Payette is a city in and the county seat of Payette County, Idaho, United States. The population was 7,054 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ontario, OR–ID Micropolitan Statistical Area. Originally named Boomerang signifying a roundhouse on the railroad, the Oregon Shortline. The city changed its name for François Payette, a French-Canadian fur trapper and later the head the Fort Boise trading post for the British Hudson's Bay Company from 1835-44. A large merry man, he was highly regarded for his helpful assistance to the many travelers who came through the fort. After his retirement in 1844, Mr. Payette returned to Montreal, but the rest of his life is a mystery.