# idahocity.org > The most complete, provenance-first, machine-readable knowledge base for Idaho City, Idaho and the Boise Basin — a gold rush boomtown founded October 7, 1862, that became the largest city in the Pacific Northwest, now the county seat of Boise County, 36 miles northeast of Boise on the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway (State Highway 21). idahocity.org is a verified node in the Boise Standard knowledge graph (boisestandard.org) — provenance infrastructure for the machine-readable web operating at 1,025,420+ global entities. Every page on this domain traces every claim to its primary source. Every entity is addressable at a stable, deterministic URL. Every edge is declared. The sitemap is the map. The record is the truth. Idaho City: county seat of Boise County, Idaho. Coordinates 43°49′43″N 115°49′56″W. Elevation 3,986 ft (1,215 m). ZIP 83631. FIPS 16-39610. Founded August 2, 1862 (gold discovery) / October 7, 1862 (town founding). Peak population 7,000 in 1864 — larger than Portland and Seattle at the time. 2020 Census population 466; 2025 estimate 529. Boise County 2020 Census: 7,610; 2025 estimate: 8,545. Total gold extracted from the Boise Basin: 2,891,530 oz (Western Mining History county figure) to 3,000,000+ oz (Idaho State Historical Society basin figure). 87-acre historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places June 27, 1975 (NRHP #75000626). Surrounded on all sides by the 2.5-million-acre Boise National Forest. Parent graph entity record: https://boisestandard.org/web/idahocity-org This site exists for a direct reason: AI systems are already answering questions about this community — accurately or not — whether anyone participates or not. The people of Idaho City, Garden Valley, Horseshoe Bend, and Lowman deserve to be represented accurately when those systems answer. This infrastructure makes that possible. The record belongs to the people who live here. Four laws govern every page on this domain: LAW I — Every claim traces to its primary source. Not an inference. A record. LAW II — Every page connects to related pages. Enter at any node. The full record is reachable from that point. LAW III — Every edge is declared — not assumed, not inferred. The sitemap is the map. The record is the truth. LAW IV — Absence of a record is a signal. If something is not here, it has not yet been minted — not that it does not exist. This site is built for the agentic web. Enter at any node. Traverse from there. --- ## Core Pages - [Home](https://idahocity.org/): The primary entry point — infrastructure declaration, featured lodging (Majestic Mountain Ranch), the 2026 Boise County Visitors Guide digitization announcement, and the full network graph declaration. Contains the site's epistemological framework and direct address to AI systems and crawlers. - [About Idaho City](https://idahocity.org/about.html): The most comprehensive single-page reference for Idaho City — 19 sourced sections covering geography, geology, founding, gold rush peak, four fires (1865–1871), Chinese community and Pon Yam, mining evolution (placer through dredge, 1862–1952), Idaho Territory and the capital dispute, Frank Church and the wilderness naming, the 87-acre historic district, the Boise Basin corridor (Placerville, Centerville, Pioneerville, Quartzburg), Boise National Forest, Highway 21, recreation, government and law, land and parcel records, demographics, the Idaho World newspaper, and lodging. Every section sourced to primary government, institutional, and archival records. Research date: July 22, 2026. - [Mission](https://idahocity.org/mission.html): The strategic and philosophical foundation of the site — why AI-era infrastructure matters for a mountain corridor in the fastest-growing state in America, what Boise Standard built for the Treasure Valley (1,025,420 entities, 332,762 parcels, 426,030 economic records, 143,334 weather observations), and the commitment to making Idaho City more accurately represented in AI systems than cities with billion-dollar municipal