Blackfoot, Idaho
Encyclopedia
Blackfoot is a city in Bingham County
, Idaho
, United States
. The population was 10,419 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat
of Bingham County
. Blackfoot is self-designated the "Potato Capital of the World", because it claims to have the largest potato
industry in the world. It is home to the Idaho Potato Museum
(a museum and gift shop that displays and explains the history of Idaho's potato industry), which is home to the world's largest baked potato
and potato chip. Blackfoot is also home to the Eastern Idaho State Fair
, which operates between Labor Day
weekend and the following weekend.
Blackfoot is the principal city of the Blackfoot, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area
, which includes Bingham County.
and a small river
. The name can be traced back to the summer of 1818 when a group of trappers and traders from the Hudson's Bay Company
passed through. Earlier, in 1812, there had been some wildfire
s, and people who walked through the burned areas had their moccasins
blackened. Although there were no actual Blackfoot
people in the area, the traders referred to the people they met in the area as the Indians with the black feet, or the "Blackfoot Crowd", because of the blackened footwear. They went on to call the nearby stream the Blackfoot River.
The first general store was built in 1874 by Fredrick S. Stevens and Major Danilson after learning that a railroad was to be built in the area. They were hoping that a station would be built there because it was just outside the Fort Hall Indian Reservation
, which speculation paid off four years later. On October 10, 1878, a post office was established with Theo T. Danilson as Postmaster. On November 10, 1878, track was laid through town, with the track running right up behind the Stevens Store to take advantage of the store's loading platform (which was originally used to unload freight wagons). The name of the town was changed to Blackfoot on March 20, 1879.
On January 13, 1885, Bingham County was established with Blackfoot as its county seat. Originally, the county seat was to be Eagle Rock (now called Idaho Falls
). However, the night before its legal appointment, men from Blackfoot bribed a clerk to erase Eagle Rock and write in Blackfoot. The measure went through without opposition and was signed by the governor.
Blackfoot was incorporated as a town in 1907.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 5.7 square miles (14.8 km²), of which 5.4 square miles (14 km²) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) (4.59%) is water.
Blackfoot has a semi-arid climate (Köppen
BSk) with cold winters and hot, dry summers.
, there were 10,419 people, 3,685 households and 2,682 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,926.4 per square mile (743.6/km²). There were 3,929 housing units at an average density of 726.4 per square mile (280.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.76% White, 0.21% African American, 2.51% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.33% from other races
, and 3.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.17% of the population.
There were 3,685 households of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 23.7% 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 2.75 and the average family size was 3.27.
31.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.
The median household income
was $33,004 and the median family incomewas $36,553. Males had a median income of $31,489 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,529 About 11.5% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.4% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
High schools:
Middle schools:
Elementary schools:
as the destination of a cattle drive
.
Bingham County, Idaho
Bingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 41,735 . The county seat and largest city is Blackfoot. Bingham County comprises the Blackfoot, ID, Micropolitan Statistical Area.Bingham County was created January 13, 1885, and...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 10,419 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Bingham County
Bingham County, Idaho
Bingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 41,735 . The county seat and largest city is Blackfoot. Bingham County comprises the Blackfoot, ID, Micropolitan Statistical Area.Bingham County was created January 13, 1885, and...
. Blackfoot is self-designated the "Potato Capital of the World", because it claims to have the largest potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
industry in the world. It is home to the Idaho Potato Museum
Idaho Potato Museum
The gray building that now hosts the Idaho Potato Museum was once known as the Oregon Short Line Railroad Depot. Construction for this building began in 1903 and finished in 1913. At a later date Union Pacific Railroad bought the depot...
(a museum and gift shop that displays and explains the history of Idaho's potato industry), which is home to the world's largest baked potato
Baked potato
A baked potato, or jacket potato, is the edible result of baking a potato. When well cooked, a baked potato has a fluffy interior and a crisp skin. It may be served with fillings and condiments such as butter, cheese or ham....
and potato chip. Blackfoot is also home to the Eastern Idaho State Fair
Eastern Idaho State Fair
- History :In 1902 some cattle ranchers had purchased some land in hopes of putting on a livestock show. The livestock show was dubbed the name the Eastern Idaho....
, which operates between Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
weekend and the following weekend.
Blackfoot is the principal city of the Blackfoot, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area
United States micropolitan area
United States Micropolitan Statistical Areas , as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, are urban areas in the United States based around a core city or town with a population of 10,000 to 49,999. The micropolitan area designation was created in 2003...
, which includes Bingham County.
