Idaho State Facts, Symbols and History

Idaho Fast Facts

Capital: Boise (pop. 202,832) (2008 est.)

Idaho population: 1,595,728 ( 2012 est.) (39th)

The Idaho Quarter is the third quarter commemorative coin issued in 2007 honored Idaho and is the 43rd coin in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program.

Idaho, State of Gem, was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, becoming our National 43rd State. The Idaho Quarter features a peregrine falcon above the Idaho The inscriptions on the coin include “Esto Perpetua”, (“May He Be Forever”),the State Motto, “Idaho” and “1890”.

The peregrine falcon was once listed as an endangered species and, due to conservation efforts, is now found throughout Idaho and the United States. This is one of the fastest birds in the world.

Language: English, others

Largest Cities: (by population) Boise, Nampa, Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Meridian, Coeur d’Alene

Name: Idaho’s name was made up by lobbyist, George Willing, who claimed it was Shoshone meaning “the sun comes from the mountains” or “the jewel of the mountains”. He later admitted that he invented the name.

Statehood: July 3, 1890 (43rd state)

Symbols of Idaho

• Animal: Appaloosa horse
• Bird: mountain bluebird
• Flag of Idaho
• Flower: lilac
• Motto: “Esta Perpetua” (Let it be endless; It’s forever)
• Nicknames: (most used) Gem State; Jewel of Horus; Little International Development Association
• Song: “Here We Have Idaho”
• State seal
• Tree: Western White Pine

Idaho – US state in the Pacific Northwest in the group of Mountain States, 43rd in a row. Area – 216.4 thousand square meters. km. Population – 1,584,985 people (2011), about 50% – in cities. The capital is Boise. There are no big cities. See cities and towns in Idaho.

The official nickname is The Gem State.

In the north, Idaho borders with the Canadian province of British Columbia, in the east – with the states of Wyoming and Montana, in the west – with Oregon and Washington, in the south – with Utah and Nevada.

Most of Idaho is occupied by the southern edge of the Columbian Plateau and the Rocky Mountains up to 3857 m high. In the southwest – the plateau, the Snake River Valley, the state is almost entirely located in the Columbia River basin. Evergreen forests cover about two-thirds of its territory. In terms of area of national forest reserves, Idaho ranks 3rd in the country. The climate is continental, moderated by western winds. The state is rich in minerals (about 64% of the state’s land belongs to the federal government): silver (the first place in production in the US), zinc, gold, phosphates, lead. Phosphorites are also being developed.

• AbbreviationFinder: Demonstrates how the two-letter acronym of ID stands for Idaho and a list of frequently used abbreviations related to the state of Idaho.

The leading place in the economy is occupied by agriculture, which is developed mainly in the southern part of Idaho: 35% of the cultivated area (over 1 million hectares) is irrigated. About 30% of Idaho’s area is occupied by farms, about a third of this area is cultivated, the rest and most of the state land is under pastures. The most important product is potatoes (1st place in the USA in terms of crops), the cultivation of wheat, barley, sugar beets, and forage grasses is developed. Horticulture is developed (mainly apple trees). About half of the value of marketable agricultural products comes from animal husbandry, mainly pasture beef cattle breeding.

The main development of industry began in the 40s. XX century and is associated with woodworking, food industry, electronics, non-ferrous metallurgy.

Tourism – Sun Valley.

The lands of Idaho were inhabited more than 14 thousand years ago. By the 18th century Indians of 6 tribes lived here: Kutene, Pandorei, Cordalen, Nez Perse in the north, northern Shoshone and northern Paiute – in the south.

After the expedition of Lewis and Clark in 1805 – 1806. trappers explored these lands in search of beaver colonies, and the Snake River Valley became a site of rivalry between Canadian traders and Americans. By 1840, the Hudson’s Bay Company controlled the region, maintaining posts for several years serving settlers heading west along the Oregon and California trails.

The United States received the Oregon lands, which included the lands of the modern state, in 1846. The first permanent American settlements were founded in 1860 by miners and Mormons, coinciding with the discovery of gold deposits and the incorporation of Idaho into Washington Territory. The Territory of Idaho, which included present-day Montana and most of Wyoming, was proclaimed by act of Congress in 1863. When in 1864 and 1868 the formation of these territories as independent units ended, the territory of Idaho was divided into two parts by mountains. Discovery of silver deposits in 1880 and 1884 stabilized its economy.

By 1888, most Idahoans supported the Republican Party, which helped promote the territory’s statehood in 1890. The state constitution had been adopted the year before.

The fall in the price of silver (1888 – 1892) and the ensuing panic severely damaged the state’s economy and led to the growth of the influence of the populist party and the activation of the miners’ trade union movement.

With the onset of the 20th century, the second period of rapid development of the state and its formation as a nationwide agricultural center is associated, which was interrupted by the Great Depression. The state received a lot of federal assistance during the New Deal period. During the Second World War, the development of the economy was greatly facilitated by the creation of large military bases and a test site (National Reactor Testing Station).

The current problems of the state are largely related to environmental protection.