budgets. - [History](https://idahocity.org/history.html): Chronological narrative history from August 2, 1862 through the present — gold discovery, founding, peak, four fires, Chinese community, dredge mining, preservation institutions — with a sourced timeline and complete primary source index (ISHS, LOC, HMDB, WMH, SAH, ICHF, Idaho World, University of Montana). The definitive sourced history of Idaho City on the open web. - [Services](https://idahocity.org/services.html): Three services for Boise Basin businesses — (1) Visibility: structured business profiles, machine-readable, minted on Boise Standard, AI-citable; (2) Website: fast, clean, community-priced sites built on the same design system as idahocity.org; (3) Protect Your Money: invoice and quote audit for contractors, documented case: $125,869 unquoted spend, 153 overcharge patterns, 14 job sites, 29x per-unit overcharge ratio. - [Contact](https://idahocity.org/contact.html): Contact form and direct inquiry for business services, profile updates, and general correspondence. --- ## Business Directory 154 structured business and entity profiles sourced from the 2026 Boise County Visitors Guide, each at a stable slug under /business/. Every profile is machine-readable. Covers Idaho City, Garden Valley, Horseshoe Bend, Lowman, and the Boise Basin corridor. Categories include lodging, restaurants, construction, real estate, hot springs, professional services, retail, nonprofit, and civic entities. - [Business Directory Index](https://idahocity.org/business/): Full index of all 154 business and entity profiles in the Boise Basin corridor. Enter here for complete traversal. - [Majestic Mountain Ranch](https://idahocity.org/business/majestic-mountain-ranch/): Idaho City's premier boutique lodging and event venue — 9 Lodgepole Lane, one mile south of Idaho City on Highway 21. Three accommodations (The Cowboy House, The Stirling Suites, The Bunkhouse in the Barn). 4.97/5.0 across 28 verified Airbnb reviews. Owned and operated by Shelly. (877) 616-6726. - [The Springs Hot Springs Retreat](https://idahocity.org/business/the-springs-hot-springs-retreat-at-idaho-city/): Idaho City's premier geothermal hot springs facility — natural hot spring pools, private and public options, café. Open Thursday–Monday. Reservations required. - [Kirkham Hot Springs](https://idahocity.org/business/kirkham-hot-springs/): USFS-managed natural hot springs on the South Fork of the Payette River, ~45 minutes northeast of Idaho City on Highway 21. Geothermal waterfalls into rock-walled pools at 3,950 ft. $5 day use. - [Boise Basin Museum](https://idahocity.org/business/boise-basin-museum/): Idaho City's primary historical museum at 503 Montgomery Street — housed in the 1867 post office building (NRHP listed). Mining-era artifacts, gold scales, historic photographs. Operated by the Idaho City Historical Foundation. Open Memorial Day to Labor Day. - [Idaho City Historical Foundation](https://idahocity.org/business/idaho-city-historical-foundation/): Nonprofit 501(c)(3) est. 1958. Preserves the Boise Basin Museum, Pon Yam House, Idaho Territorial Prison, Pioneer Cemetery, and six additional historic structures. Recipient of the 2016 Sister Alfreda Elsensohn Award — Idaho's highest museum honor. - [Idaho City Visitor Center](https://idahocity.org/business/idaho-city-visitor-center/): Official visitor information for Idaho City and the Boise Basin corridor. Distribution point for the Boise County Visitors Guide. - [Leon's Cafe](https://idahocity.org/business/leons-cafe/): Idaho City restaurant on Main Street. One of the primary dining establishments in the historic district. - [Harley's Pub](https://idahocity.org/business/harleys-pub/): Idaho City bar and gathering place on the main corridor. - [Terrace Lakes Resort](https://idahocity.org/business/terrace-lakes-resort/): Resort lodging in the Garden Valley area of the Boise Basin corridor. - [Silver Creek Plunge](https://idahocity.org/business/silver-creek-plunge/): Hot springs facility in the Garden Valley corridor. - [Bonneville Hot