Beautiful Idaho Falls

A little background...

The city of Idaho Falls is the largest metropolitan area in Bonneville County, located in Eastern Idaho. The origin of Idaho Falls is centered around a bridge built in 1865 that came to be known as Taylor’s Crossing. The Taylor’s Crossing bridge increased travel to this area, and soon settlers and miners began to call it home. Soon after however, Taylor’s Crossing became known as Eagle Rock, named after a huge rock in the middle of the Snake River where eagle sightings were frequent. When the Utah and Northern Railway came through, Eagle Rock transformed from a sparse gathering of small homes to a town on the brink of great expansion. Idaho became a state in 1890 and in 1891 the residents of then-Eagle Rock voted to change the name of their town to Idaho Falls. The diversion of water from the Snake River soon gave way to green farm and pasture land, and Idaho Falls was born.

Leading the way in technology...

Idaho Falls remained a largely agricultural area until 1949 when the Atomic Energy Commission built the National Reactor Testing Station west of the city. The National Reactor Testing Station eventually became the Idaho National Laboratory and is the lead national institution in nuclear and alternative energy research. Today, the research and high level of innovation at INL has sparked the creation of Eastern Idaho Technical College and a satellite campus of the University of Idaho. At the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES), research and education partners from the INL, University of Idaho, Idaho State University and Boise State University are working together to develop new technologies such as the CAVE. The CAVE is a 3-dimensional walk-in cave, where researchers can hold organic compounds in their hand, see every earthquake on earth in the last 100 years, and even work on a simulated nuclear reactor before they work on a real one. Breakthroughs such as the CAVE put Idaho Falls on the map as a leader in innovation and research.

Innovation success in Idaho Falls is warranting international attention. Areva recently announced the construction of a uranium-enrichment plant outside of Idaho Falls. Areva was drawn to Idaho Falls and the state of Idaho because of the business-friendly environment, good work force, and the outstanding support of the community to welcome such a large corporation. Because of the close proximity to the INL, Areva hopes to compliment the research work already going on and further Idaho Falls’ technological advancements.

Arts & Culture

Idaho Falls is no stranger to excusive technologies or exhibits. In 2011, The Museum of Idaho hosted the unique “Bodies: the Exhibition”. Idaho Falls is the first town of its size to host the world- class Bodies exhibition, and the Museum of Idaho is just one aspect of Idaho Falls’ outstanding arts and culture programs. The Museum is partly housed in an old Carnegie Library that was saved from demolition and turned into the museum. At the Willard Arts Center in downtown Idaho Falls, the remodeled Colonial Theatre is a testament to the close-knit community. The Colonial Theatre was built in 1919 and was on the brink of destruction not too many years ago. The Idaho Falls Arts Council reclaimed the Colonial Theatre and restored it to its original glory with the help of the community-which raised $4.5 million dollars. The Willard Arts Center, Museum of Idaho and The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho make up a large part of Idaho Falls’ cultural district. The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho facilitates an educational outreach program for the area schools This program takes free, exhibit-based art lessons to elementary students. The outreach program is in its eighth year, and last year provided free art lessons to 13,000 students. Idaho Falls voters passed a bill that will allow funding for the construction of a new events center, bringing more shows, sporting events and other fun activities to the region. The Idaho Falls Arts Council is in the process of reclaiming another historic theatre in downtown and refurbishing it to become an ‘Art-itorium’. The ‘Art-itorium’ will be an interactive art laboratory where children and families can come and experience art in a fun, hands-on way.

Business: Mixing Old and New

As Idaho Falls continues to grow, more development is taking place in the downtown area. The Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation has been instrumental in reviving the historic area of the city. A defining feature of the development of Idaho Falls is the mixing of new and old. The fiber optics business Syringa Networks is a state of the art company that remodeled and moved into a historic building in downtown Idaho Falls. This transformation of mixing new businesses and companies with the old, historic buildings of Idaho Falls not only helps the economy grow, but it also retains that small town feel that makes Idaho Falls such a close-knit community.

Perhaps the best example of melding old and new in Idaho Falls is First American Title and Snake River Landing. The Snake River Landing is a multi-purpose development on the South end of Idaho Falls, and like so many places in the city- it used to be abandoned and unused. A vision was had to transform it and up sprang the Snake River Landing. It is home to several coffee shops and restaurants, and also home to First American Title who has been doing business in Eastern Idaho for over 100 years.