Idaho Facts for Kids

A Map of the U.S. state Idaho
  • U.S. State: Idaho
  • Abbreviation: ID
  • Joined the USA: July 3rd, 1890 (43rd State)
  • Located: Western United States
  • Capital City: Boise, ID
  • Most Populated City: Boise, ID

31 Idaho Facts for Kids

  1. Idaho is a state in the United States of America.
  2. Idaho is in the western region of the United States.
  3. Idaho became a U.S. state on Thursday, July 3rd, 1890.
  4. Idaho was the 43rd state to join the United States.
  5. The U.S. state of Idaho covers 83,569 square miles.
  6. Idaho is the 14th largest state by area in the United States.
  7. In 2019, the population of Idaho was estimated to be 1,787,000 residents by the U.S. Census Bureau.
  8. In 2019, Idaho was the 39th most populated state in the United States.
  9. A person who is from or lives in Idaho is called an Idahoan.
  10. The capital city of Idaho is Boise.
  11. The three most populated cities in Idaho are Boise, Nampa and Meridian.
  12. The largest city by population in Idaho is Boise.
  13. The largest metropolitan area in Idaho is the Boise metropolitan area.
  14. The U.S. state of Idaho has 44 counties.
  15. The most populated county in Idaho is Ada County with 481,587 residents (2019, U.S. Census Bureau).
  16. The largest county by area in Idaho is Idaho County with 8,485 square miles.
  17. The highest elevation point in Idaho is Borah Peak Mountain at 12,662 feet above sea level.
  18. The lowest elevation point in Idaho is the confluence of Snake and Clearwater River at 713 feet above sea level.
  19. The average precipitation (rain and snow) in Idaho is 16.91 inches
  20. Idaho is the 44th wettest state by precipitation (rain and snow) in the United States.
  21. The average temperature in the Idaho is 46 °F.
  22. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Idaho was -60 °F on January 18th, 1943.
  23. A few natural disasters that can affect Idaho are blizzards and wildfires.
  24. Idaho is in two time zones, Mountain Time Zone (MT) and Pacific Time Zone (PT).
  25. The USPS abbreviation for Idaho is ID.
  26. The official state flower for Idaho is the syringa (lilac).
  27. The official state tree for Idaho is the white pine (Pinus strobus).
  28. The official state bird for Idaho is the mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides).
  29. The official state fish for Idaho is the cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii).
  30. The official state gemstone for Idaho is the star garnet.
  31. The official state fossil for Idaho is the Hagerman horse fossil (Equus simplicidens).

Additional Resources on Idaho

  • About Idaho – Learn more about the U.S. state of Idaho on the Visit Idaho website.
  • History of Idaho – Discover the history of Idaho on the History Channel website.
  • Facts About Idaho – Find more facts and stats about Idaho on the Idaho State Government website.
  • Idaho – Wikipedia – Read the Wikipedia entry on Idaho, USA.

About the author
Facts Editor

This is an author profile for articles that are created from a collaborative effort. It is not uncommon that articles on this site were either written, researched or fact checked by several authors and team members. So this author profile will be displayed to reflect that. Our team of editors, writers and fact checkers do extensive research before publishing articles on the site, and we do our best to provide the most accurate information possible.