Idaho and Wyoming: Seven Traits These Rocky Mountain Neighbors Share

Idaho and Wyoming—adjacent, sparsely populated, and ruggedly mountainous—share a distinct regional identity shaped by geography and history.

1. Rocky Mountain Geography

Both are landlocked and dominated by the Middle and Southern Rockies. Idaho's Sawtooths, Bitterroots, and Salmon River Mountains; Wyoming's Tetons, Wind Rivers, Bighorns, and Yellowstone Plateau. Mean elevations: ID 1,500 m, WY 2,000 m.

2. Resource-Rich Economies

• Minerals: Idaho (molybdenum, silver, phosphate, cobalt); Wyoming (coal #1 nationally, trona, uranium, oil, gas).
• Forests: Idaho (38% forest cover, major timber); Wyoming (15%, but key for recreation).

3. Agriculture as Cultural Backbone

• Idaho: #1 potatoes, #2 barley, #3 alfalfa hay, top-5 dairy, trout.
• Wyoming: #1 sheep (historically), top-10 cattle/calves, hay, sugar beets, beans.

4. Outdoor Recreation Meccas

Yellowstone & Grand Teton (WY), Craters of the Moon, Sawtooth NRA, Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness (ID). World-class skiing (Jackson Hole, Sun Valley), fishing, hunting, climbing, snowmobiling.

5. Small Populations, Large Areas

Both have rural majorities and strong "Western" cultural cohesion.

6. Conservative Politics

• Both voted Republican in every presidential election since 1968 (except WY 1992 Perot plurality).
• Low union density, right-to-work laws, minimal social welfare spending, strong gun rights, anti-federal-land-transfer sentiment.

7. Federal Land Dominance

• Idaho: 62% federal (BLM, USFS, NPS).
• Wyoming: 48% federal (includes Yellowstone & Grand Teton NPs).

Land-use conflicts (grazing, mining, recreation, conservation) define state-federal relations.

Together, they form the demographic and geographic core of the Intermountain West.