An IdaHome Love Affair

Photo by John Webster

Idahoans live here for a variety of reasons, and now more people want to become Idahoans than ever before. Tensions arise with that, but tension is the opposite of “Idaho-y.” The reasons that we love living in Idaho, as well as a few things we might dislike about living here, are the exact same reasons other people might love it! Confusing? Yes, maybe. But let’s remember, the gripes that we Idahoans might have are inspired by our love of this amazing place.

Let’s tackle J. R. Simplot’s marketing genius first. Even if you hate to admit that you secretly like Idaho’s spud association–from Africa to China–the potato state is internationally famous for exactly that reason. We drop a giant spud on New Year’s Eve and the world’s largest potato chip sits in the Idaho Potato Museum in Blackfoot. Simplot made billions by first commercializing French fries for the U.S. Army and by 2005, supplying more than half of all McDonald fries!

A favorite story of Idaho’s embracement of the spud goes back nearly a century. In 1928, Idaho became the pioneer in turning the standard license plate into an advertisement for the state, replacing the solid colored utilitarian plate with a green one adorned with a brown potato and the slogan “Idaho Potatoes.” Here’s the kicker: According to Idaho historian Rick Just, people thought it was such a cool license plate that they were routinely stolen off cars. So the next time someone asks about potatoes when you say you’re from Idaho, remember to take some pride that our starchy tubers hold as much history lore as calories.

The Gem State ranks fourth in the nation in state lands that are publicly owned, behind Alaska, Nevada, and Utah, with more than 35 million acres (83,500 square miles) of state or federal land for public use.

That patchwork of public lands offers 13 wilderness areas, including three that were designated in 2015: the Hemingway-Boulders, the Jim McClure-Jerry Peak, and Cecil D. Andrus-White Clouds. At the center lies the jewel of Idaho: the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area, the largest contiguous wilderness in the Lower 48, sprawling across 2.4 million acres of central Idaho with the best whitewater on the Salmon River.

But public land requires good management, and lots and lots of money. Representative Mike Simpson authored a large portion of the Great American Outdoors Act, which was signed into law in 2020. The measure permanently funds the existing Land and Water Conservation Fund, which increases access and maintains public lands by creating a new fund to address the backlog of deferred maintenance in National Parks, National Forests, Bureau of Land Management assets, Wildlife Refuges, and Bureau of Indian Education school construction.

The purpose of wilderness is to sustain wildlife–our own and that of well, the wild animals that once roamed there. Reintroducing wolves (albeit Canadian) was a romantic notion and a necessary remedy to human exploitation–which created controversy, lawsuits, lots of press, and continual legal and management reevaluation to sustain this grand notion of reversing the clock. Love them or hunt them (yes, now due to overpopulation ranchers can shoot to kill), Canis Lupus are here to stay- proof that one person’s wilderness heaven can make another person’s life hell.

There’s something almost magical about the experience of soaking in a natural hot springs, which makes sharing geothermal secret pools a delight. At the same time, don’t ask me to share the location of the best spots, as I’ve seen bar room fights over such disclosures. My advice? Keep your eyes peeled for steam rising inexplicably from the snow and don’t get naked on someone’s private property.

If you don’t count Yellowstone as part of Wyoming, Idaho is the most geothermically active state in the nation, with more than 200 thermal springs ranging from truly wild to built in style. The height of hot springs luxury can be found in Idaho City at The Springs, with massages and poolside cocktail service. Still public with a fee, Goldfork and Burgdorf offer more rustic pools for a soak. However, Idaho’s hottest hot springs secrets require some sweat just to get there. Along the Lochsa, Jerry Johnson demands a mile hike on an icy trail to a series of pools along a creek and Gold Bug, a personal favorite, is straight up two miles from Elk Bend and worth it. Think hot waterfalls, a snow-capped mountain view, cold beer, and good company. Just remember, don’t tag your Instagram photos. True hot spring devotees consider the soak as sacred. And most locals like to pretend that some things are still secret. By the way, my best spots will never appear in print.

Most people associate Boise State University with bright blue football turf and the legendary Fiesta Bowl legacy of the Broncos. President Marlene Tromp, however, views all of that as the gateway to the rest of what BSU has to offer.

