Boise is the most populous city within the U.S. state of Idaho and it is also the capital city. What's more, Boise forms the county seat of Ada County. The city is located on the Boise River and serves as an anchor of the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area. It is the largest city between Portland, Oregon and Salt Lake City, Utah.
The population of the city was 205,671 based on the 2010 Census Bureau. The metropolitan area of Boise is home to approximately 616,500 people and is the 3rd most densely inhabited metropolitan region in the U.S. Pacific Northwest area. By population, it is also the 104th largest city in the US.
Before the establishment of Fort Boise, the area was referred to as Boise for a long time. Initially, Fort Boise was situated 40 miles or 64 km west near Parma, the confluence of the Snake River with the Boise River at the Oregon border. The Hudson Bay Company erected this defense in the 1830s.
The city is the main economic center for the region and the state. Presently, the city is home to main company head offices, like the supermarket chain Albertson's Inc, URS Corp, Morrison Knudsen, an engineering and construction company, J.R. Simplot who specializes in frozen foods, cattle and phosphates, Idaho Timber, Micron Technology, a semiconductor manufacturer, Idaho Pacific Lumber Company, Boise Cascade LLC, a paper product and wood manufacturer, WinCo Foods and Washington Group International.
The high-tech industry has increasingly become important within Boise. The businesses operating in this sector, comprises Mobile Data Force, Sybase and Balihoo.com. Manufacturing facilities can likewise be found all over the city of Boise. Furthermore, Boise has become a prominent place for call centers. Businesses such as DIRECTV, Teleperformance and T-Mobile operate within Boise. One more important part of the economy is tourism. In addition, because the state capital is Boise, state government is another main employer.
The area surrounding the city of Boise supports a wide range of outdoor activities, with many hiking and biking trails located north of the downtown area. The urban trail system operated by the city of Boise has been referred to as the Boise River Greenbelt. In addition, the Boise River serves as a recreational site for swimming, rafting and fishing. For those people seeking some outdoor fun during the winter time, Bogus Basin Mountain Resort offers snowboarding, tubing, cross-country and downhill skiing. The mountain is located 16 miles from the city of Boise, ideal for the whole family.
During the warmer months, there are opportunities to enjoy rafting and river tours on the Boise River. There are also many guest ranches meant for those who want to celebrate the great outdoors and try some horseback riding adventures. Fishing and hunting are other popular activities in the foothills near Boise.
The city of Boise hosts various popular jazz and theatre festivities, and there are many theatre groups operating within the city including Prairie Dog Productions, the Boise Little Theatre, Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Boise Contemporary Theatre. Every springtime, the Gene Harris Jazz Festival is hosted. The city is home to several museums such as the Idaho Historical Museum, the Boise Art Museum, the Discovery Centre of Idaho, the Idaho Black History Museum, the Boise Watershed and the Basque Museum and Cultural Center.