Shoshone, Idaho

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Coordinates: 42°56′12″N 114°24′28″W / 42.93667, -114.40778
Shoshone, Idaho
Location of Shoshone, Idaho
Country	United States
State	Idaho
County	Lincoln
Area
- Total	1.0 sq mi (2.5 km²)
- Land	1.0 sq mi (2.5 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	3,963 ft (1,208 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,398
- Density	1,432.0/sq mi (552.9/km²)
Time zone	Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
- Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP codes	83324, 83352
Area code(s)	208
FIPS code	16-73900
GNIS feature ID	0400083

Shoshone is the county seat and largest city of Lincoln County, Idaho, United States.^[1] The population was 1,398 at the 2000 census. In contrast to the Shoshone Native American tribe for which it is named, the city's name is correctly pronounced "Show-shown," with a silent 'e'.

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

[edit] History

Shoshone has long been considered the main railroad station in Idaho's Magic Valley region. The much larger community of Twin Falls 26 miles (43 kilometers) to the south never developed a strong railroad presence due to the logistical issues presented by its location south of the Snake River Canyon. For many years Shoshone was the only Amtrak stop in southern Idaho.

A few miles north of Shoshone are the Shoshone Ice Caves, hollow subterranean lava tubes that stay cool enough for the ice inside them to remain frozen throughout the summer. In the days before refrigeration, this feature, coupled with the railroad, made Shoshone popular with travelers as "the only place for hundreds of miles where one could get a cold beer."

[edit] Economy

Today, Shoshone still has several bars, but also boasts a cafe, a movie theater, and a grocery store -- unusual for such a small town. While limited retail jobs exist, Shoshone is primarily a farming and dairy community.

Shoshone is home to a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) facility with helipad, and a tire recycling plant operates a few miles to the north. The town also has a small medical clinic, and recently built a new K-12 school building.

In recent years Shoshone has become a bedroom community for people working in neighboring Blaine County due to an often dramatic difference in cost of living between the two locales. This phenomenon has contributed greatly to recent growth in the Shoshone area.

[edit] Culture

Shoshone hosts the Mannie Shaw's Old Time Fiddler's Jamboree in the city park each year on the second Sunday in July.

[edit] Geography

Shoshone is located at 42°56′12″N, 114°24′28″W (42.936742, -114.407816)^[2].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.5 km²), all land, though the Little Wood River runs through the town.

Much of the land around Shoshone is lava rock, which can make excavation for building problematic, and which limits the amount of useful farmland.

Traffic bound to or from the Blaine County resort towns typically passes through Shoshone on State Highway 75, maintaining the town's early heritage as a brief rest stop for travelers passing through.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 1,398 people, 547 households, and 355 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,432.0 people per square mile (550.8/km²). There were 615 housing units at an average density of 629.9/sq mi (242.3/km²). Apartments are scarce, and most of the neighborhoods are decades old. There has been a small amount of new construction and Shoshone has experienced slow growth since the year 2000, due in part to commuters who work in Sun Valley but choose to live in Shoshone because of the comparatively lower cost of living.

The racial makeup of the city was 88.91% White, 0.07% African American, 1.43% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 7.65% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.30% of the population.

There were 547 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,036, and the median income for a family was $35,787. Males had a median income of $29,479 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,756. About 11.1% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.