Twin Falls

Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The city had a population of 44,125 as of the 2010 census.

Twin Falls is the largest city of Idaho's Magic Valley region. As the largest city in a 100-mile (160-kilometer) radius, Twin Falls serves as a regional commercial center for both south-central Idaho and northeastern Nevada.

Twin Falls is the principal city of the Twin Falls, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which officially includes Jerome and Twin Falls Counties. The resort community of Jackpot, Nevada, in Elko County is unofficially considered part of the greater Twin Falls area.

Located on a broad plain, Twin Falls is near the site where Evel Knievel attempted to jump across the Snake River Canyon in 1974 with a rocket-powered motorcycle.

History

Excavations at Wilson Butte Cave near Twin Falls in 1959 revealed evidence of human activity, including arrowheads, that rank among the oldest dated artifacts in North America. Later Native American tribes predominant in the area included the Northern Shoshone and Bannock.

The first people of European ancestry to visit the Twin Falls area are believed to be members of a group led by American Wilson Price Hunt, which attempted to blaze an all-water trail westward from St. Louis, Missouri, to Astoria, Oregon, in 1811 and 1812. Hunt's expedition met with disaster: much of his expedition was destroyed and one man was killed in rapids on the Snake River known as Caldron Linn near present-day Murtaugh. Hunt and the surviving members of his expedition completed the journey to Astoria by land.

In 1812 and 1813, Robert Stuart successfully led an overland expedition eastward from Astoria to St. Louis, which passed through the Twin Falls area. Stuart's route formed the basis of what became the Oregon Trail. Some 150 years later, Robert Stuart Middle School in Twin Falls was named in his honor.

The first permanent settlement in the area was a stage stop established in 1864 at Rock Creek near the present-day townsite. By 1890 there were a handful of successful agricultural operations in the Snake River Canyon, but the lack of infrastructure and the canyon's geography made irrigating the dry surrounding area improbable at best.

To address this issue, in 1900 I. B. Perrine founded the Twin Falls Land and Water Company, largely to build an irrigation canal system for the area. After an August 1900 area survey of 244,025 acres (98,753 hectares), in October 1900 the company was granted the necessary water rights to begin construction of the irrigation system. Several lots in the surveyed area were set aside specifically for future townsites. These lots eventually became the settlements of Twin Falls, Kimberly, Buhl, Filer, Hansen and Murtaugh. In 1902 the project nearly failed as most of the original investors pulled out, with only Salt Lake businessman Stanley Milner maintaining a stake in the company.

By 1903 Perrine, who had been a successful farmer and rancher in the Snake River Canyon, had obtained private financing from Milner and others under the provisions of the Carey Act of 1894 to build a dam on the Snake River near Caldron Linn. Completed in 1905, Milner Dam and its accompanying canals made commercial irrigation outside the Snake River Canyon practical for the first time. As a result, Perrine is generally credited as the founder of Twin Falls.

A land drawing was held for the future townsite in July 1903 with disappointing results. A much more successful drawing was held in October 1904. Twin Falls city was founded in 1904 as a planned community, designed by celebrated Franco-American architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray, with proceeds from sales of townsite lots going toward construction of irrigation canals. Twin Falls was incorporated as a village on April 12, 1905. The city is named for a nearby waterfall on the Snake River of the same name. In 1907 Twin Falls became the seat of the newly formed Twin Falls County.

The original townsite follows a unique design. It is laid out on northeast-to-southwest and northwest-to-southeast roads. The northwest-to-southeast roads were numbered and called avenues, while the northeast-to-southwest roads were numbered and called streets. Only two central streets, the northwest-to-southeast Main Avenue and the northeast-to-southwest Shoshone Street, were named. It is purported that the reason this was done was to allow sun to come into every room in the home at some point during the day. This system created situations where one side of a street may have an entirely different address than the other, and where the corner of "3rd and 3rd," for example, was in more than one location. In 2003 the numbered northeast-to-southwest streets were renamed to alleviate decades of confusion. Later city roads, such as Blue Lakes Boulevard, Addison Avenue and Washington Street, are laid out in standard north–south and east–west orientations. Addison Avenue is named after Addison T. Smith, an early 20th Century United States Congressman from Twin Falls.

After Milner Dam was constructed agricultural production in south-central Idaho increased substantially. In 1909 the privately owned Twin Falls Land and Water Company was reorganized as the shareholder-owned Twin Falls Canal Company. Twin Falls became a major regional economic center serving the agriculture industry, a role which it has sustained to the present day. The city became a processing center for several agricultural commodities, notably beans and sugar beets. In later years other food processing operations augmented the local economy. By 1960, Twin Falls had become one of Idaho's largest cities even though its origins were still within living memory for many.

Twin Falls became the center of national attention in September 1974 when daredevil Evel Knievel attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon in a specially modified rocket cycle. Watched by millions on closed-circuit television on a Sunday afternoon, the attempt ultimately failed due to high winds and a premature deployment of Knievel's parachute. The launch ramp's foundation lies on private land on the canyon's south rim. Less than two miles west (3 km) of Shoshone Falls, it is still visible (42°35′49″N 114°25′23″W / 42.597°N 114.423°W / 42.597; -114.423).

