Idaho State Nickname: “Idaho’s nickname is “The Gem State” for the abundance of natural resources and scenic areas that include snow-capped mountain ranges, rapids, vast lakes and steep canyons.” ~StateSymbolsUSA.org
Idaho Fun Fact: Idahoans drink more wine than any other state. ~Onlyinyourstate.com
Best Thing About Idaho: “You’ll “never” get mugged in Idaho” ~OldHarborins.com
Worst Thing About Idaho: Hobo spiders
Movies Filmed in Idaho: Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Dante’s Peak (1997), Heaven’s Gate (1980). There’s plenty of others, but none of them move the needle for me.
Ironically, the movie My Own Private Idaho (1991) was not filmed in Idaho. There’s also the B-52’s iconic 1980 song Private Idaho, which doesn’t really have anything to do with Idaho. “In this song, the fine state of Idaho is used to represent a case of paranoia – the lyrics “get out of that state” meaning to get out of that state of mind. Why Idaho? B-52’s singer Fred Schneider explained to the Idaho Statesman that it was the wacky reputation of the state, saying, “Idaho is pretty mysterious to all of us. I know it’s a beautiful state. The song’s about all different things. It’s not like a parody of Idaho or anything.” ~Songfacts.com
I feel like I gave way too many Idaho fun facts there. Anywho, I’ve never been to Idaho and in my extensive, methodical research, I didn’t find anything that makes me want to go there. That’s just me. If you’re an outdoorsy type, Idaho is a fantastic place. As you would guess, there’s plenty of mountains and rivers, for hiking, fishing and hunting. There’s also the annual Boise Balloon Classic for all you hot air ballooning aficionados.
If you’re a sports fan, you’ve got Boise State sports playing in NCAA Division 1. And their football team plays it’s game in the only blue turf stadium in the country. We get it Idaho, you’re quirky.
So, in summary, unless you balloon, hunt, or watch college sports, you should probably let Idaho stay private to the people, and hobo spiders, who live there.
Safe travels! ~Phil