Does No One Want to Visit Idaho Because the Locals Are Jerks?

Having called Idaho my home for several years, I have found that the state is both remarkable and incredibly misunderstood. The truth is that Idaho is consistently among the top states for lacking needed tourism dollars, and it's certainly not because there's nothing to do or see.

I first visited Idaho in 2007 after taking a road trip to visit my then-girlfriend's family. Summer trips to areas like Stanley Lake and the southern Sawtooth Mountains became an annual excursion from the West Coast. In 2016, we moved to Twin Falls, dropped anchor, and bought a home.

I have found that a lot of people from the outside looking in have a perception of Idaho that isn't very flattering. Words like inhospitable and radical are often thrown around by people who live in other parts of the country. Travel websites such as Thrillist have labeled the Gem State as a place to not include on any bucket lists, and where tourists avoid visiting like the plague.

Is Idaho's Unwelcoming Image Factoring Into A Lack Of Tourism?

Sun Valley is considered one of the state's crowning jewels for its shopping, skiing, restaurants, and overall beauty, and is just 150 miles northeast of Boise. There are also somewhere around 2,000 lakes in Idaho, yet there is no shortage of negative press about the state online. Indeed, a large percentage of Idahoans are firmly against expansion or anything resembling population booms, but that's a real fear many people have when it comes to wanting to protect the land they grew up on.

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Sure, Idaho has no major theme parks or professional sports franchises to draw out-of-staters, but for outdoor enthusiasts, Idaho leaves nothing to desire in that respect. It remains to be seen just how much this unwelcoming label Idaho has had for many years toward visitors from other states is contributing to a lack tourism dollars, but it might play a small part in the reason the Gem State is said to be the least visited of all its neighbors in the Pacific Northwest.