h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The word Idaho was not necessarily coined by said lobbyist. There was a steamship that bore the name. The state website says it traveled the columbia, but for some reason I seem to remember that when I took Idaho history in High school, our archaic textbooks stated that the steamship actually operated in Montana, east of the continental divide.

The difference of saying Boy-zee and Boy-see is negligible. Really, if you say 'boy-see' fast, you get 'boy-zee.' Thus, one is just a slurred form of the other. Unless you completely butcher it, most locals won't notice (because 80% of Boise's population has moved from other parts of the country [ala California] in the last 30 years). Thus, there is an inherent Zenophobia. Try not to tell people you are from California, if at all possible. Farther reaches of the world are more appreciated then the 'left coast, land of fruits and nuts.'

Trying to pronounce some northwest nomenclature like Tigard, Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Willamette, Washington (some natives pronounce it 'Warsh-ington'), and Snoqualmie should keep people busy without having to worry about Boise.