Idaho

The State of Idaho is a  in the  region of the. The state's largest city, and, is. Residents are called "." Idaho was admitted to the on, , as the 43rd state.

According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2004, Idaho had an estimated population of 1,393,262. The state's postal abbreviation is ID. Idaho is nicknamed the Gem State because of its abundance of natural resources. The state motto is Esto Perpetua ( for "Let it be perpetual").

Geography


Idaho borders the states of, , , , , and the  province of  (the Idaho-BC border is 48 mi long). The landscape is rugged with some of the largest unspoiled natural areas in the United States. It is a state with abundant natural resources and scenic areas. The state has snow-capped mountain ranges, rapids, placid lakes and steep canyons. The waters of rush through, the deepest canyon in the United States. plunges down rugged cliffs from a height greater than that of.

The major rivers in Idaho are the, the and the. Other significant rivers include the and the. The Port of Lewiston is the farthest inland seaport in the Pacific Northwest.

Idaho's highest point is, 12662 ft, in the north of. Idaho's lowest point, 745 ft, is in, where the joins the Snake River and continues into.

Southern Idaho, including the, , , and are in the. Areas north of the, including , , and , are in the.

Climate
Idaho has much variation in its climate. Although the state's western border is located 300 mi 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 highest points. 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 mostly elevated altitude. The maritime influence is lowest in the southeastern 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 continental climate.

Summers in Idaho can be hot, although extended periods over 100 °F for the maximum temperature are rare. Hot summer days are tempered by the low relative humidity and cooler evenings during summer months since, for most of the state, the highest difference in temperature is often in the summer. Winters can be cold, although extended periods of bitter cold weather below zero are unusual.

Adjacent States and Provinces

 * of - north
 * - east by north
 * - east
 * - east by south
 * - west by south
 * - west
 * - north by west

History
Humans may have been present in the Idaho area as long as 14,500 years ago. Excavations at near  in 1959 revealed evidence of human activity, including arrowheads, that rank among the oldest dated artifacts in. tribes predominant in the area included the in the north and the Northern and Western  in the south.

Idaho, as part of the, was claimed by both the United States and until the United States gained undisputed jurisdiction in 1846. Between then and the creation of the in 1863, parts of the present-day state were included in the, , and  Territories. The new territory included most of present-day Idaho,, and. The first organized communities, within the present borders of Idaho, were established in 1860. After some tribulation as a territory, including the chaotic transfer of the territorial capital from to, disenfranchisement of the large Mormon minority and a federal attempt to split the territory between Washington Territory and the state of , Idaho achieved statehood in 1890. The economy of the state, which had been primarily supported by metal mining, shifted towards and.

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.

The preserves and promotes Idaho’s cultural heritage.

Origin of name
Idaho is the only state that was likely named as the result of a (the so called "Idahoax"). In the early 1860s, when the was considering organizing a new territory in the, eccentric lobbyist  suggested the name "Idaho," which he claimed was derived from a  term meaning "the sun comes from the mountains" or "gem of the mountains." Willing later claimed that he had made up the name himself. Congress ultimately decided to name the area when it was created in February 1861.

However, the name "Idaho" did not go away. The same year Congress created Colorado Territory, a county called was created in eastern. The county was named after a named Idaho, which was launched on the  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".


 * An excerpt from an 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 just the same thing in Indian 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".
 * "IDAHO in the Pacific Northwest". Barber -Martin. 1956. Caxton Printers Ltd. Library of Congress 55-5192.

Demographics
As of 2005, Idaho has an estimated population of 1,429,096, which is 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. 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 makes Idaho the sixth fastest-growing state after, , , , and. From 2004 to 2005, Idaho grew the third-fastest, surpassed only by Nevada and Arizona.

, 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 was estimated at 84,000. Growth of 5% or more over the same period has also been observed in, , , and.

Since 1990, Idaho's population has increased by 386,000 (38%).

The (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, , and.

As of 2006, six official are based in Idaho. Twin Falls is the largest of these.

The of Idaho is located in, in the town of.

The largest reported ancestries in the state are: (18.9%),  (18.1%),  (10%),  (8.4%),  (3.6%),  (3.5%).

