ID · Ada County · 235,684 (2020) · state capital · Mountain time
Boise, Idaho
Boise lies on the Boise River at the foot of the Rocky Mountain foothills in southwest Idaho. It is the capital and largest city of Idaho and the largest city between Salt Lake City and Portland.
- State
- Idaho
- County
- Ada County
- Population (2020)
- 235,684
- Rank
- 49th of the 50 cities mapped here; outside the national top 50
- Coordinates
- 43.62°N, 116.20°W
- Time zone
- Mountain
- Metro area
- about 760,000
- State capital
- Yes – capital of Idaho
Where Boise is
Boise is at 43.62°N, 116.20°W in Ada County, of which it is the county seat. The city covers about 85 square miles at roughly 2,730 feet above sea level, where the Boise River leaves the mountains and enters the Snake River Plain. The foothills of the Boise Range rise immediately northeast of downtown to over 5,000 feet, while the plain to the southwest is flat sagebrush desert irrigated into farmland. The city grew from an army fort placed in 1863 on the Oregon Trail. Oregon is 40 miles west; the Snake River, which forms that border, is 25 miles from the city. Salt Lake City is 340 miles southeast and Portland 430 miles west.
Population and rank
The 2020 Census counted 235,684 residents, 49th among the 50 cities on this site and outside the national top 50 — Boise is here as the capital and the only large city in Idaho. Boise grew about 14 percent between 2010 and 2020, and its suburbs Meridian (117,000) and Nampa (100,000) grew far faster; Meridian is the second-largest city in the state. The Boise City metropolitan area (five counties in the Treasure Valley) has about 760,000 people, roughly 40 percent of Idaho's population, and was one of the fastest-growing metros in the country in the 2010s.
Geography
- Boise River — flows west through the city from Lucky Peak reservoir to the Snake; the 25-mile Greenbelt path follows it. The river's cottonwoods gave the city its name (French boisé, wooded).
- Snake River Plain — the crescent of lava plain across southern Idaho; the Snake River passes 25 miles southwest and later carves Hells Canyon on the Oregon border.
- Boise foothills — dry, grassy hills with the Bogus Basin ski area 16 miles from downtown; the Sawtooth Range lies 100 miles northeast.
- Owyhee Desert — high sagebrush desert and canyons south of the Snake, one of the emptiest parts of the contiguous US.
Nearest large cities
Boise is a long way from anywhere: Salt Lake City is five hours and Portland seven. Distances are approximate road miles from the Capitol.
| City | State | Road distance (mi) | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City | UT | 340 | SE |
| Portland | OR | 430 | W |
| Seattle | WA | 500 | NW |
| Sacramento | CA | 560 | SW |
| Las Vegas | NV | 620 | S |
Boise as state capital
Boise has been the capital of Idaho since 1865, when the territorial legislature moved the seat from Lewiston in the north — a move the Lewiston side contested in court and lost, leaving a lasting north–south divide in the state. The sandstone Capitol, completed in 1920, is heated by geothermal hot water. Boise is both the capital and the largest city in the state. Idaho is split between time zones: Boise and the south are on Mountain time, while the northern panhandle, including Lewiston, is on Pacific. See the Boise capital page.
Related maps
- Idaho map — the state with its 44 counties.
- Boise, state capital — capital facts and history.
- US cities map.
- Snake River, Rocky Mountains and Yellowstone maps.
- Nearby: Salt Lake City, Portland, Oregon.
- Mountain division · Mountain Time Zone (north Idaho is on Pacific).