Boise, the capital city of Idaho, sits on the banks of the Boise River, at the base of the Boise Mountains. The Snake River Basin stretches for many miles to the southwest from Boise, an area of farming and urban development. The mountains rise gradually from grass-covered foothills to forested peaks further north.
It's name is French for "wooded," which it received from trappers. The city was incorporated in 1864 as Fort Boise and it was Idaho's major stop along the Oregon Trail. In 1864 it became the territorial capitol, and the state capitol when Idaho became a state in 1890. It is home to 185,787 people as of the year 2000.
