Twin Falls, Idaho

Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho. As of the 2000 census Twin Falls population was 34,469 (2003 estimate: 36,742). ^*

Twin Falls is the largest city of Idaho's Magic Valley region and the seventh largest in the state. As the largest city in a 100-mile (166-kilometer) radius, Twin Falls serves as a regional commercial center for both south-central Idaho and northeastern Nevada.

Twin Falls is the principal city of the Twin Falls, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area - the state's largest - which officially includes Jerome and Twin Falls Counties. The resort community of Jackpot, Nevada, in Elko County is unofficially considered part of the greater Twin Falls area.

History

Humans may have been present in the Twin Falls area as long as 14,500 years ago. Excavations at Wilson Butte Cave near Twin Falls in 1959 revealed evidence of human activity, including arrowheads, that rank among the oldest dated artifacts in North America. Later native American tribes predominant the area included the Northern and Western Shoshone.

The first people of European ancestry to visit the Twin Falls area are believed to be members of a group led by Wilson Price Hunt, which attempted to blaze an all-water trail westward from St. Louis, Missouri, to Astoria, Oregon, in 1811 and 1812. Hunt's expedition met with disaster when much of his expedition was destroyed and one man was killed in rapids on the Snake River known as Caldron Linn near present-day Murtaugh. Hunt and the surviving members of his expedition completed the journey to Astoria by land.

In 1812 and 1813, Robert Stuart successfully led an overland expedition eastward from Astoria to St. Louis which passed through the Twin Falls area. Stuart's route formed the basis of what became the Oregon Trail. Some 150 years later, Robert Stuart Junior High School in Twin Falls was named in his honor.

While other explorers passed through the Twin Falls area throughout the first half of the 19th Century, none saw fit to stay in what was then considered a particularly inhospitable region of the American West.

The first permanent settlement in the area was rail station established in 1864 at Rock Creek near the present-day townsite. By 1890 there were a handful of successful agricultural operations in the Snake River Canyon, but the lack of infrastructure and the canyon's geography made irrigating the dry surrounding area improbable at best.

To address this issue, in 1900 the Twin Falls Land and Water Company was formed largely to build an irrigation canal system for the area. Three years later I. B. Perrine, who had been a successful farmer and rancher in the Snake River Canyon, obtained private financing under the provisions of the Carey Act of 1894 to build Milner Dam on the Snake River near Caldron Linn. Completed in 1905, Milner Dam and its accompanying canals made commercial irrigation outside the Snake River Canyon practical for the first time. As a result Perrine is generally credited as the founder of Twin Falls.

Twin Falls city was founded in 1904 as a planned community, with proceeds from sales of townsite lots going toward construction of irrigation canals. The city is named for a nearby waterfall on the Snake River of the same name. In 1907 Twin Falls became the seat of the newly-formed Twin Falls County.

The original townsite follows a unique design. It is laid out on northeast-to-southwest and northwest-to-southeast roads. The northwest-to-southeast roads were numbered and called avenues, while the northeast-to-southwest roads were numbered and called streets. Only two central streets, the northwest-to-southeast Main Avenue and the northeast-to-southwest Shoshone Street, were named. It is purported that the reason this was done was to allow sun to come into every room in the home at some point during the day. This system created situations where one side of a street may have an entirely different address than the other, and where the corner of "3rd and 3rd," for example, was in more than one location. In 2003 the numbered northeast-to-southwest streets were renamed to alleviate decades of confusion. Later city roads, such as Blue Lakes Boulevard, Addison Avenue and Washington Street, are laid out in standard north-south and east-west orientations.

After Milner Dam was constructed agricultural production in south-central Idaho increased substantially. Twin Falls became a major regional economic center serving the agriculture industry, a role which it has sustained to the present day. The city became a processing center for several agricultural commodities, notably beans and sugar beets. In later years other food processing operations augmented the local economy. By 1960 Twin Falls had become one of Idaho's largest cities even though its origins were still within living memory for many.

Twin Falls became the center of national attention in September 1974 thanks to an attempt by Evel Knievel to jump the Snake River Canyon in a specially-modified rocket cycle. Watched by millions on television, the attempt ultimately failed due to high winds and a premature deployment of Knievel's parachute. The foundation of the launch ramp, which lies on private land, can still be seen.

