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Idaho Falls is the county seat and largest city of Bonneville County, Idaho. As of the 2000 census Idaho Falls population was 50,730 (2003 estimate: 51,507). * Idaho Falls routinely switches places with Pocatello as the third largest city in the state and the largest city in the Eastern Idaho region. Idaho Falls is the principal city of and is included in the Idaho Falls, ID Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Idaho Falls-Blackfoot, Idaho Combined Statistical Area. The city is home to the Idaho Falls Chukars minor league baseball team. Its sister city is the town of Tokai-Mura, Japan.
History Idaho Falls was founded as Taylor's Crossing, named after Matt Taylor, who built a toll bridge across the Snake River. The town changed its name to Eagle Rock after a rock island that was the nesting site for numerous eagles in the river 7 miles north. Later, the town voted to re-name itself Idaho Falls, after the rapids that existed below the bridge in what was then called Black Canyon. The Idaho Falls Electric Cooperative had not yet constructed the famous artificial falls now in place (as part of a modern power generation plant). 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. The community's economy remained 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, starting in 1993 and the town has tried to diversify its economy with call centers, a growing retail and entertainment sector, a regional medical center, and 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. 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. Geography Idaho Falls is located at (43.491775, -112.032509), at an elevation of 4,700 feet. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 45.0 km² (17.4 mi²). 44.2 km² (17.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (1.67%) is water. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 50,730 people, 18,793 households, and 13,173 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,147.4/km² (2,972.2/mi²). There were 19,771 housing units at an average density of 447.2/km² (1,158.4/mi²). 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. 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. The campus constructed a union building for students in 2002. Brigham Young University-Idaho, formerly Ricks College also uses the campus for courses. K-12 Schools Idaho Falls School District 91 Bonneville Joint School District 93 Sister city Idaho Falls has a sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI): | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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