |
| Unaffiliated | 18 |
| Mainline Protestant | 16 |
| Other Faiths | 2 |
| Jehovah's Witness | 1 |
| Eastern Orthodox | < 0.5 |
| Other Christian | < 0.5 |
| Jewish | < 0.5 |
| Muslim | < 0.5 |
| Buddhist | < 0.5 |
| Hindu | < 0.5 |
| Other World | < 0.5 |
| Don't know/refused | < 0.5 |
The largest denominations by number of members in 2000 were The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 311,425; (2008: 406,764) the Catholic Church with 130,847; the Assemblies of God with 18,745; and the United Methodist Church with 17,683.[30]
Economy
Gross state product for 2004 was US$43.6 billion. The per capita income for 2004 was US$26,881. Idaho is an important agricultural state, producing nearly one-third of the potatoes grown in the United States. All three varieties of wheat, Dark Northern Spring, Hard Red and Soft White are grown in the state. Nez Perce County is considered a premier Soft White growing locale.
Important industries in Idaho are food processing, lumber and wood products, machinery, chemical products, paper products, electronics manufacturing, silver and other mining, and tourism. The world's largest factory for barrel cheese, the raw product for processed cheese is located in Gooding, Idaho. It has a capacity of 120,000 metric tons per year of barrel cheese and belongs to the Glanbia group.[31] The Idaho National Laboratory (INL), a government lab for nuclear energy research, is also an important part of the eastern Idaho economy. Idaho also is home to three facilities of Anheuser-Busch which provide a large part of the malt for breweries located across the nation.
Locally, a variety of industries are important. Outdoor recreation is a common example ranging from numerous snowmobile and downhill and cross-country ski areas in winter to the evolution of Lewiston as a retirement community based on mild winters, dry year-round climate and one of the lowest median wind velocities anywhere, combined with the rivers for a wide variety of activities. Other examples would be ATK Corporation, which operates three ammunition and ammunition components plants in Lewiston. Two are sporting and one is defense contract. The Lewis-Clark valley has an additional independent ammunition components manufacturer and the Chipmunk rifle factory until it was purchased in 2007 by Keystone Sporting Arms and production was moved to Milton, Pennsylvania. Four of the world's six welded aluminum jet boat (for running river rapids) manufacturers are in the Lewiston-Clarkston, WA valley. Wine grapes were grown between Kendrick and Julietta in the Idaho Panhandle by the French Rothschilds until Prohibition. In keeping with this, while there are no large wineries or breweries in Idaho, there are numerous and growing numbers of award winning boutique wineries and microbreweries in the northern part of the state.
Today, the largest industry in Idaho is the science and technology sector. It accounts for over 25% of the State's total revenue and 70%+ of the State's exports (in dollars). Idaho's industrial economy is growing, with high-tech products leading the way. Since the late 1970s, Boise has emerged as a center for semiconductor manufacturing. Boise is the home of Micron Technology Inc., the only U.S. manufacturer of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips. Micron at one time manufactured desktop computers, but with very limited success. Hewlett-Packard has operated a large plant in Boise since the 1970s, which is devoted primarily to LaserJet printers production.[32] ON Semiconductor, whose worldwide headquarters in Pocatello, is a widely recognized innovator in modern integrated mixed-signal semiconductor products, mixed-signal foundry services, and structured digital products. Coldwater Creek, a women's clothing retailer, is headquartered in Sandpoint. Sun Microsystems (now a part of Oracle Corporation) has two offices in Boise and a parts depot in Pocatello. Sun brings $4M in annual salaries and over $300M of revenue to the state each year.
A number of Fortune 500 companies started in or trace their roots to Idaho, including JC Penney (as The Golden Rule) in Twin Falls, Safeways in American Falls, Albertsons in Boise, JR Simplot across southern Idaho, and Potlatch Corp. in Lewiston. Zimmerly Air Transport in Lewiston-Clarkston was one of the five companies in the merger centered around Varney Air Lines of Pasco, Washington, which became United Airlines and subsequently Varney Air Group that became Continental Airlines.
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 entities and some nonprofit youth and rehabilitation facilities.
The state sales tax is 6% with a very limited, selective local option up to 6.5%. Sales tax applies to the sale, rental or lease of tangible personal property and some services. Food is taxed, but prescription drugs are not. Hotel, motel, and campground accommodations are taxed at a higher rate (7% to 11%). Some jurisdictions impose local option sales tax.
