Visiting Idaho: Its about way more than the potatoes!

About Idaho

• Sixty percent of Idaho’s land is held by the National Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management.
  
• This means Idaho is one of the most incredible places to vacation.
• Mostly, what they do with this land is to make it great for skiiers and fishermen.
• Shopping, Cheese, Beer and Science are also really big in Idaho.
  

Waters of Idaho

• The waters of the Snake River rush through Hells Canyon, the deepest canyon in the United States. Shoshone Falls travels down cliffs from a greater height than even Niagra Falls. 
• The major rivers in Idaho are the Snake River, the Clark Fork/Pend Oreille River, the Clearwater River, the Salmon River, the Coeur d’Alene/Spokane River, the Boise River and the Payette River.

Skiing

1. Bogus Basin: Located 16 miles away from Boise, Idaho. It is one of the few ski areas designated as not-for-profit.
2. Brundage: Near McCall, Idaho. Enjoy the wide variety of groomed runs or accept the challenge of abundant deep powder on 38 trails covering 1,300 acres.
3. Cottonwood Butte: Small ski resort located in North Central Idaho, which has an amazing 845 foot vertical.
4. Kelly Canyon: Kelly Canyon Ski Resort is located in the Targhee National Forest near the South Fork of the Snake River.
5. Lookout Pass Ski Area: Family ski area on the Idaho Montana Border in Wallace. Ski two states on one mountain – Head up the summit chair on the Idaho side then drop on over to the Montana side.
6. Pebble Creek Ski Area: Just south of the City of Pocatello in South East Idaho. Mount Bonneville is the highest mountain in the Portneuf Range.
7. Pomerelle Mountain Resort: Ski area located in Albion, Idaho.
8. Schweitzer Mountain Resort: Located in Sandpoint, Northern Idaho.
9. Silver Mountain: Located in Kellogg, Northern Idaho. Home to the world’s longest gondola.
10. Sun Valley: An astonishing 2,054 skiable acres. The resort is easily accessible from the gateway cities of Boise, Idaho & Salt Lake City, Utah.

Science Rules!

• The Idaho National Laboratory is one of the leading government labs for nuclear energy research.
• Since the late 1970s, Boise has become a center for semiconductor manufacturing.
• Boise is the home of Micron Technology Inc., the only U.S. manufacturer of dynamic random access memory chips. 
• Hewlett-Packard has operated a large plant in Boise, which primarily makes LaserJet printers.
• Dell, Inc. has a major customer support call center in Twin Falls. 
• AMI Semiconductor, whose worldwide headquarters is located in Pocatello, is a widely recognized innovator in state-of-the-art integrated mixed-signal semiconductor products, mixed-signal foundry services and structured digital products.

Education

Because Idaho is so awesome in science, it is home to three comprehensive universities:

• The University of Idaho in Moscow was the first university in the state (founded in 1889). A land-grant institution, the UI is the state’s flagship university.  It’s no wonder it is ranked among the top national universities in the country (U.S. News & World Report). They are also one of the best values in higher education (The Princeton Review).  Go Vandals!

• Idaho State University in Pocatello is a public doctoral/research-intensive university.  Having seven colleges in Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Technology, makes ISU one of the leaders in providing education for health professionals. Go Bengals!

• Boise State University is the most recent school to attain university status in Idaho. Their degree programs include four doctorate, 73 master’s, 95 baccalaureate, and 12 graduate certificate programs within eight colleges – Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, Social Sciences and Public Affairs and Applied Technology. Go Broncos!

Shopping

• Art galleries, local foods, and outdoor gear are just some of the shopping opportunities you will find in Idaho.
• Coldwater Creek, a women’s clothing retailer, is headquartered in Sandpoint.
• The state sales tax is 6%. This sales tax applies to the sale, rental or lease of tangible personal property and some services.
• Food is taxed, but prescription drugs are not. 
• Hotel, motel, and campground accommodations also have some nice tax rates.