Nampa

Nampa is an agricultural center in southwestern Idaho, United States, sitting in the Boise Valley with the Snake River Plain to the south and low hills rising in the distance to the north. The city divides into several neighborhoods, with the downtown hosting small shops and local restaurants while residential zones extend outward toward wide farmland.

The Oregon Short Line Railroad founded this settlement in 1886 as a key junction between Boise and the Pacific Northwest. In the decades that followed, irrigation projects across the Snake River Valley expanded farmland and drew more families to work the newly watered fields.

The name comes from a Shoshone word for footprint, reflecting the early connection of this area with the indigenous people of the Snake River Valley. Downtown farmers markets bring local growers and neighbors together on warm mornings to trade fresh produce and handmade goods.

Downtown areas are easy to walk through, with most shops and cafes within a few blocks of each other. Visitors planning to explore outside the center should consider a car, since farms and attractions spread over wide distances.

The Warhawk Air Museum displays military aircraft from several decades alongside personal items and accounts from veterans of different conflicts. Inside the exhibition halls, individual objects tell the stories of people who flew or maintained these machines.

Location: Canyon County

Inception: 1886

Elevation above the sea: 767 m

Shares border with: Caldwell

Website: https://cityofnampa.us

GPS coordinates: 43.57472,-116.56361

Latest update: December 13, 2025 15:58