During the last quarter of the 20th Century, gradual diversification of the agriculture-based economy allowed the city to continue to grow. Major Twin Falls employers in 2006 included computer maker Dell, Inc. and Jayco, a recreational vehicle manufacturer.

In recent years Twin Falls has become quite multicultural. Thanks in large part to a refugee center operated by the College of Southern Idaho, since 1995 significant numbers of people from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the former Soviet Union have settled in Twin Falls. The city also has a sizeable Hispanic population.

Government

The City of Twin Falls has a council-manager form of government. The seven-member Twin Falls City Council is directly elected in non-partisan municipal elections to four-year terms. The mayor, who holds little executive power, is periodically selected among current city council members to chair meetings. City council meetings are usually held on Tuesdays.

The city's day-to-day operations are overseen by a city manager, who is appointed by the city council. The city government through various citizen boards oversees parks and recreation, planning and zoning, sanitation and garbage collection, street maintenance, wastewater collection, and maintains police and fire departments. Twin Falls Public Library, Twin Falls Municipal Golf Course and Joslin Field-Magic Valley Regional Airport are also under the city's jurisdiction.

Neighborhoods

Twin Falls is divided into several neighborhoods and sections.

Downtown Twin Falls

The Downtown Twin Falls neighborhood occupies the city's original 1904 townsite. Unlike the rest of the city, streets in the Downtown Twin Falls neighborhood run northeast-to-southwest and northwest-to-southeast. Many professional offices are located on Shoshone Street, while many small, eclectic shops are located on Main Avenue. Most of the rest of the neighborhood is residential. The southern section of Downtown Twin Falls included much of the city's original industrial base, but most of these properties have since become vacant or have been converted to a small retail area known as "Olde Town Twin Falls."

Many of the oldest homes in Twin Falls are located in the Downtown Twin Falls neighborhood.

Blue Lakes Boulevard

Named after I. B. Perrine's ranch in the Snake River Canyon, Blue Lakes Boulevard is the main commercial road in Twin Falls. It begins at Perrine Bridge and runs north-south through the city. The intersection of Blue Lakes Boulevard and Pole Line Road south of Perrine Bridge is one of the busiest in Idaho.

Blue Lakes Boulevard is heavily commercial between Perrine Bridge and Addison Avenue. The intersection of Blue Lakes Boulevard and Addison Avenue is known locally as Five Points because Shoshone Street leading into downtown Twin Falls also meets Blue Lakes at the location. South of Addison Avenue Blue Lakes Boulevard is more residential.

South of Orchard Street Blue Lakes Boulevard is known as 3000 East.

Presidents Streets

The Presidents Streets neighborhood is located immediately north of downtown. It is comprised of 16 north-south streets named after the first 16 Presidents of the United States. Washington Street, the westernmost of these streets, is a major north-south road in Twin Falls. The other streets are primarily residential.

Starting with Washington Street, the streets are named after the presidents in order as one moves eastward. The street named after John Quincy Adams is named Quincy Street to differentiate it from Adams Street named after John Adams.

Heyburn Avenue, named after Weldon B. Heyburn, a United States Senator from Idaho in the early 20th Century, serves as an east-west conduit through the neighborhood. Other east-west streets in the area are also named after early Idaho public figures, including Shoup Avenue, Borah Avenue and Dubois Avenue.

Generally speaking the Presidents Streets neighborhood is bounded by Addison Avenue in the south, Filer Avenue in the north, Washington Street in the west and Blue Lakes Boulevard in the east.

South Park

The South Park neighborhood is centered around South Park Avenue south of downtown Twin Falls. Much of the city's current industrial base is located in this area. A residential section in the southeast part of the neighborhood is locally noted for its high percentage of Hispanic residents.

CSI

The College of Southern Idaho, known locally as CSI, dominates the northwestern part of the city. The campus stretches along Falls Avenue from Washington Street to Fillmore Street and north to North College Road. The surrounding area includes several residential areas. The CSI area is one of the fastest-growing parts of Twin Falls, with new residential and commercial developments stretching north and west towards the Snake River Canyon. A new public high school will be built in this area by 2009.

