Located in one of the least traveled regions of the United States, Idaho is bordered by Canada to the north, Washington and Oregon to the west, Montana and Wyoming to the east, and Utah and Nevada to the south. Although Idaho ranks 11th largest among the United States, only Alaska, California, and Texas have a greater reach north to south.

The state's extreme geography maintains divisions among Idahoans: Boise is the population center and focus for the southwestern part of the state; East Idahoans look to Salt Lake City, Utah, as their cultural and commercial capital; and North Idahoans have strong ties to Spokane, Washington. Meanwhile, residents of Central Idaho's Blaine County--home to the world-class Sun Valley/Ketchum resort area--pride themselves on being an island onto themselves; the area is more affluent, educated, and politically liberal than Idaho as a whole.

Yet for all the state's geographic diversity, Idahoans agree on one point: The state is a natural treasure. Idaho has seven state-designated tourism regions. North to south, they are North Idaho, home to the state's largest lakes, North Central Idaho, where the Lewis and Clark Expedition met its toughest challenges in 1805 and 1806, and Central Idaho, the most mountainous of the regions. Southwestern Idaho includes both Boise and rugged canyonlands, while South Central Idaho is a high-desert region. Pristine Southeastern Idaho is home to the blue waters of Bear Lake, and sweeping Eastern Idaho is characterized by farmlands and the western slope of the Teton Range.

Idaho is among the most recently settled states. Though Native Americans have a rich history dating back 15,000 years, the earliest Anglo visitors--Lewis and Clark, mountain men and missionaries, and the Oregon and California Trail pioneers-- usually passed through Idaho en route to another destination. Canadian explorer David Thompson established a trading post near Sandpoint in North Idaho in 1809 and Father Antonio Ravalli, a Jesuit, constructed the state's oldest standing building, the Sacred Heart Mission near Coeur d'Alene, in 1850. But the state's first permanently settled Anglo town, Franklin, didn't exist until 1860, and many other towns weren't established until early in the 20th century.

Idaho became a state in 1890 and spent the next century growing steadily, but not explosively. All that has changed in the past decade. Idaho was among the nation's top five fastest-growing states throughout the 1990s, usually second only to Nevada. Some Idaho towns and cities have seen their population double or even triple over the past few years. In many ways, Idaho--particularly the Boise area--now closely resembles other places in the United States. But even in the increasingly cosmopolitan urban areas, the nearest fishing hole, bike path, ski slope, or forested trail is rarely more than just a few minutes away.