Idaho Falls, Idaho

Idaho Falls is the county seat and largest city of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States.^[1] As of the 2000 Census the population of Idaho Falls was 50,730, with a metro population of 119,396. (2006 estimate: 52,786)^[2].

Idaho Falls is the second largest city in the Eastern Idaho region. Its estimated 2006 population falls short of Pocatello by only 1,146 persons. Idaho Falls is the principal city of and is included in the Idaho Falls, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Idaho Falls-Blackfoot, Idaho Combined Statistical Area. Idaho Falls is the third largest metropolitan area in the state behind the Boise City-Nampa and Coeur d'Alene metropolitan areas. It is the largest metropolitan area of the Eastern Idaho region. The city is served by the Idaho Falls Regional Airport and is home to the Idaho Falls Chukars minor league baseball team. Its sister city is the town of Tokai-Mura, Japan.

Idaho Falls borders on Ammon, Idaho.

Idaho U.S. Senator Mike Crapo was born here in 1951.

1 History
2 Economy
3 Culture
4 Greenbelt
5 Famous residents
6 Geography
7 Demographics
8 Higher education
9 K-12 schools
10 Sister city
11 References
12 External links

[edit] History

Taylor's Bridge circa 1870

What became Idaho Falls was the site of Taylor’s Crossing, a timber frame bridge built across the Snake River. The bridge was built by Matt Taylor, a freighter, who, in 1865, built a toll bridge across a narrow black basaltic gorge of the river that succeeded a ferry nine miles upstream by a few years.^[3] Taylor’s bridge served the new tide of westward migration and travel in the region that followed the military suppression of Shoshone resistance at the Bear River Massacre near Preston, Idaho in 1863. The bridge improved travel for settlers moving north and west and for miners, freighters, and others seeking riches in the gold fields of central Idaho and western Montana. A private bank (the 4th in Idaho), a hotel, a livery stable, and an eating house also sprang up at the bridge in 1865. By 1866, the emerging town had a stage station and mail service postmarked “Eagle Rock” as the area was already known by the name of the earlier ferry crossing upstream and to the north called Eagle Rock. The town changed its name to Eagle Rock in 1872 after the rock island in the river that was the nesting site for numerous eagles seven miles north.^[4]

Utah & Northern Bridge circa 1880 with railroad shops in background. View is looking north or upriver.

There had been a few cattle and sheep ranchers in the area for years. In 1874, water rights were established on nearby Willow Creek and the first grain harvested but settlement was sparse consisting of only a couple of families and small ditches for irrigation. The first child of European decent was born at Eagle Rock in 1874 also.

The winds of change blew in the form of the Utah and Northern Railroad that came north from Utah through Eagle Rock to cross the Snake River at the same narrow gorge as the wooden bridge. The U&NR was building its road to the large copper mines at Butte, Montana with the backing of robber baron Jay Gould as Union Pacific Railroad had purchased the U&NR only a few years prior.^[5] Grading crews reached Eagle Rock in late 1878 and by early 1879 a wild camp-town with dozens of tents and shanties moved to Eagle Rock with the usual collection of saloons, dancehalls, and gambling holes. The railroad company had 16 locomotives and 300 train cars working between Logan, Utah and the once quiet stage stop. A new iron railroad bridge was fabricated in Athens, Pennsylvania at a cost of $30,000 and shipped, by rail, to the site and erected in April and May of 1879.^[6] The bridge was 800 feet long and in two spans with an island in the center. The camp-town moved on but Eagle Rock, the little town at the wooden bridge, now had regular train service and was the site for several of the railroad’s buildings, shops, and facilities expanding and completely transforming the town.

Settlers began homesteading the Upper Snake River Valley as soon as the railroad came through. The first of the new settlers carved out homesteads to the north at Egin (near present day Parker) and at Pooles Island (near present day Menan) and were almost entirely Mormon. Reports of their success reached Mormon Church officials in Utah and, in 1883, the Church organized Mormon colonization of the Upper Snake River Valley.^[7] Large scale settlement ensued and in a decade, the pious, industrious, and somewhat communal Mormons built roads, bridges, dams, and irrigation canals that brought most of the Upper Snake River Valley under cultivation. In 1887, following the construction of the Oregon Short Line, most of the railroad facilities were removed to Pocatello but Eagle Rock was fast becoming the commercial center of an agricultural empire.

Idaho Falls on the Snake River with the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple in the background

In 1891, the town voted to rename itself to Idaho Falls, after the rapids that existed below the bridge. In 1895, only 12 years after the onset of Mormon colonization, the largest irrigation canal in the world, named the Great Feeder, began diverting water from the Snake River and aided in converting tens of thousands of acres of desert into green farmland in the vicinity of Idaho Falls. The area grew sugar beets, potatoes, peas, grains, and alfalfa and became one of the most productive regions of the United States.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints completed construction and dedicated their Idaho Falls Idaho Temple here on September 23, 1945 to serve the large Latter-day Saint population in the area.

