Idaho Falls, the county seat of Bonneville County is situated 50 miles north of Pocatello and 100 miles from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Located at an elevation of 4,744 feet, the city of Idaho is originally known as Eagle Rock. Its roots lie with the influx of of miners, fur trades, trappers, travelers, pioneers, and early settlers. It is now one of Eastern Idaho's regional centers for shopping, medical care, education, and cultural awareness. Idaho Falls offers a wide variety of outdoor activities in the nearby mountains like hiking, biking and swimming especially during the summers. Wildlife is abundant in this area as you can catch sight of deer, elk and many other animals among the golden leaves of the aspen trees and the forests of pines that inhabit this wonderland of nature.
The city of Idaho Falls enjoys a semi-arid alpine climate. Fall is beautiful in this part of Idaho and winter temperatures range from 27 degrees F in the daytime to an average of 10 degrees F at night.
The Waterfalls
The waterfalls are the focal point of Idaho Falls and are created by a diversion dam which provides hydroelectric power. The original dam was built in 1909 while today's dam was constructed as part of a $55.3 million hydroelectric power project in 1982. The citizens of Idaho Falls paid $48.0 million in taxes and the U.S. Department of Energy contribute $7.3 million to built the hydroelectric power plant. There are a total of three power plants that produce hydroelectric power for Idaho Falls, combined they produce fifty percent of the electricity needed.
Elevation: 4700 feet
Land area: 17.1 square miles
Latitude: 43.49 N
Longitude: 112.03 W
Population: 52,338 (as on July 2005)
Attractions
- Historic Downtown which is home to museums
- Willard Arts Center,
- The Colonial Theater
- The Idaho Falls.
- Snake River Walk is a jogger’s paradise along the banks of the Snake River.
- Library which serves both adults and children has a collection of over 230,000 books
