Weiser, Idaho

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Weiser is a city in rural southwestern Idaho and the seat of Washington County^GR6. With its mild climate, the city supports farm, orchard, and livestock endeavors in the vicinity. The city sits at the confluence of the Weiser River with the great Snake River, which marks the border with Oregon. The elevation is 2123 feet (647 m) above sea level. The population was 5,343 at the 2000 census. Locals pronounce the city's name as "Wheezer."

1 History
2 Culture
3 Geography
4 Demographics
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

The town was named for the nearby Weiser River, but exactly who that was named for is not precisely known. In one version it is for Peter M. Weiser; an American Revolutionary war soldier and member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806. Another has it for Jacob Weiser, a trapper-turned-miner who struck it rich in Baboon Gulch in the Florence Basin of Idaho and settled in the area in 1863.

The town of Weiser reached its height of prosperity when a railroad way station was established and it became a transportation hub for travelers. Its history is well represented by the great number of original buildings from the 1890s and early 1900s that are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Legendary Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson played semi-pro baseball for the Weiser Senators in 1906 & 1907. After high school in Fullerton, California, the teenage "Big Train" was lured to Weiser to play baseball and work for the local telephone company. While in Weiser, he once pitched 84 consecutive scoreless innings. His skills attracted a scout from the Washington Nationals (later Senators) and in July 1907 he departed Idaho for the major leagues at age nineteen.

[edit] Culture

Weiser bills itself as the "Fiddling Capital of the World" and The National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest has been held each year since 1953. Fiddling contests had been held in Weiser since 1914, but the present festival was the idea of Blaine Stubblefield, a fiddler and folk music collector, and the head of the town's chamber of commerce. The festival is held at the beginning of summer, during the third full week in June. It draws national media coverage and over 7,000 people to the Weiser area.

[edit] Geography

Weiser is located at 44°14′59″N, 116°58′4″W (44.249712, -116.967799)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.1 km² (2.3 mi²). 6.1 km² (2.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.43% is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 5,343 people, 2,018 households, and 1,368 families residing in the city. The population density was 881.6/km² (2,280.5/mi²). There were 2,207 housing units at an average density of 364.2/km² (942.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.13% White, 0.07% African American, 0.80% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 13.92% from other races, and 2.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.91% of the population.

There were 2,018 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,880, and the median income for a family was $31,996. Males had a median income of $26,643 versus $16,386 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,986. About 12.6% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.9% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.