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State of Idaho
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Flag of Idahosvg
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Flag Of Idaho
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Idahostatesealjpg
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Map_of_USA_highlighting_Idahopng
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Gem State
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Boise
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None
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Boise
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Dirk Kempthorne (R)
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Mike_Crapo" class="copylinks">Mike Crapo (R)
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ID
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14<sup>th</sup>
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83,642
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216,632
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82,819
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214,499
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824
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2,133
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098
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39<sup>th</sup>
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1,293,953
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44<sup>th</sup>
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1564
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604
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43<sup>rd</sup>
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July 3 , 1890
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(southern)
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42° N to 49° N
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111° W to 117° W
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305
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491
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479
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771
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Borah Peak  12,662
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3,859
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5,000
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1,524
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709
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216
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US-ID
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is a
State in the
Pacific Northwest of the
United States .
Idaho borders
Washington ,
Oregon ,
Nevada ,
Utah ,
Montana ,
Wyoming and the
Canadian province of
British Columbia (the Idaho-BC border is 48 miles (77 km) long). The landscape is rugged with some of the largest unspoiled natural areas in the country. It is a
Rocky Mountain state with exciting scenery and enormous natural resources. The state has towering, snow-capped mountain ranges, swirling white rapids, peaceful lakes and steep canyons. The churning waters of
Snake River rush through
Hells Canyon , which is deeper than the
Grand Canyon .
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
Clearwater River and the
Salmon River . Other significant rivers include the
Boise River and the
Payette River .
Idaho's highest point (12,662 feet) is
Borah Peak in the Lost River Mountains north of
Mackay . Idaho's lowest point is in
Lewiston , where the Clearwater River joins the Snake River and continues into
Washington .
Most major cities in Idaho, including
Boise (The Capital),
Idaho Falls ,
Pocatello and
Twin Falls are in the
Mountain Standard Time Zone . Areas north of the Salmon River, including
Coeur D'Alene and
Lewiston are in the
Pacific Standard Time Zone .
See
History Of Idaho
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 Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and Utah. From 2004 to 2005, Idaho was the third fastest grower, 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 percent to nearly 65,000 residents between
2000 and
2003 . Growth of 5% or more over the same period has also been observed in
Caldwell ,
Coeur D'Alene ,
Meridian and
Twin Falls {Link without Title} .
Since 1990, Idaho's population has increased 386,000 (38%).
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 racial makeup of Idaho:
The largest reported ancestries in the state are:
German (18.9%),
English (18.1%),
Irish (10%), American (8.4%),
Norwegian (3.6%),
Swedish (3.5%).
As with many other western states, the percentage of Idaho's population identifying themselves as "non-religious" (an
Umbrella Term which is sometimes synonymous with or includes elements of
Atheism ,
Agnosticism ,
Skepticism ,
Freethought ,
Humanism ,
Secular Humanism ,
Heresy ,
Logical Positivism , and
Apathy ) is higher than the rest of the country.
The current religious affiliations of the people of Idaho are shown in the table below:
The state's gross domestic 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. Other important agricultural products are
Beans ,
Lentils ,
Sugar Beets ,
Cattle , dairy products,
Wheat , and
Barley .
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
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), a government lab for nuclear energy research, is also an important part of the eastern Idaho economy.
Although Idaho's dependence on mining has decreased, the state remains a top producer of operates a major customer support call center in Twin Falls.
The state personal
Income Tax ranges from 1.6 percent to 7.8 percent in 8 income brackets. Idahoans may apply for state
Tax Credit 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
Sales Tax is 5 percent. Sales tax applies to the sale, rental or lease of tangible personal property and some services. Food is taxed, but
Prescription Drug s are not.
Hotel ,
Motel , and
Campground accommodations are taxed at a higher rate (7 percent to 11 percent). Some jurisdictions impose local option sales tax.
Major highways
The constitution of Idaho provides for 3 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. Idaho still operates under its original (
1889 ) state constitution.
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
Dirk Kempthorne (
Republican ), elected in 1998, re-elected in 2002, his term expires in January 2007. On March 16, 2006, Kempthorne was nominated by
President George W. Bush to be
United States Secretary Of The Interior . If Kempthorne is confirmed by the
United States Senate , Lieutenant Governor
Jim Risch (
Republican ) will assume the office of governor for the remainder of Kempthorne's term.
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.
''See also
List Of Idaho Senators And Representatives ''
On the national level Idaho is a strongly Republican state which has not supported a
Democrat for
President since
1964 . Even in that election, Lyndon Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater by less than two percentage points. In
2004 ,
George W. Bush carried Idaho by a margin of 38 percentage points and 68.4% of the vote, winning in 43 of 44 counties. Only
Blaine County , which contains the
Sun Valley ski resort, supported
John Kerry .
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.
Idaho is an alcohol monopoly or
Alcoholic Beverage Control State .
Idaho's
Minor League Baseball Teams are:
Other minor league sports teams:
Idaho is nicknamed the because of its abundance of natural resources. The state motto is '''
Esto Perpetua ''' (
Latin for "Let It Be Perpetual").
Idaho has a very unusual name. It is perhaps the only state to be named as the result of a
Hoax . When a name was being selected for new territory, eccentric lobbyist
George M. Willing suggested "Idaho," which he claimed was a Native American term meaning "gem of the mountains". It was later revealed Willing had made up the name himself, and the original Idaho territory was re-named
Colorado because of it. Eventually the controversy was forgotten, and modern-day Idaho was given the made-up name when the
Idaho Territory was formally created in
1863 .
