Pocatello, Idaho

Pocatello (/ˈpoʊkəˈtɛloʊ/ ( listen)) is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County,[4] with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock county. As of the 2010 census the population of Pocatello was 54,255.[5]

Pocatello is the fifth-largest city in the state, just behind Idaho Falls (population of 56,813). In 2007, Pocatello was ranked twentieth on Forbes list of Best Small Places for Business and Careers.[6] Pocatello is the home of Idaho State University and the manufacturing facility of ON Semiconductor. The city is at an elevation of 4,462 feet (1,360 m) above sea level and is served by the Pocatello Regional Airport.

Founded in 1889, Pocatello was known as the "Gateway to the Northwest". As pioneers, gold miners and settlers traveled the Oregon Trail, they passed through the Portneuf Gap south of town. Stage and freight lines and the railroad soon followed, turning the community into a trade center and transportation junction.

Shelley, Idaho

Shelley is a city in Bingham County, Idaho, United States. The population was 4,409 at the 2010 census. The mascot for the city's high school is a russet-burbank potato that wears a crown, robe and scepter.

Since 1927 Shelley has been home to the "Idaho Annual Spud Day", which is celebrated on the 3rd Saturday of September. It typically features a parade, live bands, a Spud Tug, a spud-picking Contest, and free baked potatoes.[4]

Shelley was established in 1904. It was named for John F. Shelley, who moved to the area in 1892. He'd moved to the area intending to open a small store, and needed lumber and other supplies to build it. Since the site was some distance from the nearest existing community, he asked the railroad company to make a special stop to offload the supplies he'd ordered. They consented, provided he could offload the supplies in under 20 minutes. His daughter, Lottie, wrote the following in her personal history:

Porthill-Rykerts Border Crossing

The Porthill-Rykerts Border Crossing connects the town of Bonners Ferry, Idaho with Creston, British Columbia on the Canada–US border. It can be reached by Idaho State Highway 1 on the American side and British Columbia Highway 21 in the Canadian side. It is open daily from 7:00am to 11:00pm.

This crossing was first established in 1883, when Canada directed John Charles Rykert to establish Customs and Immigration inspection operations at the border, primarily to inspect vessels crossing the border on the adjacent Kootenai River.[1] In 1973, Canada replaced its white wooden border station with the present facility. In 1967, the US replaced its depression-era brick border station with the current wooden structure. A redesign of the road system approaching the border enabled the new facility to be built in a different location, so the old border station remains nearby. In 2014, the old border station was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[2]

Shoshone, Idaho

Shoshone (/ʃoʊˈʃoʊn/) is the county seat and largest city of Lincoln County, Idaho, United States.[5] The population was 1,461 at the 2010 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.'

Founded in 1882 during the construction of the Oregon Short Line, Shoshone has long been considered the main railroad station in south central Idaho's Magic Valley region.[6] The much larger community of Twin Falls 26 miles (42 km) 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 south central Idaho.

The Union Pacific Railroad opened the Sun Valley resort in 1936 (and owned it until 1964), and its pre-existing spur route to Ketchum connected here.[6][7][8] The spur first headed northeast, following today's US 93, to Richfield and Tikura, then peeled northwest to Picabo and on to Bellevue, Hailey, and Ketchum, so the distance was greater than today's more direct 55-mile (90 km) drive north on Highway 75.

Post Falls, Idaho

Post Falls is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, between Coeur d'Alene and Spokane, Washington. It is both a suburb of Coeur d'Alene, to the east; and a bedroom community to Spokane, to the west. The population was 27,574 at the 2010 census, up from 17,247 in 2000 census, making it Idaho's tenth largest city. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated 2014 population is 30,123.[4]

Post Falls is named after Frederick Post, a German immigrant who constructed a lumber mill along the Spokane River in 1871 on land he purchased from Andrew Seltice, Chief of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. The purchase of the land is preserved in a pictograph on a granite cliff in Treaty Rock park.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.11 square miles (36.54 km2), of which 14.07 square miles (36.44 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) is water.[6]

Smelterville, Idaho

The town was named in 1929 by a voice vote of its residents; the other choices were Van Rena and Silver City (already used in southwestern Idaho).[4] The presence of a smelter caused the name to be selected.[5]

Smelterville is located at 47°32′34″N 116°10′45″W / 47.54278°N 116.17917°W / 47.54278; -116.17917 (47.542690, -116.179281),[6] at an elevation of 2,234 feet (681 m) above sea level.

