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Pocatello (IPA: ) is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County , with a small portion in neighboring Power County, in southeastern Idaho. As of the 2000 census Pocatello population was 51,466 (2004 estimate: 52,910). * Pocatello routinely switches places with Idaho Falls as the third largest city in the state and the largest city in the Eastern Idaho region.
Pocatello is home of Idaho State University. Founded as an important stop on the first railroad in Idaho during the gold rush, the city later became an important center for agriculture. It is located along the Portneuf River where it emerges from the mountains onto the Snake River Plain, along the route of the Oregon Trail. The name comes from Chief Pocatello, a chief of the Shoshoni who granted the right-of-way for the railroad across the Fort Hall Indian Reservation.
Pocatello is the principal city of the Pocatello, ID Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Bannock and Power Counties.
History
The area of the city along the Portneuf River was inhabited by the Shoshoni and Bannock peoples for several centuries before the arrival of Europeans into the area in the early 19th century. In 1834, Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth, a U.S. fur trader, established Fort Hall as a trading post north of the present location of the city. The post was later acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company and became an important stop on the Oregon Trail, a branch of which descended the Portneuf through the present-day location of the city. A replica of the Fort Hall trading post is now operated as museum in southern Pocatello.
The discovery of gold in Idaho in 1860 brought the first large wave of U.S. settlers to the region. The Portneuf Valley became an important conduit for transportation of goods and freight. In 1877, railroad magnate Jay Gould of the Union Pacific Railroad acquired and extended the Utah and Northern Railway, which had previously stopped at the Utah border, into Idaho through the Portneuf Canyon. "Pocatello Junction", as it was first called, was founded as stop along this route during the gold rush. After the gold rush subsided, the region began to attract ranchers and farmers. By 1882, the first residences and commercial development appeared in Pocatello.
In 1962 Pocatello absorbed nearby Alameda and became for a time the largest city in Idaho. Pocatello remains one of the state's largest cities.
Geography
Pocatello is located at (42.875214, -112.447267).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 73.1 km² (28.2 mi²), all land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 51,466 people, 19,334 households, and 12,973 families residing in the city. The population density was 703.7/km² (1,822.5/mi²). There were 20,627 housing units at an average density of 282.0/km² (730.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.32% White, 0.72% African American, 1.35% Native American, 1.15% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 2.18% from other races, and 2.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.94% of the population.
There were 19,334 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% 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 3.10.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 16.7% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,326, and the median income for a family was $41,884. Males had a median income of $33,984 versus $22,962 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,425. About 10.7% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
Pocatello has 105 churches, including 53 Mormon wards.
Trivia
- The North American Vexillological Association ranked Pocatello's flag 150th of 150 city flags in its 2004 American City Flags Survey.
- In Pocatello, it is against the law to look sad.
Sister cities
Pocatello has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
References
External links
"Pocatello, Idaho"