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"Chinden"
For some reason, a lot of out-of-towners want to pronounce the name of this major street that runs through the area from Eagle to Garden City to Boise as "shin-den." In Boise lingo, it is actually pronounced "chin-den," saying, "chin" just like the knobby thing below your mouth.
The name is short for "Chinese Gardens." Before Idaho became a state, it was home to some beautiful Chinese gardens (the Chinese also came to Idaho in search of gold and silver). Boise was also home to a number of Chinese gambling dens, along with many gambling dens not run by Chinese settlers.
Chinden Street had so much gambling, in fact, that when Boise City decided to outlaw the practice, the area along Chinden declared itself an independent city. Thus, Garden City was born, surrounded by Boise. Garden City exists to this day. Gambling, however, is still outlawed throughout the state.
Tags: reason out-of-towners name gardens chinese gambling city garden city