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.[33]
Energy
The energy landscape of Idaho is favorable to the development of renewable energy systems. The state is rich in renewable energy resources but has limited fossil fuel resources. The Snake River Plain and smaller river basins provide Idaho with some of the best hydroelectric power resources in the nation and its geologically active mountain areas have significant geothermal power and wind power potential. These realities have shaped much of the state’s current energy landscape.
Most of the energy consumed in Idaho is imported from other states. Imports account for more than 80% of total energy consumption, including all of Idaho's natural gas and petroleum supplies and more than half of its electricity. Of the electricity consumed in Idaho in 2005, 48% came from hydroelectricity, 42% was generated by burning coal and 9% was generated by burning natural gas. The remainder came from other renewable sources such as wind.[34]
The state’s numerous river basins allow hydroelectric power plants to provide 556 thousand MWh, which amounts to about three-fourths of Idaho’s electricity generated in the state. Washington State provides most of the natural gas used in Idaho through one of the two major pipeline systems supplying the state. Although the state relies on out-of-state sources for its entire natural gas supply, it uses natural gas-fired plants to generate 127 thousand MWh, or about ten percent of its output. Coal-fired generation and the state’s small array of wind turbines supplies the remainder of the state’s electricity output. The state produces 739 thousand MWh but still needs to import half of its electricity from out-of-state to meet demand.[35]
While Idaho’s 515 trillion Btu total energy consumption is low compared with other states and represents just 0.5% of United States consumption, the state also has the nation’s 11th smallest population, 1.5 million, so its per capita energy consumption of 352 million Btu is currently just above the national average of 333 million Btu.[35] As the 13th largest state in land area, distance creates the additional problem of "line loss". When the length of an electrical transmission line is doubled, the resistance to an electric current passing through it is also doubled.
In addition, Idaho also has the 6th fastest growing population in the United States with the population expected to increase by 31% from 2008 to 2030.[36] This projected increase in population will contribute to a 42% increase in demand by 2030, further straining Idaho’s finite hydroelectric resources.[37]
Transportation
Main article: List of Idaho State Highways
Major highways
Idaho is among the few states in the nation without a major freeway linking the two largest metropolitan areas of Boise in the south and Coeur d'Alene in the north. US 95 links the two ends of the state, but like many other highways in Idaho, it is badly in need of repair and upgrade. In 2007, the Idaho Transportation Department stated that the state's highway infrastructure faces a $200 million per year shortfall in maintenance and upgrades. Interstate 84 is the main highway linking the Southeast and Southwest portions of the state, along with Interstate 86 and Interstate 15.
Major federal aid highways in Idaho:
|
North |
North/South |
West/East |
Southwest |
.svg){kind=small}
Air Travel
Major airports include the Boise Airport serving the southwest region of Idaho, and the Spokane International Airport (located in Spokane, Washington), which serves northern Idaho. Other airports with scheduled service are the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport serving the Palouse; the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport, serving the Lewis-Clark Valley and north central and west central Idaho; The Magic Valley Regional Airport in Twin Falls; the Idaho Falls Regional Airport; and the Pocatello Regional Airport.
Rail Travel
Idaho is served by two transcontinental railroads. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) connects North Idaho with Seattle, Portland and Spokane to the west, and Minneapolis and Chicago to the east. The BNSF travels through Kootenai, Bonner and Boundary Counties. The Union Pacific Railroad crosses southern Idaho traveling between Portland, Green River, WY, and Ogden, Utah and serves Boise, Nampa, Twin Falls, and Pocatello. Amtrak's Empire Builder crosses northern Idaho, with its only stop being in Sandpoint. There has been a push recently to return Amtrak service to southern Idaho, as well.
Ports
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.
Law and government
State Constitution
The Constitution of Idaho is roughly modeled on the national constitution with several additions. The constitution defines the form and functions of the state government, and may be amended through plebiscite. Notably, the state constitution presently requires the state government to maintain a balanced budget. As result, Idaho has limited debt (construction bonds, etc.).
Idaho Code
All of Idaho's state laws are contained in the Idaho Code. The code is amended through the Legislature with the approval of the Governor. Idaho still operates under its original (1889) state constitution.
State government
The constitution of Idaho provides for three branches of government: the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Idaho has a bicameral legislature, elected from 35 legislative districts, each represented by one senator and two representatives.
