Everything about Boise totally explained
Boise is the
capital and most populous city of the
U.S. state of
Idaho. It is the
county seat of
Ada County and the principal city of the
Boise metropolitan area. It is the largest city between
Salt Lake City,
Utah and
Portland,
Oregon and thus serves as the primary government, economic, cultural, and transportation center for the area.
As of the
2008 estimate (and according to the city's official website) Boise's population was 211,473, with a
metropolitan area estimated to have 635,450 inhabitants, making it the most populous
metropolitan area in Idaho.
Geography
Boise is located in southwestern
Idaho, approximately east of the
Oregon border, and north of the
Nevada border. The
downtown core sits at an
elevation of
2,704 feet (824 m) above sea level.
Most of the metropolitan area lies on a broad, relatively flat plain. Mountains rise up to the northeast, stretching from the far southeastern tip of the Boise city limits to nearby
Eagle. These mountains are known to locals as the Boise foothills and are sometimes described as the
foothills of the
Rocky Mountains. About southwest of Boise, and about southwest of
Nampa, the Owyhee Mountains lie entirely in neighboring
Owyhee County.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 64.0
square miles (165.8
km²), 63.8 sq mi (165.2 km²)of which is land.
Climate
Boise's climate is characterized as
semi-arid with four distinct seasons. Boise experiences hot and dry summers where temperatures can often reach triple digits, as well as cold winters with fair amounts of
snowfall.
Rainfall is usually infrequent and light, averaging less than per month. March is the wettest month with an average of . August is the driest month with of rain. Spring and fall are generally temperate.
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Rec High °F
(°C) | 63
(17.2) |
71
(21.7) |
81
(27.2) |
92
(33.3) |
99
(37.2) |
109
(42.8) |
111
(43.9) |
110
(43.3) |
102
(38.9) |
94
(34.4) |
78
(25.6) |
65
(18.3)
|
Norm High °F
(°C) | 36.7
(2.6) |
44.5
(6.9) |
53.6
(12.0) |
61.7
(16.5) |
70.7
(21.5) |
80.3
(26.8) |
89.2
(31.8) |
88
(31.1) |
77.2
(25.1) |
64.3
(17.9) |
47.5
(8.6) |
37.2
(2.9)
|
Norm Low °F
(°C) | 23.6
(-4.7) |
28.8
(-1.8) |
34
(1.1) |
39.4
(4.1) |
46.6
(8.1) |
54.2
(12.3) |
60.3
(15.7) |
59.8
(15.4) |
51.2
(10.7) |
41.3
(5.2) |
32.4
(0.2) |
24.1
(-4.4)
|
Rec Low °F
(°C) | -17
(-27.2) |
-15
(-26.1) |
6
(-14.4) |
19
(-7.2) |
22
(-5.6) |
31
(-0.6) |
35
(1.7) |
34
(1.1) |
23
(-5.0) |
11
(-11.7) |
-3
(-19.4) |
-25
(-31.7)
|
Precip in
(mm) | 1.39
(35) |
1.14
(29) |
1.41
(36) |
1.27
(32) |
1.27
(32) |
0.74
(19) |
0.39
(10) |
0.3
(8) |
0.76
(19) |
0.76
(19) |
1.38
(35) |
1.38
(35)
|
Source: USTravelWeather.com (External Link )75 |
History
It is commonly accepted that the area was referred to as Boise long before the establishment of Fort Boise. However, the exact details of how the name came to be applied to the area differ in the available accounts.
Some credit a story told of Captain B.L.E. Bonneville of the
US Army as the source of the name. After trekking for weeks through dry and rough terrain, his exploration party reached an overlook with a view of the Boise River Valley. The place where they stood is called Bonneville Point, and is located on the
Oregon Trail east of the city. According to the story, a
French-speaking guide, overwhelmed by the sight of the verdant river, yelled "Les Bois! Les Bois!" giving the area the name.
But the name "Boise" may actually derive from earlier
mountain man usage, which contributed their naming of the river that flows through it. In the 1820s,
French Canadian fur trappers set trap lines in the vicinity where Boise now lies. In a high desert area, the tree-lined valley of the Boise River became a prominent landmark. They called this "La Rivière Boise", which means "the wooded river."
The original
Fort Boise was
40 miles (64 km) west, down the
Boise River, near the confluence with the
Snake River at the Oregon border. This fort was erected by the
Hudson's Bay Company in the 1830s. It was abandoned in the 1850s, but massacres along the Oregon Trail prompted the U.S. Army to re-establish a fort in the area in 1863, during the
U.S. Civil War. The new location was selected because it was near the intersection of the Oregon Trail and a major road connecting the Boise Basin (
Idaho City) and the
Owyhee mining areas. Both areas were booming at the time. Idaho City was the largest city in the area, and as a staging area to Idaho City, Fort Boise grew rapidly. Boise was incorporated as a city in 1864. The first capital of the
Idaho Territory was
Lewiston, but Boise replaced it in 1865.
The
U.S. Assay Office at 210 Main Street was built in 1871 and is a
National Historic Landmark.
==
Further Information
Get more info on 'Boise'.
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