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Idaho
The great State of Idaho was admitted into the union as the 43 state in 1890. Formed with a panhandle because the capitol of Washington state did not want the mines of northern Idaho in Washington for fear of a power shift from their capitol in Olympia. Ours is a state with many and varied climates and demographic groups. It can be demographically and geographically divided into 3 sections Eastern Idaho, Southwestern Idaho, and Northern Idaho. This page is intended to give you a little insight and, general information. One of the best places to start is the official home page of the state of Idaho. Be sure and visit my links page as it is loaded with tons of great sites.
As a Fourth generation Idahoan who is proud of his State, feel free to give me a call as I would love to share Idaho's history, resources and possibilities with you. (888) 722-6453!
Topography
Idaho is a land of mountains, Desert Canyonlands, and a banana
shaped plain that runs from Weiser(named for a member of the Lewis and
Clark expedition), all The way to almost Yellowstone.
Idaho is filled with many wonders, Americas deepest gorge, Lava flows so unique that they are a national monument. Fossil Beds and hot springs. Every thing from the snake river plain north is mountains, many with no roads only trails. I was once told that if you could flatten Idaho out it would be bigger than Texas. Although technically we are the 13th biggest state.
Taxes
Idaho has a tax base that is spread out fairly evenly between a sales tax(5%), Income Tax(8% for the biggest earners), Property tax(.33%), and a .43 cent a gallon gas tax. The governing agency for taxes in Idaho is the Idaho state tax commission.
Politics
Idaho is conservative country, The gop has ruled over the last quarter of a century. However the democrats picked up a large handful of seats in the legislature in the 2002 election. Our legislature meets annually and is comprised of a house of Representatives and a Senate. The senate which is filled with lots of conservative rural legislatures who act as gatekeepers against higher taxes and out of control spending.
Climate
The climates of Idaho are many and varied. In general north Idaho gets more rain and hence has lots of trees. The crops here are generally watered by mother nature. Southwest Idaho is classified as high desert as is southeast Idaho. However as you go upstream from Boise to the east you go up in elevation so you can expect longer winters and lower summer time highs.
Cities
Boise is by far the largest city in the state and by the time you consider Nampa, Meridian, and Caldwell, over 1/3 of the states population live within 60 miles of Boise. If it keeps growing as it has for the last ten years it will soon be over one half of the states population.Other towns of good size are Twin Falls, Idaho Falls, and Pocatello to the east and Lewiston and Coeur d'alene to the north.
Population
A little over 1 million people statewide. 432,345 in the greater Boise area.
Recreation
Too Much to mention, but I will try. Alpine skiing, fishing, mountain biking, golf, rafting, camping, hiking, ghost towns, gold panning, horseback riding, motorcycle riding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, backpacking, picking berries and mushrooms, bird watching, geologic exploration, tennis, hunting, exploring the Lewis and Clark trail, dude ranches, hang gliding, waterskiing, jet skiing, hockey, baseball, basketball, College athletics, Swimming in lakes and rivers. You can even scuba dive to an underwater ghost town. This list represents only the tip of the iceberg, the sky is the limit.
Major industries
Mining, ranching, farming, timber, hi-tech and tourism are all big parts of the economy of the state.
Rivers and lakes
Idaho boasts more miles of whitewater than any other two states combined. The fact that two of the worlds biggest and best raft manufacturers are here speaks to the quality of white water that abounds here. Some of the rivers include the world famous Middle Fork of the Salmon and Selway rivers. Some of the better local favorites include the Payette, Bruneau, Owyhee, South fork of the Salmon. And have we got lakes. The big lakes up north so big they practice with submarines. There are tiny sparkling jewels nestled high and mighty on the top of some lonely peak. We have lakes with cabins on them and lakes were no development is allowed. A lot of our lakes are surrounded by public land offering enjoyment for the multitudes!
Capitol City