Idaho is famous for: Potatoes.
State capital: Boise
Nickname: The Gem State
Population: 1,545,801
State flower: Syringa
State tree: Western White Pine
State vegetable: Potato (about 27 BILLION of them are grown annually in Idaho)
State reptile: Box Turtle
State butterfly: Monarch Butterfly
State fish: Cutthroat Trout (again)
State bird: Mountain Bluebird
State raptor: Peregrine Falcon
State mammal: Appaloosa Horse (traditionally bred by the Nez Perce, it has a leopard-spotted coat pattern)
State fruit: Huckleberry
State gem: Star Garnet
State fossil: Hagerman Horse
State song: "Here We Have Idaho"
State folk dance: Square Dance
State motto: Esto Perpetua ('Let It Be Forever')
Famous Idahoans: Ezra Pound, Sarah Palin, Lana Turner, W. Mark Felt (aka Watergate's 'Deep Throat'), Sacajawea (Lewis & Clark's Indian Guide of whom more anon), Ernest Hemingway (born in Chicago but buried in Ketchum).
Random fact 1: The longest main street in America, 33 miles in length, can be found in Island Park, Idaho. (According to Wikipedia, the 'city' was incorporated by owners of the many lodges and resorts along the US Route 20 in 1947, primarily to circumvent Idaho's liquor laws that prohibited the sale of alcohol outside of city limits. Thus, the 'city' is only 500 feet (150 m) wide in most locations and has a population of just 215 people).
Random fact 2: The deepest river gorge in North America is Hells Canyon, which is 7,900 feet deep. (The Grand Canyon measures 'only' 6000 ft at its deepest point).
Random fact 3: Idaho has a huge number of crazy laws, of which the following is just a small sample:
- It is illegal to sell a used mattress in Idaho.
- Idaho law forbids a citizen to give another citizen a box of candy that weighs more than 50 pounds.
- A person may not be seen in public without a smile on their face in Pocatello, Idaho.
- In Boise, residents may not fish from a giraffe's back, nor may you fish from a camel's back anywhere in the State.
- It is against the law for anyone over the age of 88 to ride a motorcycle in Idaho.
- Riding a merry-go-round on Sundays is considered a crime in Idaho.
With acknowledgment to www.legendsofamerica.com.
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