Idaho Falls, ID City Guide and Yellow Pages

More About Idaho Falls, Idaho

h a population of about 57,000, Idaho Falls is located in eastern Idaho’s scenic Bonneville County. Close to world famous Yellowstone National Park, the city is 17.4 square-miles, with an elevation of 4,705 feet. With its skyline the magnificent Teton Mountain Range, Idaho Falls is the fifth-largest city in the state.

The region has a “continental” climate, which brings cold winters and hot, dry summers. The glorious rapids in the heart of town are the inspiration for the city’s name. Fourteen miles of Snake Riverbanks make up the picturesque Green Belt of Idaho Falls. An inviting 3-mile Green Belt pathway is available for strolling, feeding the geese and ducks or for fishing.

Honored by Business Week as one of the “Best Places to Raise Kids” (2010), Idaho Falls also was chosen by Forbes.com as one of the “Best Small Places for Business & Careers” (2010). Money.CNN picked Idaho Falls as one of its “Top 100 Cities in 2010.”

What currently is a regional hub for health care, retail shopping and entertainment began as a timber-frame bridge. Known as Taylor’s Crossing, the bridge was built across the Snake River in 1865, on the Montana Trail. Idaho’s fourth private bank, a modest hotel, livery stable, and an eatery were soon built around the well-traveled bridge. By 1866, official postmarks show the little town was called Eagle Rock. The town, now touted itself as a stage-coach station and a U.S. Post Office. By 1879, Eagle Rock had regular train service, changing the small town forever. Eagle Rock was on the fast track to becoming a major hub of ”an agricultural empire.” Eagle Rock voted to change its name to the now-familiar Idaho Falls in 1891. In 1895, with the aid of the Great Feeder, “the largest irrigation canal in the world,” desert was made into fertile farmland producing sugar beets, alfalfa, grains, potatoes, and peas. Idaho Falls soon became one of the nation’s prime farming areas.

In 1949, the National Reactor Testing Station was built by the Atomic Energy Commission in the desert west of the city. In January 1961, the station was the site of the only fatal nuclear reactor disaster in the history of the United States. The accident caused one of the largest and most-toxic nuclear meltdowns on record. Three men died in the incident and their bodies were buried in lead caskets. Despite the disaster, the Idaho National Laboratory (as it is now called) continues to be a vital economic source for Idaho Falls. It operates as an internationally acclaimed research center and employs some 8,000 workers.

Idaho Falls boasts its own symphony, opera, chamber orchestra, community theater, performing arts groups, zoo, museums, an extension university, and professional Minor League Baseball.

Dedicated to saving and displaying Idaho’s natural and cultural history, the Museum of Idaho offers a diverse selection of creative, interactive educational programs for children and adults. The Art Museum (TAM) of Eastern Idaho welcomes visitors with a public art piece titled Eternal Momentum by Idaho sculptor Mark Stasz. TAM showcases Idaho artists in addition to artists of national and international acclaim. TAM’s ARTworks education program is nationally known for “putting highly qualified art teachers” in Eastern Idaho schools. Located in the city’s cultural district of the historic downtown, the Willard Art Center houses the refurbished Colonial Theater, an art gallery exhibiting regional to international artists’ works, a children’s art gallery and art classes. Art You Can Sit On is a whimsical concept involving 32 unique public art benches sprinkled throughout downtown Idaho Falls.

The Idaho Falls Civic Auditorium and the Colonial Theater offer a variety of exciting musical revues and stage shows. Actors Repertory Theatre presents an annual roster of plays from classics to comedy. The Idaho Falls Symphony (IFS) is composed of roughly 100 amateur and professional musicians. The IFS also sponsors the Youth Symphony.

With more than 400 animals including tigers, monkeys, and peacocks, Idaho’s largest collection of wildlife can be seen at the family-friendly conservation leader, Tautphaus Zoo. Sandy Downs Rodeo Grounds hosts Ida Racing horseracing in Idaho Falls. Joe Marmo/Wayne Lehto Ice Arena has the Idaho Falls youth hockey, figure skating club, and the Idaho Falls adult hockey. Public skating is also enjoyed at the arena. For outdoor recreation, Idaho Falls has three municipal golf courses: Pinecrest, Sage Lakes and Sand Creek. The city has numerous city parks and shelters, an aquatic center, a community center, and a recreation center with a gymnasium, weight room and two racquet ball courts. In addition, a disc golf course is available. A skate park is located at Tautphas Park.

For a “high-quality, low-cost education”, Eastern Idaho Technical College offers a two-year state college program. Extension universities Idaho State University and University of Idaho have satellite campuses at University Place in Idaho Falls. Both schools offer a variety of degree programs and a top-notch education.

Written by Kathleen Cooney

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Newspapers are Idaho Falls Post Register,
Idaho Falls Sports teams are The Mustangs, The Chukars, The Tigers
Local Schools are Idaho Falls High School, Eastern Idaho Technical College