History
"Blackfoot" is a name applied to several places in the area, including a mountain rangeBlackfoot Mountains
The Blackfoot Mountains, also called the Blackfoot Range, is a small range of mountains located east of Blackfoot, Idaho. Most of the area is private property, including the range's tallest mountain, Taylor Mountain. There is more than one mountain in Idaho named Taylor Mountain. This one was...
and a small river
Blackfoot River
Blackfoot River can refer to:* Blackfoot River * Blackfoot River...
. The name can be traced back to the summer of 1818 when a group of trappers and traders from the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
passed through. Earlier, in 1812, there had been some wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
s, and people who walked through the burned areas had their moccasins
Moccasin (footwear)
A moccasin is a slipper made of deerskin or other soft leather, consisting of a sole and sides made of one piece of leather, stitched together at the top, and sometimes with a vamp . Though sometimes worn inside, it is chiefly intended for outdoor use, as in exploring wildernesses and running from...
blackened. Although there were no actual Blackfoot
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
people in the area, the traders referred to the people they met in the area as the Indians with the black feet, or the "Blackfoot Crowd", because of the blackened footwear. They went on to call the nearby stream the Blackfoot River.
Fort Hall Indian Reservation
The Fort Hall Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation of the federally recognized Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in the U.S. state of Idaho. It is located in southeastern Idaho on the Snake River Plain north of Pocatello, and comprises 814.874 sq mi of land area in four counties: Bingham, Power,...
, which speculation paid off four years later. On October 10, 1878, a post office was established with Theo T. Danilson as Postmaster. On November 10, 1878, track was laid through town, with the track running right up behind the Stevens Store to take advantage of the store's loading platform (which was originally used to unload freight wagons). The name of the town was changed to Blackfoot on March 20, 1879.
On January 13, 1885, Bingham County was established with Blackfoot as its county seat. Originally, the county seat was to be Eagle Rock (now called Idaho Falls
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Idaho Falls is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States, and the largest city in Eastern Idaho. As of the 2010 census, the population of Idaho Falls was 56,813, with a metro population of 130,374....
). However, the night before its legal appointment, men from Blackfoot bribed a clerk to erase Eagle Rock and write in Blackfoot. The measure went through without opposition and was signed by the governor.
Blackfoot was incorporated as a town in 1907.
Geography
Blackfoot is located at 43°11′24"N 112°20′46"W (43.190068, -112.346037).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 5.7 square miles (14.8 km²), of which 5.4 square miles (14 km²) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) (4.59%) is water.
Blackfoot has a semi-arid climate (Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
BSk) with cold winters and hot, dry summers.
Demographics
At the 2000 censusUnited States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, there were 10,419 people, 3,685 households and 2,682 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,926.4 per square mile (743.6/km²). There were 3,929 housing units at an average density of 726.4 per square mile (280.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.76% White, 0.21% African American, 2.51% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.33% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.17% of the population.
There were 3,685 households of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 23.7% 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 2.75 and the average family size was 3.27.
31.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.
The median household income
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...
was $33,004 and the median family incomewas $36,553. Males had a median income of $31,489 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $15,529 About 11.5% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.4% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Blackfoot is served by the Blackfoot School District #55 and the Snake River School District #52.High schools:
- Blackfoot High SchoolBlackfoot High SchoolBlackfoot High School is a high school located in Blackfoot, Idaho.- History :Blackfoot High School was founded in the early 1890s. The current school building, built in the 1950s, was given a new science wing in the mid-1990s and in the early 2000s, a new auditorium and gymnasium. The school,...
- Independence Alternative High School
- Snake River High SchoolSnake River High SchoolSnake River High School is a high school in Blackfoot, Idaho. The school has an enrollment of 587 and Dean Bonney is the principal....
Middle schools:
- Mountain View Middle School
- Idaho Science And Technology Charter School
Elementary schools:
- Blackfoot Sixth Grade School
- Fort Hall Elementary School
- Groveland Elementary School
- Ridgecrest Elementary School
- Donald D. Stalker Elementary School
- I.T. Stoddard Elementary School
- Wapello Elementary School
- Blackfoot Charter Community Learning Center
Popular culture references
Blackfoot is mentioned in the song "When Cowboys Didn't Dance" by LonestarLonestar
Lonestar is an American country music group consisting of Richie McDonald , Michael Britt , Keech Rainwater , Dean Sams , and Michael Hill . McDonald left the band in November 2007 for a solo career before returning in 2011...
as the destination of a cattle drive
Cattle drive
For the 1951 film, see Cattle Drive .A cattle drive is the process of moving a herd of cattle from one place to another, usually moved and herded by cowboys on horses.-Australia:Australia is noted for long drives...
.