Idaho Falls Bonneville Hotel

Idaho Falls Green Belt

[edit] Economy

Idaho Falls serves as a regional hub for health care, travel and business in southeast Idaho.

The community's economy was mostly agriculturally focused until the Atomic Energy Commission opened the National Reactor Testing Station in the nearby desert in 1949. The town subsequently became largely dependent on high-income jobs from "The Site", officially called the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) since 2005. The laboratory made several cutbacks in 1993. Since then the town has added call centers, a growing retail, entertainment, and restaurant sector, a regional medical center, and added funding for small businesses. In May of 2006, Inc. magazine ranked Idaho Falls eighth on its list of "Hottest Small Cities" in the U.S. based on the region's job growth rate over the prior 10 years. Idaho Falls was also listed #2 on MSN Real Estate's list of top ten best smaller cities in America, in terms of job prospects, quality of life and cost of living.[1]

The median home price in Idaho Falls was $224,800 in January 2007. (Without a reference, this statistic cannot be trusted)

Idaho Falls, Idaho / U.S. avg:^{[citation needed]}

Area population 116,980 / 647,500
Median home price $224,800 / $235,000
Cost-of-living index 99.8 / 100.0
Unemployment rate 2.7% / 4.6%
Job growth -- 5 years 18.84% / 4.90%
Job growth -- 1 year 2.74% / 1.66%
Median household income $47,719 / $46,326

[edit] Culture

Idaho Falls has established itself as a regional cultural destination. The Willards Art Center, The Colonial Theatre and Civic Auditorium are home to year round, diverse musical concerts, plays, and events. The greenbelt along the Snake River hosts many community events, such as the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration, the Roaring Youth Jam, Farmer's Market, among others. The successful Museum of Idaho is a regional attraction which showcases local artifacts and history, but also makes use of traveling exhibits bringing such things as dinosaur bones, ancient documents, and primitive guns to town.

Downtown Idaho Falls once suffered when many businesses moved as the city expanded eastward, but has been revitalized due to the efforts of local business owners, the City of Idaho Falls, and other organizations such as the Downtown Development Corporation and Grow Idaho Falls. It is home to many locally owned shops, stores, restaurants, galleries, and theaters.

[edit] Greenbelt

Idaho Falls has an extensive greenbelt, or riverbelt, along miles of the Snake River that flows through the center of the city. It is maintained by the City of Idaho falls, and often receives donations and grants which allow for occasional expansion.

A recent proposal suggests building a footbridge over the river and falls, as well as downsizing Memorial Drive to one Northbound lane, allowing for a new park and baseball diamond to be built.

[edit] Famous residents

Wilson Rawls - author of the children's books Where the Red Fern Grows and Summer of the Monkeys
Brandi Sherwood - a model and actor who became Miss Teen USA, Miss Idaho USA, and Miss USA
Yo Murphy - NFL and CFL wide receiver
Abubica - drummer for CTR
Dame Darcy - avant-garde cartoonist and author of Meatcake
Jared Gold - fashion designer

[edit] Geography

Idaho Falls is located at 43°29′30″N, 112°1′57″W (43.491775, -112.032509)^[8], at an elevation of 4,700 feet.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.4 square miles (45.0 km²), of which, 17.1 square miles (44.2 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²) of it (1.67%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

The 2000 census^[9] reported there were 50,730 people, 18,793 households, and 13,173 families residing in the city, though MSN real estate reports an area population of 110,220. The population density was 2,972.2 people per square mile (1,147.4/km²). There were 19,771 housing units at an average density of 1,158.4/sq mi (447.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.09% White, 0.62% African American, 0.76% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.81% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.18% of the population.

There were 18,793 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,512, and the median income for a family was $47,431. Males had a median income of $39,082 versus $23,001 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,857. About 7.8% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

The top 5 ethnic groups in Idaho Falls are:[2]

English - 22%
German - 16%
Irish - 7%
Mexican - 5%
Swedish-4%

[edit] Higher education

Idaho Falls is home to Eastern Idaho Technical College which continues to expand from its original mission as a vocational-technical college. The school proposed changing its name to "College of Eastern Idaho" in 2003 at the state legislature.

The city also has a unique campus named University Place which features dual enrollment for students in both Idaho State University and University of Idaho.

[edit] K-12 schools

Idaho Falls is serviced by two public school districts, as well as a number of religious and non religious based private schools.

[edit] Sister city

Idaho Falls has a sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

Tōkai, Ibaraki, Japan

[edit] References

^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ Table 4: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Idaho, Listed Alphabetically: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (SUB-EST2006-04-16) Accessed 16 July 2007
^ MD Beal, A History of Southeastern Idaho, 1942, p. 218.
^ MD Beal, A History of Southeastern Idaho, 1942, p. 218.
^ Colorado Rail Annual No. 15, 1981, pp 31-39.
^ Deseret News, 1879-07-17 p. article "Utah and Northern" describes the scene at Eagle Rock and describes the new railroad bridge.
^ Pioneering The Snake River Fork County, Louis J. Clements and Harold S. Forbush, 1972 pp 25-27.
^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.