Since 1946, statewide elected constitutional officers have been elected to four-year terms. They include: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Controller (Auditor before 1994), Treasurer, Attorney General, and Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Last contested in 1966, Inspector of Mines was an original elected constitutional office. Afterward it was an appointed position and ultimately done away with entirely in 1974.
Idaho's government has an alcohol monopoly.
Executive Branch
Further information: List of Idaho Governors
Further information: Lieutenant Governor of Idaho
Further information: Secretary of State of Idaho
The governor of Idaho serves a four-year term, and is elected during what is nationally referred to as midterm elections. As such, the governor is not elected in the same election year as the president of the United States. The current governor is Republican C. L. "Butch" Otter, who was elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2010.
Legislative Branch
Main article: Idaho Legislature
Idaho's legislature is part-time. However, the session may be extended if necessary, and often is. Because of this, Idaho's legislators are considered "citizen legislators", meaning that their position as a legislator is not their main occupation.
Terms for both the Senate and House of Representatives are two years. Legislative elections occur every even numbered year.
The Idaho Legislature has been continuously controlled by the Republican Party since the late 1950s, although Democratic legislators are routinely elected from Boise, Pocatello, Blaine County and the northern Panhandle.
See also List of Idaho senators and representatives
Judicial Branch
Main article: Courts of Idaho
The highest court in Idaho is the Idaho Supreme Court. There is also an intermediate appellate court, the Idaho Court of Appeals, which hears cases assigned to it from the Supreme Court. The state's District Courts serdistricts.[38]
Counties
Idaho is divided into political jurisdictions designated as counties. Since 1919 there are 44 counties in the state, ranging in size from 410 to 8,502 square miles (1,062 to 22,020 square kilometers).
| County name | County seat | Year founded | Population 2008 Est. | Population Percentage | Area (sq. m.) | Area Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ada | Boise | 1864 | 380,920 | 25.00 % | 1,060 | 1.21 % |
| Adams | Council | 1911 | 3,499 | 00.23 % | 1,370 | 1.57 % |
| Bannock | Pocatello | 1893 | 80,812 | 05.30 % | 1,147 | 1.31 % |
| Bear Lake | Paris | 1893 | 5,798 | 00.38 % | 1,049 | 1.20 % |
| Benewah | St. Maries | 1915 | 9,352 | 00.61 % | 784 | 0.90 % |
| Bingham | Blackfoot | 1885 | 43,903 | 02.88 % | 2,120 | 2.42 % |
| Blaine | Hailey | 1895 | 21,731 | 01.43 % | 2,661 | 3.04 % |
| Boise | Idaho City | 1864 | 7,504 | 00.49 % | 1,907 | 2.18 % |
| Bonner | Sandpoint | 1907 | 41,168 | 02.70 % | 1,920 | 2.19 % |
| Bonneville | Idaho Falls | 1911 | 99,135 | 06.51 % | 1,901 | 2.17 % |
| Boundary | Bonners Ferry | 1915 | 10,962 | 00.72 % | 1,278 | 1.46 % |
| Butte | Arco | 1917 | 2,751 | 00.18 % | 2,234 | 2.55 % |
| Camas | Fairfield | 1917 | 1,126 | 00.07 % | 1,079 | 1.23 % |
| Canyon | Caldwell | 1891 | 183,939 | 12.07 % | 604 | 0.69 % |
| Caribou | Soda Springs | 1919 | 6,826 | 00.45 % | 1,799 | 2.06 % |
| Cassia | Burley | 1879 | 21,348 | 01.40 % | 2,580 | 2.95 % |
| Clark | Dubois | 1919 | 910 | 00.06 % | 1,765 | 2.02 % |
| Clearwater | Orofino | 1911 | 8,176 | 00.54 % | 2,488 | 2.84 % |
| Custer | Challis | 1881 | 4,254 | 00.28 % | 4,937 | 5.64 % |
