Boise (French for 'Wooded Area') is the capital and largest city in the state of Idaho. Boise was given its name after French-Canadian trappers first explored the area after crossing the arid plains. Finding green trees at the site, they named it boisé (meaning "wooded"). Boise has consequently been given the nickname City of Trees. Boise was settled in 1863, and incorporated as a city in 1864. The first capital of Idaho was Lewiston, but Boise replaced it in 1865. As of the 2000 census, Boise's population was 185,787. According to the 2005 Census estimates, the city proper had an estimated population of 193,161. Downtown Boise is at an elevation of 2,704 feet above sea level.

Numbering about 15,000, Boise is home of the largest Basque community in the United States, and the second largest community in the world outside the Basque Country in Spain and France. A large Basque festival known as Jaialdi is held once every five years (next in 2010). Downtown Boise features a vibrant section known as the "Basque Block". Boise's mayor, David H. Bieter is of Basque descent.

Boise is also a regional hub for jazz and theater. The Gene Harris Jazz Festival is hosted in Boise each spring. The city is also home to a number of museums, including the Boise Art Museum, Idaho Historical Museum, the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, Idaho Black History Museum and the Discovery Center of Idaho. Several theater groups operate in the city, including the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Boise Little Theatre and the Boise Contemporary Theater among others. On the first Thursday of each month, a gallery stroll is hosted in the city's core business district by the Downtown Boise Association.

The Morrison-Knudsen Nature Center offers a refreshing stroll with water features and wildlife experiences just east of downtown. It is located adjacent to Municipal Park. It features live fish and wildlife exhibits. There are bridges, viewing areas into the water, bird and butterfly gardens, waterfalls, and a visitor's center (which is free to the public).

In 1984 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built the scenic Boise Idaho Temple here because of the large number of members in the region.

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