Idaho - Fun Facts, Food, Famous People, Attractions

Idaho is known for:

State Abbreviation	ID
State Capital	Boise
State Size	Total (Land + Water): 83,570 sq miles; Land Only: 82,747 sq miles
Number of Counties	44
Time Zone	Mountain Time Zone, Pacific Time Zone
Bordering States	Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
Highest Point	Borah Peak, 12,668 feet
National Parks	None
State Population (2020)	1,839,106
State Population Density	22.2 people / square mile
Area Codes	208, 986
Top 5 Cities (2020 population)	Boise (229,776) Meridian (121,182) Nampa (103,215) Idaho Falls (64,142) Caldwell (60,674)

Statehood	July 3, 1890
Electoral Votes	4
State Flag
Governor	Official Idaho Governor Website
U. S. Senators	List of U. S. Senators From Idaho
U. S. Representatives	List of U. S. Representatives From Idaho
State Senators	List of Idaho State Senators
State Representatives	List of Idaho State Representatives
State Government	Official Site
State Constitution	Idaho State Constitution
Same-Sex Marriage Legalization Date	October 13, 2014
Road Conditions	Idaho Road Conditions
State Quarter Issue Date	August 03, 2007

State Amphibian	Idaho giant salamander
State Bird	Mountain bluebird
State Dance	Square dance
State Fish	Cutthroat trout
State Flower	Syringa
State Fossil	Hagerman horse fossil
State Fruit	Huckleberry
State Gem	Idaho star garnet
State Horse	Appaloosa horse
State Insect	Monarch butterfly
State Motto	Esto perpetua (Let it be perpetual)
State Nickname	Gem State
State Raptor	Peregrine falcon
State Tree	Western white pine
State Vegetable	Potato

Major Sports Teams	None
NCAA Division I Schools	Boise State University (Mountain West) University of Idaho (Big Sky) Idaho State University (Big Sky)

Bogus Basin: Ski area near Boise, Idaho.
Boise National Forest: National forest covering more than 2.5 million acres in Idaho.
Craters of the Moon: National monument and national preserve in central Idaho.
Farragut State Park: State park in northern Idaho.
Harriman State Park: State park in eastern Idaho.
Hells Canyon: Canyon on the border of western Idaho, eastern Oregon, and eastern Washington.
Idaho Botanical Garden: Botanical garden in Boise, Idaho.
Lake Coeur d'Alene: Lake in northern Idaho.
Lake Pend Oreille: Lake in northern Idaho.
Perrine Bridge: Bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Ponderosa State Park: State park in Valley County, Idaho.
Redfish Lake: Lake in central Idaho.
Shoshone Falls: Waterfall on the Snake river in southern Idaho.
Silverwood Theme Park: Theme park in Athol, Idaho.
Sun Valley Resort: Resort in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Tamarack Resort: Resort in Tamarack, Idaho.
World Center for Birds of Prey: Educational center in Boise, Idaho.
Yellowstone Bear World: Drive-thru wildlife park in Rexburg, Idaho.
Zoo Boise: Zoo in Boise, Idaho.

Idaho is famous for the following foods:

Idaho is a made-up word. When Congress was considering a name for present-day Colorado, lobbyist George Willing suggested the name "Idaho," claiming it was an Indian word that means "gem of the mountains." This name was not chosen for Colorado, but two years later it was used when the Idaho Territory was created in 1863.
American Falls is unique from most communities because the entire town was moved in the mid-1920s when the original American Falls Dam was constructed.
Hell's Canyon is the deepest gorge in America at 7,993 feet.
Idaho is called the "Gem State" because nearly every known type of gemstone has been found in the state of Idaho. More than 72 different precious and semi-precious gemstones are mined from Idaho.
Idaho is the only state in the United States with an official State Raptor, peregrine falcon.
Soda Springs boasts the largest man-made geyser in the world.
Idaho is one of only two places in the world where star garnets can be found in any significant quantities (India is the other).
The statehouse in Boise is geothermally heated from underground hot springs.
On July 17, 1955, the town of Arco became the first city in the world to be lit by atomic energy.
Idaho's Shoshone Falls is called the "Niagara of the West." It is 212 feet high—45 feet higher than Niagara Falls.

This page was last updated on January 30, 2023.

Idaho Facts