| Elmore | Mountain Home | 1889 | 28,997 | 01.90 % | 3,101 | 3.54 % |
| Franklin | Preston | 1913 | 12,454 | 00.82 % | 668 | 0.76 % |
| Fremont | St. Anthony | 1893 | 12,551 | 00.82 % | 1,896 | 2.17 % |
| Gem | Emmett | 1915 | 16,513 | 01.08 % | 566 | 0.65 % |
| Gooding | Gooding | 1913 | 14,295 | 00.94 % | 734 | 0.84 % |
| Idaho | Grangeville | 1861/1864 | 15,448 | 01.01 % | 8,502 | 9.71 % |
| Jefferson | Rigby | 1913 | 23,860 | 01.57 % | 1,106 | 1.26 % |
| Jerome | Jerome | 1919 | 20,468 | 01.34 % | 602 | 0.69 % |
| Kootenai | Coeur d'Alene | 1864 | 137,475 | 09.02 % | 1,316 | 1.50 % |
| Latah | Moscow | 1888 | 35,906 | 02.36 % | 1,077 | 1.23 % |
| Lemhi | Salmon | 1869 | 7,808 | 00.51 % | 4,570 | 5.22 % |
| Lewis | Nezperce | 1911 | 3,594 | 00.24 % | 480 | 0.55 % |
| Lincoln | Shoshone | 1895 | 4,503 | 00.30 % | 1,206 | 1.38 % |
| Madison | Rexburg | 1914 | 37,456 | 02.46 % | 473 | 0.54 % |
| Minidoka | Rupert | 1913 | 18,645 | 01.22 % | 763 | 0.87 % |
| Nez Perce | Lewiston | 1861/1864 | 38,975 | 02.56 % | 856 | 0.98 % |
| Oneida | Malad City | 1864 | 4,130 | 00.27 % | 1,202 | 1.37 % |
| Owyhee | Murphy | 1863 | 10,877 | 00.71 % | 7,697 | 8.79 % |
| Payette | Payette | 1917 | 22,966 | 01.51 % | 410 | 0.47 % |
| Power | American Falls | 1913 | 7,683 | 00.50 % | 1,443 | 1.65 % |
| Shoshone | Wallace | 1861/1864 | 12,913 | 00.85 % | 2,636 | 3.01 % |
| Teton | Driggs | 1915 | 8,833 | 00.58 % | 451 | 0.52 % |
| Twin Falls | Twin Falls | 1907 | 74,284 | 04.87 % | 1,928 | 2.20 % |
| Valley | Cascade | 1917 | 8,862 | 00.58 % | 3,734 | 4.27 % |
| Washington | Weiser | 1879 | 10,206 | 00.67 % | 1,474 | 1.68 % |
Total Counties: 44. Total 2008 Population Est.: 1,523,816. Total Area: 87,530 square miles (226,700 km2).
Three counties were first designated as such by the Washington Territorial Legislature in 1861;[39] they were subsequently re-designated as Idaho counties in 1864. The 1861 Nez Perce county has since been broken up into Nez Perce, Lewis, Boundary, Benewah, Latah, Kootenai and Clearwater counties.
Idaho license plates begin with a county designation based on the first letter of the county's name. Where a letter is at the beginning of more than one name, a number accompanies precedingly in alphabetical order. This reflects an anomalous coincidental situation wherein 10 counties begin with B, seven with C and four with L, which is 21 of the 44 counties.
Politics
| Year | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 61.5% 403,012 | 36.1% 236,440 |
| 2004 | 68.38% 409,235 | 30.26% 181,098 |
| 2000 | 67.17% 336,937 | 27.64% 138,637 |
| 1996 | 52.18% 256,595 | 33.65% 165,443 |
| 1992 | 42.03% 202,645 | 28.42% 137,013 |
| 1988 | 62.08% 253,881 | 36.01% 147,272 |
| 1984 | 72.36% 297,523 | 26.39% 108,510 |
| 1980 | 66.46% 290,699 | 25.19% 110,192 |
| 1976 | 59.88% 204,151 | 37.12% 126,549 |
| 1972 | 64.24% 199,384 | 26.04% 80,826 |
| 1968 | 56.79% 165,369 | 30.66% 89,273 |
| 1964 | 49.08% 143,557 | 50.92% 148,920 |
| 1960 | 53.78% 161,597 | 46.22% 138,853 |
After the Civil War, many Midwestern and Southern Democrats moved to the Idaho Territory. As a result, the early territorial legislatures were solidly Democrat-controlled. In contrast, most of the territorial governors were appointed by Republican presidents and were Republicans themselves. This led to sometimes-bitter clashes between the two parties, including a range war with the Democrats backing the sheepherders and the Republicans the cattlemen. That ended with the "Diamondfield" Jack Davis murder trial. In the 1880s, Republicans became more prominent in local politics.
