Local Resources
Idaho at a Glance
Capital: Boise
Nickname: Gem State
Bird: Mountain Bluebird
Tree: Western White Pine
Largest City: Boise
Neighboring States: Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
Official State Website:
Official Contact Information
Idaho Division of Tourism Development
700 West State Street, Boise, ID 83720
(208) 334-2470
Business, Civic and Community Resources:
Utilities
Transition services:
General:
Boise's History
Nestled on a high desert plain in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains
with a pristine river flowing through its center, Boise finds its roots
from the gold rush days of the 1800s.
In 1834 Fort Boise, owned by the Hudson Bay Company, was established
by British fur traders. The fort, now known as Old Fort Boise, was
located at the mouth of the Boise River, 40 miles from present day
Boise. In 1854, due to frequent Indian raids, the fort was abandoned.
Despite this, the military desired to build another fort in the area,
but, before this plan could go into effect, gold was discovered in
the Boise Basin in 1862. It was now necessary, more than ever, to protect
the vast number of travelers coming to the area.
On July 4th, 1863, the military chose a location for the new Fort
Boise and construction began soon afterward. A town site was located
next to the fort, and with the protection of the military, the town
grew quickly. A major reason for this growth, other than the gold rush,
was its location along the Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was a thoroughfare for thousands of travelers heading
for the Oregon Territory. Of all the western roads, the Oregon Trail
was the longest at 2,020 miles. It began in Independence, Kansas and
ended at Oregon City, Oregon. Its route in Idaho began at the Idaho-Wyoming
border, crossed through Bear Valley, turned north toward Fort Hall
and then followed the Snake River until it reached the Boise River.
It followed the south side of the river winding through what is now
the southern part of Boise. To this day, wheel ruts can still be seen
along various spots of its path.
Adding to this major thoroughfare were the routes to the Boise Basin
and Owyhee mines. These routes crossed the Oregon Trail at the Fort
Boise location. Because it was located at these major crossroads, Boise
became a prosperous commercial center.
In 1864, when the territorial legislature held its second session
in Lewiston, Boise was incorporated as a city and proclaimed the capital
of the Idaho Territory. This same year, on July 26, the Idaho Statesman
newspaper produced its first publication and became the second newspaper
in Idaho. The first was the Idaho World in Idaho City.
After the gold rush, Boise's population declined from 1,658 citizens
in 1864 to 995 in 1870. With new construction, including the territorial
prison in 1869 and the U.S. Assay Office in 1872, Boise began to grow
again. The capitol building was completed in 1886 and in 1887 Boise
built a streetcar system. In 1890, Idaho became a state.
In the early 1900s Boise once again enjoyed rapid growth. This growth
came with the expansion of irrigation in the valley in 1902. This led
to the construction of Arrowrock Dam, the tallest in the world from
1915 to 1932.
In the late 1930s, Boise was graced with the massive migration of
Basques from their native home in the Western Pyrenees Mountains. These
proud people became sheepherders, a large industry at the time, and
gradually moved into the mainstream of city life in Boise, bringing
their colorful culture with them. Today Boise has the largest concentration
of Basques per capita outside the Pyrenees Mountains.
As the Great Depression ravaged many cities in the nation, Boise enjoyed
growth. And during World War II, multitudes of airmen trained at Gowen
Field, Boise's air base.
Today Boise is still the largest metropolitan community in the state
with over 185,000 residents. Numerous international, national, regional
and state corporations have their headquarters in Boise. Some of these
include Boise (formerly Boise Cascade), Simplot Corporation, Albertsons,
Micron and Washington Group International. Boise is the hub of commerce,
banking and government for the state and is located midway between
Salt Lake City, UT and Portland, OR.
Facts About The Area:
- Population: 534,100
- 75,000 people live downtown and near downtown
in the surrounding neighborhoods.
- Currently 44,000 employees work downtown. In over 300 public and
private businesses.
- Major Downtown Employers: JR Simplot Company – Agriculture
(Corp HQ); US Bank – Financial (Regional HQ); Boise Cascade
- Wood Products (Corp HQ); Idaho Power – Utility; Qwest – Telecommunications
(Regional HQ); Wells Fargo – Financial (Regional HQ); Key Bank
Corp – Financial (Regional HQ); CSHQA – Architects; Idaho
State Offices – Government; Ada County Courthouse – Government;
Boise City Offices – Government
- 103 retail shops - a great mix of specialty
stores, art galleries and much more.
- 82 restaurants & nightclubs - including
comedy, dance clubs, live music venues, and fine dining.
- 57 Business & Retail Services
- 21 Arts & Entertainment Facilities
- One Major Downtown Department Store - Macys.
- 6,330 public parking spaces - 3,200 public
parking garage system & 3,000 street metered
spaces. First Hour Free in Public garage spaces. 20 minutes free
parking at all Meters. Merchant tokens are available for as low as
$0.25 per hour.
- Short Term Customer public parking in 2004 was
548,216 parkers
- 5,000 seat Bank of America arena. Home of the Idaho Steelheads
professional hockey team, the Idaho Stampede basketball team
and today’s touring concert acts .
About Ada County
It was French Canadian fur trappers that gave Boise its name
in the very early 1800's. Traveling through the high desert terrain,
they came upon the valley, "Les Boise!" they exclaimed: "The
Trees!" Ada County was established as part of the Idaho
Territory in 1864 with Boise as its county seat.
In 1890, Idaho was admitted as the 43rd state, and the City
of Boise was chosen as its capital. Boise has aptly become the
premier city in the state leading in population, manufacturing,
retailing and quality of life. Ada County prospers through Boise's
strengths, as does the other cities in the metropolitan statistical
area: Eagle, Garden City, Kuna, Meridian and the adjoining counties
of Canyon and Elmore.
Men with a vision made Ada County a corporate landmark. Men like
C.W. Moore whose general store has evolved into US Bancorp. W.H.
Morrison, and M.H. Knudsen, founders of the Morrison-Knudsen
Corporation, now the global engineering and construction company
Washington Group International; J.R. Simplot who started the
Simplot Corporation and made Idaho famous for its potatoes; and
Joe Albertson, who dream of food distributing netted one of American's
largest and fastest growing chains of supermarkets. The list
is long, Micron Technology, Inc. Hewlett-Packard, Boise Cascade
Corporation, T.J. International, PRECO, Inc., and SCP Global
Technologies. The pioneering, entrepreneurial spirit is nurtured
here.
People are drawn to the Boise Valley from all over the world.
Many come having never heard of Boise before; but once here,
they often stay, or return with their families. The city and
the surrounding area are captivating with their natural beauty,
mild welcoming climate, and tradition of friendliness.
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