Eastern Twin Falls

Twin Falls east of Blue Lakes Boulevard is primarily residential, and has long been considered the more upscale area of the city. Main roads in eastern Twin Falls include Kimberly Road, Addison Avenue East and Eastland Drive. Like the CSI area, eastern Twin Falls has also experienced significant growth in both the residential and commercial sectors in recent years.

Education

Twin Falls is home to the College of Southern Idaho (CSI), a large community college in the northwestern part of the city. Several Idaho universities, including Boise State University, Idaho State University, and the University of Idaho, also offer classes on the CSI campus.

Public schools are administered by the Twin Falls School District, including Twin Falls High School, the alternative Magic Valley High School, two junior high schools (Robert Stuart and Vera C. O'Leary), and seven elementary schools (Bickel, Harrison, I.B. Perrine, Lincoln, Morningside, Oregon Trail and Sawtooth).

On March 14, 2006, Twin Falls voters approved plans to build an additional high school, make improvements to existing school buildings and convert the junior high schools to middle schools. These projects are scheduled to be completed by 2009.

Private schools include Lighthouse Christian School, Magic Valley Christian School and Twin Falls Christian Academy.

Media

Twin Falls is served by one local daily morning newspaper, the Times-News. Boise's Idaho Statesman and USA Today are also widely available in the city.

Over-the-air television stations include KMVT (CBS), KIPT (PBS), KXTF (Fox and UPN), KTFT (NBC) and KSAW (ABC). Cable television subscribers receive these local stations as well as stations in Boise and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Several commercial radio stations in a variety of formats broadcast in the Twin Falls area.

Transportation

Twin Falls is served by U.S. Highway 30, U.S. Highway 93 and is near Interstate 84. Trans IV, a small public transportation system operated by the College of Southern Idaho, is also available.

Limited commercial air service is provided at Joslin Field-Magic Valley Regional Airport. As of March 2006 daily flights to Salt Lake City International Airport are operated by SkyWest Airlines using the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia.

Trivia

In 1999, Bruce Willis, a resident of nearby Blaine County, chose Twin Falls to serve as the fictional Midland City in the film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's novel Breakfast of Champions. Several Twin Falls locations, notably the Rob Green auto dealership on Blue Lakes Boulevard North, are prominently featured in the film.

The Perrine Bridge, which spans the Snake River Canyon immediately north of the city, is one of only a handful of locations worldwide where BASE jumping is legal. In September 2005 Miles Daisher of Twin Falls set a BASE jumping world record by jumping off Perrine Bridge 57 times in a 24-hour period. In July 2006 Dan Schilling jumped off the bridge 201 times in 21 hours to raise money for charity. Unlike Daisher, Schilling was hoisted to the top of the bridge by a crane after every jump. ^*

Notable musicians who spent parts of their childhood in Twin Falls include Gary Puckett, Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe and Doug Martsch of Built to Spill. Built to Spill's 1994 song "Twin Falls" is based on Martsch's experiences growing up in the city.

Despite its title, the 1999 film Twin Falls Idaho is neither set in nor has anything to do with the city.

Geography

Twin Falls is located at (42.561420, -114.463715).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.1 km² (12.0 mi²), all land.

The Snake River Canyon forms the city's northern limits, separating it from Jerome County. There are three waterfalls in the immediate area. Shoshone Falls is located approximately five miles east of Twin Falls. Pillar Falls is located approximately 1.5 miles upstream from the Perrine Bridge while Twin Falls, the city's namesake, is located upstream of Shoshone Falls.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 34,469 people, 13,274 households, and 8,867 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,108.1/km² (2,870.1/mi²). There were 14,162 housing units at an average density of 455.3/km² (1,179.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.77% White, 0.22% African American, 0.74% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 3.71% from other races, and 2.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.89% of the population.

There were 13,274 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,641, and the median income for a family was $38,632. Males had a median income of $30,742 versus $20,934 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,439. About 9.8% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable Residents

Allyson Swan, Miss Idaho USA 2006

External links

Cities in Idaho | Twin Falls County, Idaho | Micropolitan areas of Idaho