Since statehood, the Republican Party has usually been the dominant party in Idaho, as there was a polar shift in social and political stance between the two parties, when the Democrats became more liberal and the Republicans more conservative. At one time, Idaho had two Democratic parties, one being the mainstream and the other called the Anti-Mormon Democrats, lasting into the early 20th century. In the 1890s and early 1900s, the Populist Party enjoyed prominence while the Democratic Party maintained a brief dominance in the 1930s during the Great Depression. Since World War II, most statewide elected officials have been Republicans. The last time the Democratic Party held a majority in either house of the state legislature was the House of Representatives in 1958 by one seat. However, Democrats did hold the governorship from 1971 to 1995, despite the state's Republican tilt.
Idaho Congressional delegations have also been generally Republican since statehood. Several Idaho Democrats have had electoral success in the House over the years, but the Senate delegation has been a Republican stronghold for decades. Several Idaho Republicans, including current Senator Mike Crapo, have won reelection to the Senate, but only Frank Church has won reelection as a Democrat. Church was the last Idaho Democrat to win a U.S. Senate race, in 1974. Walt Minnick's 2008 win in the First Congressional District was the state's first Democratic Congressional victory in 16 years.
In modern times, Idaho has been a reliably Republican state in presidential politics as well. It has not supported a Democrat for president since 1964. Even in that election, Lyndon Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater in the state by fewer than two percentage points, compared to a landslide nationally. In 2004, Republican George W. Bush carried Idaho by a margin of 38 percentage points and with 68.4% of the vote, winning in 43 of 44 counties. Only Blaine County, which contains the Sun Valley ski resort, supported John Kerry, who owns a home in the area. In 2008 Barack Obama's 36.1 percent[40] showing was the best for a Democratic presidential candidate in Idaho since 1976. However, Republican margins were narrower in 1992 and 1996.
In the 2006 elections, Republicans, led by gubernatorial candidate C. L. "Butch" Otter, won all the state's constitutional offices and retained both of the state's seats in the United States House of Representatives. However, Democrats picked up several seats in the Idaho Legislature, notably in the Boise area.[41]
Republicans lost one of the House seats in 2008 to Minnick, but Republican Jim Risch retained Larry Craig's Senate seat for the GOP by a comfortable margin.[42]
Further information: Political party strength in Idaho
Important cities and towns
|
Population > 100,000 (urbanized area)
Population > 50,000 (urbanized area)
Population > 30,000 (urbanized area)
Population > 10,000 (urbanized area)
|
Smaller Towns and Cities
|
National Parks, Reserves, Monuments and Historic sites
- California National Historic Trail
- City of Rocks National Reserve
- Craters of the Moon National Monument
- Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
- Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
- Minidoka National Historic Site
- Nez Perce National Historical Park
- Oregon National Historic Trail
- Yellowstone National Park
National Recreation Areas
National Wildlife Refuges
- Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge
- Camas National Wildlife Refuge
- Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge
- Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge
- Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge
- Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge
National Conservation Areas
State parks
See also: List of Idaho state parks
- Bear Lake State Park
- Bruneau Dunes State Park
- Castle Rocks State Park
- City of Rocks National Reserve
- Coeur d'Alene Parkway State Park
- Dworshak State Park
- Eagle Island State Park
- Farragut State Park
- Harriman State Park
- Hells Gate State Park
- Henrys Lake State Park
- Heyburn State Park
- Lake Cascade State Park
- Lake Walcott State Park
- Land of the Yankee Fork State Park
- Lucky Peak State Park
- Massacre Rocks State Park
- McCroskey State Park
- Old Mission State Park
- Ponderosa State Park
- Priest Lake State Park
- Round Lake State Park
- Thousand Springs State Park
- Three Island Crossing State Park
- Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes
- Winchester Lake State Park
Education
Colleges and universities
The Idaho State Board of Education oversees three comprehensive universities. The University of Idaho in Moscow was the first university in the state (founded in 1889). A land-grant institution, the UI was the state's flagship university. Idaho State University in Pocatello opened in 1901 as the Academy of Idaho and received university status in 1963. Boise State University is the most recent school to attain university status in Idaho, and is primarily geared toward being a commuter school for part-time undergraduate students. The school opened in 1932 as Boise Junior College and became Boise State University in 1974. 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 College of Western Idaho in Nampa, which opened in 2009. A public technical college, Eastern Idaho Technical College, operates in Idaho Falls.
