Discover Area Guides; Idaho Coverage Areas

About Idaho

• Origin of Name: For many years, “Idaho” was believed to have been derived from a Native American language, but that has never been verified; it was actually a made-up word, possibly coined by a lobbyist named George M. Willing. 
• Early History: In 1804, the United States acquired all territories west of the Mississippi River that were formerly claimed by France in The Louisiana Purchase; negotiated by James Monroe, it acquired over 828,000 square miles of land for $15 million dollars- often described as the largest real estate deal in history; President Thomas Jefferson initially opposed its purchase, which he considered unconstitutional, since there was no stipulation in the constitution for the US to acquire new territories; the Corps of Discovery expedition, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark passed through northern Idaho during their expedition from May 14, 1804 to Sept. 23, 1806; In 1810 John Jacob Astor’s Astorians traveled down the Snake River on their journey to establish a fur-trading post at Astoria, Oregon at the mouth of the Columbia River; In 1860, gold was discoverednear Pierce in the Clearwater region of northern Idaho. beginning the Idaho goldrush; gold was first found in the Boise region in 1862
• Established: Idaho became a U.S. territory on March 4, 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Territorial Act; created from parts of the existing Washington and Dakota Territories, Idaho territory was initially a much larger area, incorporating what would later become Montana and Wyoming; It joined the Union on July 3, 1894, as the 43rd state  
• Nickname: The Gem State, named for the abundance and diversity of gems and precious metals found in the state 
• Physical Size: The 13th largest state in the USA, with a total area of 83,569 square miles, Idaho is about the same size as the South American country of Guyana in South America; 63% of Idaho land is public land
• State Motto: Esto Perpetua (“Let it be perpetual,” or “It shall be perpetual,”)
• State Flower: Syringa
• State Song: “And Here We Have Idaho”
  State Food: The Potato
• Population: Idaho’s population in 2025 is estimated to be around 1,990,460; it was the second fastest growing state in the nation from 2010-2020, next to neighboring Utah; during that time its population increased 18.4%