“Our iconic blue football field is a powerful metaphor for our community’s path-breaking approaches to solving complex problems,” Tromp says, noting that the university was recently named a Top 50 Most Innovative University by U.S. News & World Report. “Boise State has developed new strategies for how we do the work of a public university — serving our communities, engaging with industry, and supporting the thriving of Idaho and Idahoans.”

BSU is not alone in its educational excellence in the state. All of Idaho’s 11 colleges are doing their part to educate the next generation of leaders — and it’s a smart generation.

In 2021, nearly 26,000 Idaho high schools earned dual credit in college-level courses. At the two- and four-year college level, last year saw 71,762 students enrolled in Idaho post-secondary schools, a solid rebound after the pandemic disrupted student numbers for the previous year.

To continue the investment in Idaho’s education, Governor Brad Little recently announced a plan to increase community college budgets by 4.8% and university budgets by 7.1%. To inspire enrollment, the state department of education has frozen college tuition for the past two years.

Without a National Park designation in the state (sorry Yellowstone, Idaho just really can’t claim you), many of Idaho’s coolest features remain under the tourist radar, and that’s a good thing, especially if you have ever tried to find a camping spot in any National Park in July. The Craters of the Moon lava field is visible from space and contains some of the most unique geological formations in America. Dozens of miles of lava tubes criss-cross beneath the blackened earth and the deepest open rift valley in the world, the Great Rift of Idaho, bisects the monument at 800 feet.

Three miles northeast of Twin Falls, the Snake River plunges over Shoshone Falls, 1,000 feet wide and plummeting 212 feet, taller than Niagara Falls. A mile west of the falls, Evel Kneivel once attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon on his rocket-powered motorcycle.

America’s deepest river gorge, Hell’s Canyon, is a stunning, 8,000-foot gash in the earth along the Idaho-Washington border. No roads cross this portion of the Snake River, ensuring that it remains one of the most rugged recreation areas in the state, harboring some grand-daddy rapids.

Idaho has an embarrassment of scenic riches–the Bruneau sand dunes and the Sawtooth Mountains, for example–which should explain why it is called the Gem State, but that’s another story! Yes, Idahoans have a tendency to complain about out-of-state license plates at trailheads, but then again, there’s still a little less than eight square miles for every resident of Idaho!

“The secret is out; Idaho is a great place to live,” says U.S. Senator Mike Crapo. “There are numerous reasons why Idaho is one of the fastest-growing states. While our country is facing many challenges, Idaho, where sensibility prevails, attracts those looking for more prudent solutions to today’s most pressing problems.”

Looking for solutions in Idaho, however, creates its own problem: exponential growth. In 2020, the Idaho Policy Institute at Boise State University showed that nearly 80% of Treasure Valley residents believed the area was growing too fast. And data actually backs up that fear.

According to the recent census, between 2010 and 2020, Idaho grew 17.3%, the second highest rate in the nation. In the same period, Ada County grew by 26% and Meridian was the fourth fastest-growing city in the nation, more than doubling its population. And while the increased population offers some benefits, like increasing the tax base, helping fund public services and infrastructure improvements, and expanded job opportunities, too much growth too fast creates new problems. Think housing costs.

Data from Boise Regional Realtors states that the median sales price of a home in Ada County in January 2022 was $540,000, ten times the mean annual income of $53,000 and up 20% from January 2021. In January of 2019, that price was just over $300,000. The number of houses in the county that sold for more than $1 million through August of last year was over 360; just five years ago that number was 38. As a homeowner, you may enjoy sky-rocketing appreciation, but remember, when you sell your dollar will buy less of home in Idaho than you may live in now!

“The thing is, Boise’s not going to slow down at all,” says Nick Hampton, a realtor with Fathom Realty. “The trend line is just getting worse.” According to Hampton, Boise, like many places in the country, is dealing with low interest rates, supply chain problems, unit shortages, and a large influx of relocators with more cash on hand. Housing estimates predict that by 2032, the Boise area will have a housing shortage of around 23,000 units. And you can’t just blame the new transplants. Hampton says that developers are capitalizing on Boise’s popularity. “You could probably name any metropolitan area in the country and outside developers are eyeing Boise,” he adds.