Private institutions in Idaho are Boise Bible College, affiliated with congregations of the Christian churches and churches of Christ; 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.
Sports
Central Idaho is home to one of North America's oldest ski resorts, Sun Valley, where the world's first chairlift was installed in 1936. Other noted outdoor sites include Hell's Canyon, the Salmon River, and its embarkation point of Riggins.
| Club | Sport | League |
|---|---|---|
| Boise Hawks | Baseball | Northwest - (Class A) |
| Boise State Broncos | NCAA | Div I FBS – MWC |
| Idaho Vandals | NCAA | Div I FBS – WAC |
| Idaho State Bengals | NCAA | Div I FCS – Big Sky |
| Idaho Falls Chukars | Baseball | Pioneer - (Rookie) |
| Idaho Stampede | Basketball | NBA D-League |
| Idaho Steelheads | Ice hockey | ECHL |
Boise is the host to the largest 5 km run for women, the St. Luke's Women's Fitness Celebration.
Official state emblems
|
|
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|---|---|
| Animate insignia | |
| Amphibian | Eastern Tiger Salamander |
| Bird(s) | Mountain Bluebird |
| Fish | Cutthroat trout |
| Flower(s) | Syringa |
| Insect | Monarch Butterfly |
| Tree | Western White Pine |
|
|
|
| Inanimate insignia | |
| Dance | Square Dance |
| Food | Potato, Huckleberry |
| Fossil | Hagerman horse |
| Gemstone | Star garnet |
| Slogan(s) | Great Potatoes. Tasty Destinations. |
| Soil | Threebear |
| Song(s) | Here We Have Idaho |
|
|
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| Route marker(s) | |
 |
|
|
|
|
| State Quarter | |
|
|
|
| Released in 2007 | |
|
|
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| Lists of United States state insignia | |
- State Bird: Mountain Bluebird [43]
- State Dance: Square Dance
- State Fish: Cutthroat Trout
- State Flower: Syringa (Philadelphus lewisii)
- 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") [44]
- State Insect: Monarch butterfly
- State Raptor: Peregrine falcon
- State Song: Here We Have Idaho
- State Tree: Western White Pine
- State Vegetable: Potato
Idahoans
Main article: List of people from Idaho
See also
- Outline of Idaho
- Index of Idaho-related articles
- List of National Register of Historic Places in Idaho
- List of people from Idaho
- List of places in Idaho
- Rocky Mountains
- U.S. state
References
 |
This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2009) |
- ^ a b "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011" (CSV). 2011 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. December 2011. http://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2011/tables/NST-EST2011-01.csv. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
- ^ "Beauty Reset". NGS data sheet. U.S. National Geodetic Survey. http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=PZ0770. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ a b "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
- ^ a b Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988.
- ^ Just, Rick. "Star Garnet." Idaho Snapshots. Meridian, Idaho: Radio Idaho, 1990. 9.
- ^ "Idaho-its meaning, origin and application : Rees, John E., 1868–1928 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive". Archive.org. http://www.archive.org/details/idahoitsmeaningo00reesrich. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ "Idaho – MSN Encarta". Idaho – MSN Encarta. Archived from the original on 2009-11-01. http://www.webcitation.org/query?id=1257036681681058.
- ^ "Did Idaho Get Its Name As A Result Of A Hoax?". Museumofhoaxes.com. 2006-04-25. http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/permalink/did_idaho_get_its_name_as_a_result_of_a_hoax/. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ [1] etymonline.com
- ^ Barber & Martin (1956). Idaho in the Pacific Northwest. Caxton Printers Ltd. Library of Congress 55-5192.
- ^ "Western States Data Public Land Acreage". Wildlandfire.com. 2007-11-13. http://www.wildlandfire.com/docs/2007/western-states-data-public-land.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ "USDA Forest Service – Comment Form". Fs.fed.us. 2005-04-01. http://www.fs.fed.us/land/staff/lar/2007/Table_4.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ "Port of Lewiston". u-s-history.com. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2812.html. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ "Sawtooth Range". Idahoaclimbingguide.com. http://www.idahoaclimbingguide.com/id27.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ "264, Part of Idaho in fourth zone". http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/15C6.txt.
- ^ "Climate Of Idaho". Wrcc.dri.edu. 1954-02-20. http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/IDAHO.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ "David Thompson's Trading Post, Idaho Forts, American Forts Network". http://www.northamericanforts.com/West/id.html#thompson.
