Boise County
| Boise County, Idaho | ||
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 Location in the U.S. state of Idaho |
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 Idaho's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | February 4, 1864 | |
| Named for | Boise River | |
| Seat | Idaho City | |
| Largest city | Horseshoe Bend | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 1,907 sq mi (4,939 km2) | |
| • Land | 1,899 sq mi (4,918 km2) | |
| • Water | 7.4 sq mi (19 km2), 0.4% | |
| Population | ||
| • (2010) | 7,028 | |
| • Density | 3.7/sq mi (1/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 1st | |
| Time zone | Mountain: UTC-7/-6 | |
| Website | www |
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Boise County is a rural mountain county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,028. The county seat is Idaho City, and Horseshoe Bend is its largest city.
Boise County is part of the Boise, ID Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Bogus Basin ski area is in the southwestern part of the county. The county's eastern area contains the central section of the Sawtooth Wilderness, the western part of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.
In 2010, the center of Idaho's population was in Boise County.
The closest thing to a traffic signal in Boise County is a flashing red light for Hwy 52 where it meets Highway 55, in Horsehoe Bend. Highway 55 has a flashing yellow.
The county was established February 4, 1864, with its county seat at Idaho City. It was named for the Boise River, which was named by French-Canadian explorers and trappers for the great variety of trees growing along its banks in the lower desert valley. The county is also one of four Idaho counties that also existed under Washington Territory. On January 12, 1863, The Washington territorial legislature established the county containing most of Idaho below 114° 30', excluding the territory laying west of the Payette River. They also established its county seat at what would later become Idaho City.
The Boise Basin, in which Idaho City lies, was one of the richest gold mining districts in the nation. Gold was discovered in 1862 and more of it was pulled from present-day Boise County than from the entire state of Alaska. At its peak in the mid-1860s, Idaho City was the largest city in the Northwest, and it was this rapid population influx that lead to the establishment of the Idaho Territory in 1863. The lower elevation communities of Horseshoe Bend (Payette River) and Boise (Boise River) were staging areas for the Boise Basin mines.
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