Among other things, Isaho was specifically targeted by numerous White Power organizations who wanted to take advantage of the social and economic fallout from the 1980s farm crisis in order to sell their ideoloy to the disaffected

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s_farm_crisis

They were successful in their efforts.

Not excusing, just explaining; if you’re kept isolated and ignorant by an undermined education system, geographically and social media algorithm bubbled, limited economic prospects, and normalized extreme right wing religious propaganda you get these feelings like you would be morally justified in spreading your particular xenophobic bigoted view to others by force to ‘save’ them or society or whatever. It’s not uniquely American, it’s the same right wing, nationalistic, authoritarian rhetoric used as everywhere else, it’s just more religious believing countries tend to be more susceptible to this type of ideology rhetoric because it usually uses the same language and feelings as religious belief. Idaho has like 20% LDS, it’s second only to Utah most states are 1-5%.

Probably public education

I grew up in Boise and this is hyperbole. At best, the panhandle (where nobody lives) has a nazi problem, not the whole state. People harping on this sound just like the conservatives who think Chicago is a lawless hell hole.

It is one of the whitest states in the US and already very conservative. It also happens to be the part in the US, with the least natural disasters, which makes it attractive to preppers. It then just got some insane people, which attract even more insane people.

Didn’t they all move to the NW states because they figured it’s more white there, or something?

IDK but unfun fact: Anytime anyone wants to talk shit about Chicago, you can point to Boise as one of the dozens of American cities with a higher violent crime rate.

Back in the 80s and 90s North Idaho was home to the Aryan Nations (which lost their compound in a very satisfying way, well worth the google)

That attracted a shit load of mouth breathing fucknutz to North Idaho, when they lost their compound most of said fucknutz stayed. Which also sucks because North Idaho may be the most beautiful area in all of the USA.

Fast forward to now and a concentrated effort from the 90s on to turn Idaho Red, you have MAGA ass-hat conservatives moving here because they are giant snowflakes and think that Idaho is the greatest place on earth. Which is also funny because the only thing the racists here hate more than minorities and accepting the trust about their sexuality are people from out of state.

Boise is usually quite nice though

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryan_Nations

Aryan Nations was a North American neo-Nazi[1] and white supremacist[2] hate group that was originally based in Kootenai County, Idaho, about 2+3⁄4 miles (4.4 km) north of the city of Hayden Lake.

Probably some lasting effect from that.

Starting in 1981, Butler organized yearly gatherings of white supremacists at his compound in Idaho which he termed the “Aryan Nations World Congress.” At his first conference, Butler called for the division of the United States into racial mini-states, including a white ethnostate in the Pacific Northwest. He said that he had a black ally in the plan, Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam.[3] At the 1983 Aryan Nations World Congress, Louis Beam and other leaders in the white power movement declared war on the U.S. government.[4]

This is my simple history as some who never lived there but has a degree in history.

In the 1800s, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho were part of the Oregon territory. In the middle of that century, white settlers began to move in and they hated slavery and didn’t want it but they hated free black people even more than slaves. They eventually passed a few laws that banned “negroes” and “mullatos”. The area also had a large influx of religious fundamentalist and separatists in its early history.Those laws were eventually repealed but created the majority white population of that area.

The early/mid 20th century saw other issues like the KKK but those were minor compared to what comes later. Cut to the 1970s and the Aryan Nations and other white nationalist groups began to move there. Those groups grew and encouraged more like minded racists to move there in hopes of setting up a whites only homeland.

It’s been a haven for the far-right since the 1980s.

Sort of like New Hampshire has been for libertarian types.

It’s simple that some group decided to move there and was like ‘hey come live here with us if you believe what we believe’.

Then Ruby Ridge happened in '92 and made it a national headline.

They like potatoes with lead.

This comment has been fact checked by a real American patriot 🇺🇸✅

Wow i didn’t know that IDAHO was the neo nazi capital of the US. I suspect it has something to do with the low population and large rural areas.

Cheap land to run the cult and not a lot of eyes watching what is happening. Add to that understaffed and under equipped local law enforcement. Finally lots of white peoples.

We didn’t ban their ideology from festering like civilized countries did after WW2

I feel like the answer’s in your question…