Horseshoe Bend is the
largest town in rural Boise County
, in southwestern Idaho
. Its
population of 770 at the
2000
census was the largest in the county.
It is part of the
Boise
City
–Nampa
, Idaho
Metropolitan Statistical
Area. The elevation of the
town is 2604 feet (793 m) above sea level and
is named for its location at the horseshoe-shaped U-turn of
the Payette
River
, whose flow direction changes from south to north
before heading west to the Black Canyon Reservoir.
The area was originally settled as a gold miners' staging area, as
prospectors waited along the river for snows to thaw at the higher
elevations.
Gold had been discovered
in 1862 in the Boise Basin mountains to the east, near Idaho
City
.
The settlement became known as
Warrinersville,
after a local
sawmill operator. The name was
changed to Horseshoe Bend in 1867, and after the gold rush quieted,
the town became a prosperous ranching and logging community.
The
railroad, from Emmett
up to Long
Valley following the Payette River (its North Fork above Banks), was completed in
1913. [16833]
Horseshoe
Bend sits along Highway 55,
the primary north-south route out of Boise, 23 miles
(37 km) to the south and accessed over the 4242 foot (1293 m)
Spring Valley summit. Within an hour's drive north of Horseshoe
Bend are the outdoor recreational areas of the Payette River basin, including Cascade
, Tamarack Resort
, and McCall
.
Highway 55
was designated the "Payette
River Scenic Byway" in 1977.
In 1998 the town's primary employer,
Boise
Cascade, closed its
sawmill on September
30.
[16834] Horseshoe Bend has attempted to become
the county seat of Boise
County, replacing historic Idaho City.[16835]
Horseshoe Bend's current culture is a blend of ranching and a
growing bedroom community for Boise. Its annual events include a
banjo festival in late May, the national
senior pro
rodeo in June, and a fall festival
in October. A
scenic railroad, the
Thunder Mountain Line
[16836], is based in town.
Geography
Horseshoe Bend is located at (43.912740, -116.199290) .
According to the
U.S.
Census, the city has a
total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it
land.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 770
people, 261 households, and 192 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,247.4
people per square mile (479.5/km²). There were 290 housing units at
an average density of 469.8/sq mi (180.6/km²). The racial
makeup of the city was 92.34%
White, 0.78%
Native American, 0.13%
Asian, 4.29% from
other races, and 2.47% from two
or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 8.96%
of the population.
There were 261 households out of which 41.0% had children under the
age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were
married
couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no
husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 21.8% of all
households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living
alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.6% under the age
of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to
64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was
32 years. For every 100 females there were 109.2 males. For every
100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,125, and the
median income for a family was $35,882. Males had a median income
of $29,583 versus $24,063 for females. The
per capita income for the city was
$12,486. About 11.2% of families and 19.5% of the population were
below the
poverty line, including 21.5%
of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.
References
External links
Spokesman Review - 04-May-2004
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