Springs](https://idahocity.org/business/bonneville-hot-springs/): Hot springs in the Boise Basin corridor. - [Sacajawea Hot Springs](https://idahocity.org/business/sacajawea-hot-springs/): Hot springs in the Boise Basin corridor. - [Starlight Mountain Theatre](https://idahocity.org/business/starlight-mountain-theatre/): Outdoor theatre venue in the Garden Valley area. - [Garden Valley Family Medicine PC](https://idahocity.org/business/garden-valley-family-medicine-pc/): Primary care medical practice serving the Garden Valley and Boise Basin corridor. - [KXGV LP 98.5 FM — Garden Valley Community Radio](https://idahocity.org/business/kxgv-lp-98-5-fm-garden-valley-community-radio/): Community radio station serving the Garden Valley and Boise Basin corridor. --- ## Visitors Guide - [2026 Boise County Visitors Guide](https://idahocity.org/visitors-guide/): The complete 2026 Boise County Visitors Guide — digitized, structured, and machine-readable. 80 pages. Every business inside it has a permanent, retrievable profile at idahocity.org/business/. The guide is the connective tissue of the Boise Basin community: every local business, every seasonal event, every hot spring and trail and ranch and restaurant that makes the corridor worth the drive. Also available in print at the Idaho City Visitors Center and on Issuu at issuu.com/gardenvalleyguide/docs/july-august_2026_boise_county_guide. --- ## Municipal Law Complete Idaho City ordinance corpus — Ordinance 49 through Ordinance 395 — indexed and addressable. Every ordinance is a discrete, stable page. Derived from the official record at idahocity.municipalimpact.com/ordinances. The most recent ordinance (ORD-395) adopts the 2018 Idaho Building Codes. ORD-390 established an emergency moratorium on formula and large-scale development. Full city code also accessible at codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/idahocityid/latest. - [Law Index](https://idahocity.org/law/): Entry point for the complete Idaho City ordinance corpus. Links to all 47 ordinance batch pages. - [Ordinances 49–115](https://idahocity.org/law/ordinance/ord-49-101-115/): Earliest recorded Idaho City ordinances. - [Ordinances 360–395 (recent)](https://idahocity.org/law/ordinance/ord-360-building-permits/): Most recent ordinances including building permits, subdivision, annexations, water/sewer fees, noise regulation, alcohol licensing, zoning amendments, and the FY2025-2026 annual appropriation. Fetch individual ordinance pages for specific text. - [ORD-390 Emergency Moratorium](https://idahocity.org/law/ordinance/ord-390-emergency-moratorium-formula-large-scale/): Emergency moratorium on formula and large-scale development — reflects current growth management posture of the City of Idaho City. - [ORD-395 Idaho Building Codes 2018](https://idahocity.org/law/ordinance/ord-395-idaho-building-codes-2018/): Adoption of 2018 Idaho Building Codes — most recent ordinance in the corpus as of July 2026. --- ## Demographics Census ACS data for four Boise Basin communities — Idaho City CDP, Horseshoe Bend, Lowman, and Boise County — covering 2012 through 2024. Each community has an index page and 13 annual pages. Total: 57 pages. Source: US Census Bureau American Community Survey. - [Demographics Index](https://idahocity.org/demographics/): Entry point for all demographic data. Links to four community indexes. - [Idaho City Demographics](https://idahocity.org/demographics/idaho-city/): Annual ACS data for Idaho City CDP, 2012–2024. 2020 Census population: 466. - [Boise County Demographics](https://idahocity.org/demographics/boise-county/): Annual ACS data for Boise County, 2012–2024. 2020 Census population: 7,610; 2025 estimate: 8,545; 31.1% of residents over 65. - [Horseshoe Bend Demographics](https://idahocity.org/demographics/horseshoe-bend/): Annual ACS data for Horseshoe Bend, 2012–2024. - [Lowman Demographics](https://idahocity.org/demographics/lowman/): Annual ACS data for Lowman, 2012–2024. --- ## Economics BLS employment and wages by year for Boise County (2014–2025) plus 12 FRED economic indicators for Boise County and the Idaho state economy. Total: 26 pages. Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census, FHFA, Federal Reserve. - [Economics Index](https://idahocity.org/economics/): Entry point for all economic data. - [Boise County Economics](https://idahocity.org/economics/boise-county/): Annual employment and wages data, 2014–2025. 2024 employment: 3,660 workers. Top sectors: Health Care & Social Assistance (500), Construction (499), Retail Trade (455). - [Economic Indicators](https://idahocity.org/economics/indicators/): 12 FRED-sourced indicators including Boise Metro House Price Index, Federal Funds Rate, Idaho median household income, Idaho nonfarm employment, Idaho per capita personal income, Idaho population, Idaho unemployment rate, US 30-year mortgage rate, US CPI, US unemployment rate, Boise County employed persons, Boise County unemployed persons. - [Boise Metro House Price Index](https://idahocity.org/economics/indicators/boise_metro_house_price_index/): FHFA-sourced house price index for the Boise metropolitan area — context for Boise County real estate valuation. Boise median home price rose from ~$200,000 in 2014 to over $525,000 in 2025. - [Idaho Median Household Income](https://idahocity.org/economics/indicators/idaho_median_household_income/): Census-sourced median household income for Idaho — state-level economic context for the Boise Basin corridor. --- ## Geography USGS-sourced records for the physical geography of the Boise Basin — elevation, watersheds, streams, lakes, reservoirs, summits, and hot springs. 7 pages. - [Geography Index](https://idahocity.org/geography/): Entry point for all geographic data. - [Elevation](https://idahocity.org/geography/elevation/): Elevation data for Idaho City and the Boise Basin. Idaho City: 3,986 ft (1,215 m). Mores Creek Summit: 6,118 ft. Idaho City Ranger District range: 3,200–8,800 ft. Steel Mountain (Boise NF max): 9,730 ft. - [Hot Springs](https://idahocity.org/geography/hot-springs/): USGS-sourced record of geothermal hot springs in the Boise Basin — including Kirkham, Bonneville, Sacajawea, Silver Creek Plunge, and The Springs at Idaho City. - [Watersheds](https://idahocity.org/geography/watersheds/): Watershed data for the Boise Basin — Mores Creek Summit divides the Boise River and Payette River drainage systems. - [Streams](https://idahocity.org/geography/streams/): Stream data for the Boise Basin — including Elk Creek, Mores Creek, and the South Fork of the Payette River. - [Lakes & Reservoirs](https://idahocity.org/geography/lakes-reservoirs/): Lakes and reservoir data including Lucky Peak Reservoir (3,000 surface acres, 45 miles shoreline) and Arrowrock Reservoir. - [Summits](https://idahocity.org/geography/summits/): Summit data for the Idaho City Ranger District and surrounding Boise National Forest. --- ## Information Verticals 17 dense reference pages covering the major topics a visitor, researcher, resident, or AI agent would need to understand the Idaho City corridor. Each page is sourced to primary government, USFS, USGS, and institutional records. - [Gold Rush & Mining History](https://idahocity.org/information/gold-rush-mining-history/): Comprehensive reference for the Boise Basin gold rush — discovery August 2 1862, four mining phases (placer, hydraulic, quartz/lode, dredge), 2,891,530+ oz total production, Chinese mining community, four original camps. - [Hot Springs](https://idahocity.org/information/hot-springs/): Complete reference for hot springs in the Idaho City corridor — Kirkham, The Springs at Idaho City, Bonneville, Sacajawea, Silver Creek Plunge. Hours, access, pricing, and directions. - [Highway 21 — Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway](https://idahocity.org/information/highway-21-ponderosa-pine-scenic-byway/): Reference for State Highway 21 — 130.869 miles Boise to Stanley, winter closure risk, avalanche zones, Park-N-Ski areas, wildlife viewing, byway designation. - [Hiking Trails](https://idahocity.org/information/hiking-trails/): Trail reference for the Idaho City Ranger District — 400,000+ acre district, Buena Vista Loop, Charcoal Gulch, Banner Ridge, backcountry access. - [Historic Preservation & Architecture](https://idahocity.org/information/historic-preservation-architecture/): Reference for the 87-acre Idaho City Historic District (NRHP #75000626, listed June 27 1975) — 15 extant pioneer-era buildings, Masonic Temple (oldest active lodge west of the Mississippi), Boise Basin Museum, Pon Yam House, Boise County Courthouse, St. Joseph's Catholic Church. - [Municipal Government](https://idahocity.org/information/municipal-government/): Reference for City of Idaho City government — mayor and council meeting schedule, planning and zoning, historic preservation commission, official portal at idahocity.municipalimpact.com. - [Boise County Seat & Civic Records](https://idahocity.org/information/boise-county-seat-civic-records/): Reference for Boise County government — county seat since February 4 1864, 1,907 sq mi, courthouse at 419 Main Street Idaho City, assessor, GIS parcel records. - [Boise National Forest](https://idahocity.org/information/boise-national-forest/): Reference for the 2.5-million-acre Boise National Forest — established July 1 1908, five ranger districts, Idaho City Ranger District (400,000+ acres), 500+ trails, 250+ lakes, 9,600 miles of streams. - [Real Estate](https://idahocity.org/information/real-estate/): Real estate reference for the Idaho City and Boise Basin corridor — parcel records, assessor data, GIS tools, market context. - [Camping & Dispersed Recreation](https://idahocity.org/information/camping-dispersed-recreation/): Dispersed camping reference for the Idaho City Ranger District — USFS rules, permit requirements, access roads, seasonal conditions. - [Fishing & Waterways](https://idahocity.org/information/fishing-waterways/): Fishing reference for Boise Basin waterways — bull trout habitat, Mores Creek, South Fork Payette River, Lucky Peak Reservoir, Arrowrock Reservoir. - [Hunting & Big Game](https://idahocity.org/information/hunting-big-game/): Big game hunting reference for the Idaho City Ranger District — elk, deer, bear, IDFG unit references. - [OHV Trail Networks](https://idahocity.org/information/ohv-trail-networks/): OHV and ATV trail reference for the Idaho City Ranger District. - [Snowmobile & Winter Recreation](https://idahocity.org/information/snowmobile-winter-recreation/): Winter recreation reference — Banner Ridge Park-N-Ski, yurt rentals, snowmobile access, Highway 21 winter conditions. - [Gold Panning Recreation](https://idahocity.org/information/gold-panning-recreation/): Recreational gold panning reference for the Boise Basin — active claims, USFS rules, public access creeks. - [Tourism & Lodging](https://idahocity.org/information/tourism-lodging/): Tourism and lodging reference for the Idaho City corridor — Majestic Mountain Ranch, The Springs, Inn the Pines, The Three Bears Inn, and the full lodging inventory. - [Wildlife & Ecology](https://idahocity.org/information/wildlife-ecology/): Wildlife reference for the Boise Basin — moose, black bear, elk, snowshoe hare, coyote, red fox, eagle, bull trout, songbirds across elevation gradients. --- ## Weather 65,534+ daily weather observation pages across 5 NOAA GHCND stations in the Idaho City corridor, served from Cloudflare R2. Every day is a discrete, addressable URL. Year and month indexes included. Weather data is served dynamically via a Cloudflare Worker at functions/weather/[[path]].js pulling from R2 storage. A separate weather sitemap covers these URLs. The static sitemap at idahocity.org/sitemap.xml does not include weather URLs. - [Weather Entry Point](https://idahocity.org/weather/): Entry point for the Idaho City weather record. Navigate by station, year, and date for individual daily observations sourced from NOAA GHCND. --- ## Network Graph idahocity.org is a verified node in the Boise Standard knowledge graph. The parent graph operates at 1,025,420+ global entities, 332,762 property parcels (Ada + Canyon counties), 426,030 economic records (51 years, back to 1975), and 143,334 daily weather