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 627 people, 305 households, and 154 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,022.6 inhabitants per square mile (780.9/km2). There were 370 housing units at an average density of 1,193.5 per square mile (460.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.4% White, 0.5% African American, 1.8% Native American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.6% of the population.

Potlatch, Idaho

Potlatch is a city in the northwest United States, located in north central Idaho in Latah County, about six miles (10 km) east of the border with Washington. On the Palouse north of Moscow, it is served by State Highway 6, and bordered on the northeast by the small community of Onaway. The population of Potlatch was 804 at the 2010 census.

Potlatch was founded 113 years ago in 1905 as a company town by the Potlatch Corporation.[4] The townsite was chosen because of proximity to the company's large holdings of Western White Pine on the Palouse River. Potlatch was chosen as the mill site; at the time, it was one of the largest sawmills in the U.S. and was the largest white pine sawmill in the world.[citation needed]

Most of Potlatch was built in 1906 and 1907. A total of 143 houses were built in 1906, with 58 more built the following year; other building constructed during that period include boarding houses, an ice house, a Catholic church, hotel, school, and general store.[5]

Soda Springs, Idaho

The city is named for the hundreds of natural springs of carbonated water that are located in and around the city.[6] The springs were well known to Native Americans and were a famous landmark along the Oregon Trail in the middle 19th century. Today the city is also known as the location of the Soda Springs Geyser, which was unleashed in 1934 when "town fathers" were looking for hot water for a "hot pool" bathing attraction. Instead they drilled into a chamber of highly pressurized carbon dioxide gas and cold water and the geyser was released. After running for weeks, and flooding the downtown area, it was capped and manually released when requested as a tourist attraction. Now it is let loose every hour on the hour by a timed release valve. Its height and volume have not decreased after many years. There are viewing platforms at either end of the travertine mound where the geyser erupts. Interpretive signs are located on the platforms explaining this phenomenon.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.59 square miles (11.89 km2), of which, 4.54 square miles (11.76 km2) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) is water.[7]

As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 3,058 people, 1,204 households, and 830 families residing in the city. The population density was 673.6 inhabitants per square mile (260.1/km2). There were 1,393 housing units at an average density of 306.8 per square mile (118.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.4% White, 0.1% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 1.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.4% of the population.

Preston, Idaho

Preston is a city in Franklin County, Idaho, United States. The population was 5,204 at the 2010 census.[4] The city is the county seat of Franklin County.[5] It is part of the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In 1866, Latter-day Saint (LDS, or Mormon) pioneers arrived in the northern end of the Cache Valley, stretching across southeastern Idaho and northeastern Utah. They founded a community in that location and named it Worm Creek, but in 1881 changed it to Preston because leaders of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City objected to the name "Worm Creek" being part of any church congregation's name.[6][7] The name Preston was suggested by a local member to honor William B. Preston, who at the time was president of the LDS Church's Cache Stake.[6][7]

For several years the city held a "Napoleon Dynamite Festival" in the summer. Many of the featured festival themes related to events occurring during the film. For example: Tetherball Tournament, Tater Tot Eating Contest, Moon Boot Dance, Impersonation, Look-A-Like Contest, Football Throwing Contest and more. In 2004 there was a single day event that drew approximately 300 people. Although this was not a large crowd, it did help raise $1,500 for the Preston School District Education Foundation. In 2005 an estimated 6,000 people attended the event, but that number dropped to an estimated 400 people in 2006. The 2007 and 2008 event was held along with the 'That Famous Preston Night Rodeo' in Preston. There are no plans for reviving the event. 'That Famous Preston Night Rodeo' is usually held in late July, along with the Franklin County parade. The rodeo's name ('That Famous Preston Night Rodeo') comes from it being the first rodeo held during night time. It includes many events such as bull riding, barrel racing, and other popular events. The Franklin county parade includes floats and advertisements of local businesses. The rodeo and parade remain one of the town's most popular local events and traditions.

Spirit Lake, Idaho

Spirit Lake is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,945 at the 2010 census, up from 1,376 in 2000.[4] It is part of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the entire county.

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 1,945 people, 739 households, and 530 families residing in the city. The population density was 849.3 inhabitants per square mile (327.9/km2). There were 797 housing units at an average density of 348.0 per square mile (134.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.3% White, 0.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.8% of the population.

There were 739 households of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.3% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.06.