Discover the world’s densest concentration of nesting birds of prey. Discover North America’s tallest sand dune. Discover the United States’ deepest river gorge. Discover wild huckleberries and homegrown potatoes. Discover Idaho.
Find out more about Idaho at DiscoverAmerica.com.
Capital: Boise
Population: About 1.6 million people live in Idaho.
Geography: Part of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, Idaho shares a border with Canadian province British Columbia to the north, Montana and Wyoming to the east, Utah and Nevada to the south and Oregon and Washington to the west.
Higher Education: Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho (UI) is the state’s oldest university. The main campus, located in Moscow, Idaho, maintains an undergraduate enrollment of 11,000 students. UI offers more than 140 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs and maintains the state’s only law school. Boise State University, or Boise for short, was founded in 1932. With an enrollment of nearly 20,000 students, Boise is Idaho’s largest institution of higher learning. Boise offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and more than 100 graduate degree programs. The school has also gained national attention for its football team. The Boise Broncos play their home games on a unique blue playing surface — the first nongreen playing field in the history of American football.
Major Industries: Technology leads the way in Idaho’s economy with electrical equipment, particularly computer components, as the major manufacturing output. Food processing, especially canning and freezing, and lumber products are the state’s other major manufacturing sectors. Idaho’s top agricultural products include dairy, cattle, potatoes, wheat and hay. Idaho produces more than 30 percent of the potatoes in the United States. Service industries — such as wholesale, retail, finance and insurance — also play a major role in the economy of the Gem State.
Famous Idahoans: American football players A.J. Feeley and Korey Hall; former U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin; acclaimed poet and literary mentor Ezra Pound; Lewis & Clark’s guide Sacajawea; Olympic skier Picabo Street; and film actress Lana Turner were all born in Idaho.
Pop Culture: The 2004 offbeat comedy Napoleon Dynamite starring Jon Heder and the 2007 comedy drama Georgia Rule starring Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan and Felicity Huffman were both set in rural Idaho.
Culinary Specialties: Idaho is home to cattle ranches and cowboys, so dishes such as fresh fish, thick steaks and meaty chili are part of the state’s collective palate. Idaho’s fertile soil has also helped define its culinary heritage with huckleberries and potatoes flourishing throughout the state. Try some sweet and tart huckleberry jam or enjoy a baked Idaho Russet Burbank potato.
International Connection: Boise, Idaho, is sister cities with Chita, Russia, and Gernika, Spain.
Fun Facts:
• Idaho’s Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area houses the world’s most dense population of nesting eagles, falcons and hawks.
• Idaho’s Bruneau Dunes State Park contains North America’s tallest sand dune at more than 143 meters.
• Hells Canyon, partially located in western Idaho, is North America’s deepest gorge.
Adventure Idea: Explore North America’s deepest river gorge by boat! Hells Canyon Adventures offers regular jet boat tours along the white-water rapids of the Snake River. Experience sheer rock walls, major rapids and wide open spaces like never before.