contact
Idaho is one of the few remaining US states with only one telephone area code statewide: 208. Although there has been talk of an area code split or overlay due to the state's continued growth, nothing is currently planned along those lines. Most localities support emergency 911 services.
Cell phone service is reliable in all of the major cities as well as most other parts of the state. The only places you're likely to encounter trouble are deep in the mountains. That said, large no service zones do exist; the further you travel into the back country, the less likely you'll be able to call someone if you get in trouble. In rural areas some carriers may have a noticeably better presence than others.
All Idaho ZIP postal codes begin with "83-". Only the larger cities use more than one ZIP code.
Public WiFi access is available at most larger hotels, as well as throughout the city of Ketchum in Blaine County.
talk
English is almost universally spoken and understood, except that potatoes are sometimes called "spuds" and there's a bit of a rural twang as you get out to the logging and farming areas. Spanish is not as widely spoken as a second language.
respect
Generally speaking societal norms in Idaho are similar to other areas in the United States. However, Idahoans do tend to be slightly more familiar than others in the country. Especially in rural areas, complete strangers will wave to you as you drive by. Don't be afraid to wave back.
Idahoans are extremely sensitive to any allegation that the state is somehow a neo-Nazi enclave, and will be very quick to inform you otherwise if the subject comes up. This is particularly true in the Coeur d'Alene area, which experienced a very small but highly publicized group of neo-Nazis firsthand.
While Idahoans are genuinely proud of their potato-growing heritage, a litany of "spud" jokes and references tends to wear thin quickly.
Conflict between Mormons and non-Mormons is nothing new in Idaho and remains sensitive here, perhaps even more so than in Utah. While anything resembling open hostility on either side is exceptionally rare, the subject can make some people visibly uncomfortable.