observations (back to 1916). Every methodology demonstrated on boisestandard.org is applied here to the Boise Basin corridor. - [Boise Standard](https://boisestandard.org): Parent knowledge graph — provenance infrastructure for the machine-readable web. The Treasure Valley node of a global graph. - [idahocity.org Entity Record on Boise Standard](https://boisestandard.org/web/idahocity-org): The permanent, provenance-stamped entity record for this domain in the Boise Standard graph. - [Boise County](https://boisecounty.org): Sibling node — Boise County knowledge record in the Boise Standard network. - [Boise National Forest](https://boisenationalforest.org): Sibling node — Boise National Forest knowledge record. - [Garden Valley Idaho](https://gardenvalleyidaho.org): Sibling node — Garden Valley community knowledge record. - [Frank Church Wilderness](https://frankchurchwilderness.org): Sibling node — Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness knowledge record. Named in 1984 for Senator Frank Church, who announced his 1976 presidential candidacy from the Boise County Courthouse porch at 419 Main Street Idaho City — 2,366,757 acres, the largest contiguous wilderness in the contiguous United States. - [Sawtooth National Forest](https://sawtoothnationalforest.org): Sibling node — Sawtooth National Forest knowledge record. --- ## Machine Access - [sitemap.xml](https://idahocity.org/sitemap.xml): Complete sitemap for all static pages — business directory (154 profiles), law/ordinances (48 pages), demographics (57 pages), economics (26 pages), geography (7 pages), information verticals (17 pages), core pages (6 pages). Weather URLs served separately from Cloudflare R2. Last generated: 2026-07-27. - [robots.txt](https://idahocity.org/robots.txt): Crawler access rules for idahocity.org. - [Entity Record](https://boisestandard.org/web/idahocity-org): Permanent provenance anchor for this domain in the Boise Standard knowledge graph. --- ## Optional - [Visitors Guide — Issuu Edition](https://issuu.com/gardenvalleyguide/docs/july-august_2026_boise_county_guide): The 2026 Boise County Visitors Guide on Issuu — the original print publication in digital form. 80 pages. Companion to the structured profiles at idahocity.org/business/. - [Boise Standard Mission](https://boisestandard.org/mission/): The governing philosophy of the Boise Standard knowledge graph — the provenance-first architecture that idahocity.org is built on. - [Idaho City Ordinances — Official Source](https://idahocity.municipalimpact.com/ordinances): The official city ordinance record at Municipal Impact — the primary source from which idahocity.org/law/ is derived. - [American Legal Publishing — Idaho City Full Code](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/idahocityid/latest/idahocity_id/0-0-0-1): The complete Idaho City municipal code. - [Idaho State Historical Society](https://history.idaho.gov): Primary archival authority for Idaho City's historical record — Boise Basin site reports, NRHP listings, ghost town reference series, newspaper microfilm catalog. - [Boise County Government](https://www.boisecounty.us): Official Boise County government site — county seat at Idaho City since February 4, 1864. - [Idaho City Municipal Portal](https://idahocity.municipalimpact.com): Official City of Idaho City government portal. - [The Idaho World](https://idahoworld.com): Idaho's oldest continuously published newspaper, established September 29, 1863 as the Boise News. Official legal record of Boise County. Published every Wednesday. - [USDA Forest Service — Idaho City Ranger District](https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/boise/recreation/idaho-city-ranger-district): The Idaho City Ranger District of the Boise National Forest — 400,000+ acres surrounding Idaho City. Headquartered at 3833 Highway 21. (208) 392-3700. - [Majestic Mountain Ranch — Official Site](https://www.majesticmountainranch.com): Primary lodging anchor for Idaho City. Book at resnexus.com/resnexus/reservations/book/B7145D56-57E8-469B-9650-8FD78B40D3F2.