With the amount of public lands, world-class recreation in Idaho is unparalleled. Again, the list is as exciting as it is worrisome, since it explains why the state is so attractive to so many. • Whitewater rafting • Rock climbing some of the 700 routes at City of Rocks, or the 300 routes in the Black Cliffs near Boise • Cycling along the Hiawatha Trail, the Trail of the Coeur D’Alene’s, or the Old Milwaukee Railroad Trail • 19 ski resorts (counting Grand Targhee), each with its own personality • 17 Park N Ski locations across the state that access more than 200 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails • Mountains to climb for every degree of fitness and skill • Ice climbing in the Snake River Canyon • BASE jumping from I. B. Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls And the list goes on…

When Governor Brad Little opened the 2022 legislative session with his State of the State address, he did so with a lot of enthusiasm, and for good reason. Idaho has a record $1.9 billion budget surplus.

“Years of fiscal conservatism at the state level combined with a red-hot economy means we are able to provide Idahoans with historic income tax relief – both one-time and ongoing – which is more important than ever as gas prices and inflation continue to soar,” Little said in an email. “With our record budget surplus, we are also making unprecedented investments in roads, schools, water, and other key areas to keep up with the growth.”

As part of his new Leading Idaho initiative, Governor Little plans to give money back to Idahoans in several ways: $350 million in tax rebates, a $1.1 billion investment in education, a 10% raise for teachers plus a bonus to reflect increased workload during the pandemic, and a substantial increase in community college and university budgets.

“My goal has always been to make Idaho the place where we all can have the opportunity to thrive, where our children and grandchildren choose to stay, and for the ones who have left to choose to return,” Little said. He believes that continuing the legacy of conservative governing practices will do just that.

Indeed, whether a blue or red voter in this red state, some of the conservative initiatives churning through the legislature can make you feel as crazy as the proposals sound. Come on– the Sacklers are free billionaires despite killing hundreds of thousands with Oxycontin greed– but Idaho librarians should go to jail for allowing kids to check out certain books? No. Really.

The first International Dark Sky Reserve designated in the U.S. is in central Idaho, encompassing Stanley, Ketchum, and all the land in between. Have you watched the Perseids meteor shower in the darkness of the Sawtooth Mountains? Head up there this summer (the Perseids peak in early August), turn off your flashlight, and be awed. Just be sure to remind all the tourists to turn off their cell phones and Range Rover headlights!

Tech and Idaho were not usually referred to in the same sentence in the national press until recently, with Amazon and Facebook suddenly bursting the small-town seams of Nampa and Kuna. But, in 1921, Philo Farnsworth, a 15-year-old student at Rigby High School, worked out the principles for an image dissector, the precursor for his invention of the television.

Today, Idaho is replete with tech firms like Micron, the third largest private employer in the state, which experienced 35% revenue growth last year, partly due to the company’s role as a leading producer of DRAM – Dynamic Random Access Memory – a type of semiconductor memory used in computing, smartphones, big data, and autonomous driving. With a 20% global market share, Micron is well placed to keep pace as one of America’s leading tech firms, attracting the best talent.

Flipping from global to a local niche with global potential, Lumineye was founded in Boise by Megan Lacy, Corbin Hennen, and Rob Kleffner. The company produces 3-D printed radar devices powerful enough to see through walls and detect a heart rate. This technology empowers first responders and soldiers in hostage situations or structure collapses, speeding rescues and keeping personnel safe.

Additionally, companies like Clearwater Analytics, a softwareas-a-service fintech company headquartered in Boise, has offices around the world. Of course, big tech always brings big salaries, which can create unprecedented problems. For example, the owner of Clearwater constructed an unwelcome private airport on his multi-million dollar ranch in the pristine Sawtooth Valley. Sometimes success can swing a mighty sharp sword.

Admittedly, my list of reasons to love Idaho is complicated and long. In the end, no matter if you are part of the old guard, born and raised here and wishing that our state remain forever the same, or you’re a member of the newly arrived, or a longtime transplant, or part of the second-home crowd, I promise that Idaho always proves one thing to everyone. “The best gems in Idaho are our people,” says Representative Russ Fulcher. “We are home to some of the hardest-working, most friendly, down to earth, conservative, devoted, and genuine folks.”

It would be a challenge to read that line and not hope to find yourself included.