- ^ Meinig, D.W. (1995) [1968]. The Great Columbia Plain (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Classic ed.). University of Washington Press. pp. 36, 55. ISBN 0-295-97485-0.
- ^ "Fur Trade Posts In Idaho, Idaho State Historical Society.". http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0062.pdf.
- ^ "Donald MacKenzie's Post, Idaho Forts, American Forts Network". http://www.northamericanforts.com/West/id.html#clear.
- ^ Bennett, Eldon T.. "An Early History of Franklin". Franklin, Idaho. http://www.franklinidaho.org/History2.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
- ^ "Elias Davidson Pierce and the Founding of Pierce" (PDF). Idaho State Historical Society. August 1966. http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0008.pdf. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
- ^ ""Mormon" Entry for The Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United States, David S.Tanenhaus" (PDF). http://nboman.people.wm.edu/MormonsEUSC.pdf. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ "The Power of Idaho". Idaho Economic Development Association. 2004. http://ieda.biz/white.html. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
- ^ http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php
- ^ http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/16000.html
- ^ "Idaho QuickFacts from the U.S. Census Bureau". Quickfacts.census.gov. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/16000.html. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ "Population and Population Centers by State". United States Census Bureau. 2000. http://www.census.gov/geo/cenpop/statecenters.txt. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
- ^ "RLS report 2-22.indd" (PDF). http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/report-religious-landscape-study-full.pdf. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ "State Membership Report – Idaho". Association of Religion Data Archives. http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/16_2000.assp. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
- ^ "Zuivelzicht" April 25, 2007
- ^ "Today in History: March 4". Memory.loc.gov. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar04.html. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ "Facts At a Glance". Idaho Lottery. 2007. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070613232433/http://idaholottery.com/facts.asp. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
- ^ "2007 Idaho Energy Plan". Idaho Legislative Council Interim Committee on Energy, Environment and Technology. 2007. http://www.energy.idaho.gov/informationresources/d/energy_plan_2007.pdf. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
- ^ a b "Idaho Energy Profile". Energy Information Administration. 2009. http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=ID. Retrieved 2007-06-02.
- ^ "Idaho Strategic Energy Alliance Frequently Asked Questions". Idaho Strategic Energy Alliance. 2009. http://www.energy.idaho.gov/idahostrategicenergyalliance/d/isea_faq.pdf. Retrieved 2007-06-02.[dead link]
- ^ "Idaho Energy Complex". Idaho Energy Complex. 2009. http://idahoenergycomplex.org/faq.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-02.
- ^ "Idaho District Court Websites". Isc.idaho.gov. http://www.isc.idaho.gov/district.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
- ^ "IdahoHistory.net". IdahoHistory.net. 2010-07-07. http://www.idahohistory.net/pierce.html. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ Idaho Secretary of State Election Division, "November 4, 2008 General Election Results"
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ 2008 statewide totals[dead link]
- ^ "Idaho Secretary of State: State Symbols". Idaho Secretary of State. State of Idaho. http://www.sos.idaho.gov/elect/emblem.htm. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
- ^ "Idaho history homepage". Idahohistory.net. 2010-07-07. http://idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0134.pdf. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
External links
| Find more about Idaho on Wikipedia's sister projects: | |
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Definitions and translations from Wiktionary |
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Images and media from Commons |
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Learning resources from Wikiversity |
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News stories from Wikinews |
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Quotations from Wikiquote |
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Source texts from Wikisource |
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Textbooks from Wikibooks |
- State of Idaho government website
- Idaho at the Open Directory Project
- Energy Profile for Idaho
- Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation
- Idaho Newspapers
- Idaho State Databases – Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Idaho state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association.
- Idaho State Facts
- Log Cabins in America: The Finnish Experience, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
- The History of Idaho
- U.S. Census Bureau
- USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Idaho
- Visit Idaho site – The official state tourism website
Geographic data related to Idaho at OpenStreetMap
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| Preceded by Washington |
List of U.S. states by date of statehood Admitted on July 3, 1890 (43rd) |
Succeeded by Wyoming |
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
Top
Idaho
Português (Portuguese)
n. - Idaho
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
爱达荷州
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 愛達荷州
한국어 (Korean)
아이다호 (미국 북서부의 주; 주도 Boise; (약) Id., Ida.; 속칭 Gem State, Little Ida)
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