Religion
In 2004, the religious affiliations of Idahoans were surveyed as:


 * – 29.3%
 * (Mormon) – 22.8%
 * – 14.3%
 * – 13.6%
 * None – 12.7%
 * Other – 7.2%

In 2001, the religious affiliations of the people of Idaho were surveyed as:


 * – 79%
 * – 50%
 * – 10%
 * – 10%
 * – 3%
 * – 3%
 * – 15%
 * – 14%.
 * Other Religions – <1%
 * Non-Religious – 20%

As with many other Western states, the percentage of Idaho's population identifying themselves as "non-religious" is higher than the national average.

Economy
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 es grown in the United States. 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 is located in. It has a capacity of 120,000 metric tons per year of barrel cheese and belongs to the group. The (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.

Today, the largest industry in Idaho is the science and technology sector. It amounts 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, has emerged as a center for. Boise is the home of, the only U.S. manufacturer of (DRAM) chips. has operated a large plant in Boise, in southwestern Idaho, since the 1970s, which is devoted primarily to s production.. operates a major customer support call center in Twin Falls. , whose worldwide headquarter locates in, is a widely recognized innovator in state-of-the-art integrated mixed-signal semiconductor products, mixed-signal foundry services and structured digital products.

The state personal ranges from 1.6% to 7.8% in eight income brackets. Idahoans may apply for state s 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 is 6%. Sales tax applies to the sale, rental or lease of tangible personal property and some services. Food is taxed, but s are not. ,, and accommodations are taxed at a higher rate (7% to 11%). Some jurisdictions impose local option sales tax.

Idaho has a which contributed $333.5 million in payments to all Idaho  and  from 1990 - 2006.

Transportation
Major highways

State government
The constitution of Idaho provides for 3 branches of government: the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Idaho has a legislature, elected from 35 legislative districts, each represented by one senator and two representatives. Idaho still operates under its original (1889) state constitution.

Since 1946 statewide elected constitutional officers have been elected to four-year terms. They include:, 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. Afterwards it was an appointed position and ultimately done away with entirely in 1974.

Idaho is an alcohol monopoly or.

Executive Branch
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, who was elected in 2006.

Legislative Branch
Idaho's 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 and  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, , and the northern Panhandle.

See also 

Politics
After the, many Southern moved to Idaho Territory. As a result, the early territorial legislatures were solidly Democratic. In contrast, most of the territorial governors were appointed by Presidents and were Republicans themselves. This led to sometimes bitter clashes between the two parties. 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. In the 1890s and early 1900s, the enjoyed prominence while the Democratic Party maintained a brief dominance in the 1930s during the. Since, most statewide elected officials have been Republicans.

Idaho Congressional delegations have also been generally Republican since statehood. Several Idaho Democrats have had electoral success in the over the years, but the  delegation has been a Republican stronghold for decades. Several Idaho Republicans, including current Senators and, have won reelection to the Senate, but only  has won reelection as a Democrat. Church was the last Idaho Democrat to win a U.S. Senate race in 1974. No Democrat has won a U.S. House race in Idaho since in 1992.

In modern times, Idaho has been a reliably Republican state in presidential politics as well. It has not supported a Democrat for since 1964. Even in that election, Lyndon Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater by less than two percentage points. In 2004, carried Idaho by a margin of 38 percentage points and 68.4% of the vote, winning in 43 of 44 counties. Only, which contains the ski resort, supported , who owns a home in the area.

In the 2006 elections, Republicans led by Governor-elect won all of the state's constitutional offices and retained both of the state's seats in the. However, Democrats picked up several seats in the Idaho Legislature, notably in the Boise area. 

National Parks of Idaho




Sports
Boise is the host to the largest 5 K run for women, the St. Luke's Women's Fitness Celebration.

Official State Emblems

 * State Bird:
 * State Dance:
 * State Fish:
 * State Flower: (Philadelphus lewisii)
 * State Fossil: (Equus simplicidens)
 * State Fruit:
 * State Gem: Idaho
 * State Horse:
 * State Insect:
 * State Raptor:
 * State Song:
 * State Tree:
 * State Soil:

Notable Idahoans
See.