Pocatello, Idaho
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Pocatello is a city located in Bannock County, with a small portion in neighboring Power County, in southeastern Idaho. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 51,466. The city is the county seat of Bannock CountyTemplate:GR and the 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.
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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 Wyeth, a U.S. fur trader, established Fort Hall as a trading post north 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
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Pocatello is located at 42°52'31" North, 112°26'50" West (42.875214, -112.447267)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 73.1 km² (28.2 mi²). 73.1 km² (28.2 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 51,466 people, 19,334 households, and 12,973 families residing in the city. The population density is 703.7/km² (1,822.5/mi²). There are 20,627 housing units at an average density of 282.0/km² (730.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 4.94% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 19,334 households out of which 34.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% are married couples living together, 10.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% are non-families. 25.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.58 and the average family size is 3.10.
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In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $34,326, and the median income for a family is $41,884. Males have a median income of $33,984 versus $22,962 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,425. 15.4% of the population and 10.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 16.9% of those under the age of 18 and 7.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Pocatello has 105 churches, including 52 Mormon wards.
External links
- City of Pocatello (http://www.ci.pocatello.id.us/)
| Regions of Idaho | 
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| Rocky Mountains | Columbia River Plateau | Inland Empire | Basin and Range Province | |
| Boise metropolitan area | Treasure Valley | Idaho Panhandle | Magic Valley | |
| Largest cities | |
| Blackfoot | Boise | Burley | Caldwell | Chubbuck | Coeur D'Alene | Eagle | Garden City | Hayden | Idaho Falls | Lewiston | Meridian | Moscow | Mountain Home | Nampa | Pocatello | Post Falls | Rexburg | Twin Falls | |
| Counties | |
| Ada | Adams | Bannock | Bear Lake | Benewah | Bingham | Blaine | Boise | Bonner | Bonneville | Boundary | Butte | Camas | Canyon | Caribou | Cassia | Clark | Clearwater | Custer | Elmore | Franklin | Fremont | Gem | Gooding | Idaho | Jefferson | Jerome | Kootenai | Latah | Lemhi | Lewis | Lincoln | Madison | Minidoka | Nez Perce | Oneida | Owyhee | Payette | Power | Shoshone | Teton | Twin Falls | Valley | Washington | |