During the last quarter of the 20th century, gradual diversification of the agriculture-based economy allowed the city to continue to grow. Major Twin Falls employers in 2006 included computer maker Dell, Inc., Glanbia, and Jayco, a recreational vehicle manufacturer. In September 2009 Dell announced it would close its Twin Falls facility by January 2010. Later in 2010 the call center company C3 opened a facility in the former Dell location. In 2012 Chobani, one of the U.S.'s largest Greek yogurt manufacturers, opened its largest factory and distribution center in Twin Falls.

In recent years Twin Falls has become quite multicultural. Thanks in large part to a refugee center operated by the College of Southern Idaho, since 1995 significant numbers of people from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the former Soviet Union have settled in Twin Falls. The city also has a sizable Hispanic population.

Higher Education

Twin Falls is home to the College of Southern Idaho (CSI), a large community college in the northwestern part of the city. Several Idaho universities, including Boise State University, Idaho State University, and the University of Idaho, offer classes on the CSI campus. The nursing program received money from the 2007-2008 state budget to construct a state of the art nursing facility which complements the nursing program. The CSI men's basketball team won its third NJCAA Division I Championship in March 2011.

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools are administered by the Twin Falls School District, including Twin Falls High School, Canyon Ridge High School, the alternative Magic Valley High School, two middle schools and seven elementary schools. Also, Twin Falls is home to Xavier Charter School and the recently established Wings Charter Middle School. The superintendent for the Twin Falls School District is the recipient of the Idaho Association of School Administrator's 2012/2013 Superintendent of the Year award and the district was awarded best title 1C district in the state.

On March 14, 2006, registered voters approved a bond to build an additional high school. A city-wide contest was held to determine the school's nickname. In November 2006, the Twin Falls School Board selected "River Hawks," thus officially giving birth to the Canyon Ridge High School River Hawks. Also on the bond were plans to make general improvements to existing school facilities and to convert the junior high schools to middle schools. These projects were completed for the 2009-10 school year. The addition of Canyon Ridge High School meant that the student population was split nearly in half. Athletics for both schools are designated 4A rather than 5A by IHSAA

Elementary Schools

• Bickel Elementary School (K-5)
• Harrison Developmental Preschool
• Harrison Elementary School (K-5)
• I.B. Perrine Elementary School (K-5)
• Lincoln Elementary School (K-5)
• Morningside Elementary School (K-5)
• Oregon Trail Elementary School (K-5)
• Sawtooth Elementary School (K-5)
• Pillar Falls Elementary School (K-5)

Middle schools

• O'Leary Middle School (6-8)
• Robert Stuart Middle School (6-8)
• Bridge Academy (Alternative 6-8)

High schools

• Canyon Ridge High School (9-12)
• Twin Falls High School (9-12)

Alternative high schools

• Magic Valley High School (9-12)

Private schools include Lighthouse Christian School, St. Edward's Catholic School and Twin Falls Christian Academy.

Transportation

Despite having the distinction of being the largest city in Idaho that is not directly on the Interstate Highway System, Twin Falls is served by several major highways including U.S. Route 30 and U.S. Route 93. Access to Interstate 84 is afforded by a junction with U.S. Route 93 approximately 5 mi (8.0 km) north of the city in Jerome County. Idaho State Highway 74 provides direct access from downtown Twin Falls to southbound locations on U.S. Route 93, including Hollister, Rogerson, and Jackpot, Nevada.

Trans IV, a small public transportation system operated by the College of Southern Idaho, is also available.

Limited commercial air service is provided at Joslin Field-Magic Valley Regional Airport. As of January 2012 daily flights to Salt Lake City International Airport are operated by SkyWest Airlines using the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia. Twice-weekly service between Twin Falls and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas was operated by Allegiant Air, but citing insufficient ticket prices Allegiant permanently discontinued the route in January 2012.

Geography

Twin Falls is located at 42°34'N 114°28'W (42.561,-114.464).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.16 square miles (47.03 km2), of which, 18.10 square miles (46.88 km2) is land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km2) is water.

The Snake River Canyon forms the city's northern limits, separating it from Jerome County. There are three waterfalls in the immediate area. Shoshone Falls is located approximately 5 miles (8.0 kilometres) east of Twin Falls city. Pillar Falls is located approximately 1 1⁄2 mi (2 1⁄2 km) upstream from the Perrine Bridge while Twin Falls, the city's namesake, is located upstream of Shoshone Falls.

Shoshone Falls stands at 213 ft (65 m), which is 46 feet (14 m) higher than Niagara Falls.

The Perrine Bridge, which spans the Snake River Canyon immediately north of the city, is one of only a handful of artificial structures worldwide where BASE jumping is legal. In September 2005 Miles Daisher of Twin Falls set a BASE jumping world record by jumping off Perrine Bridge 57 times in a 24-hour period. In July 2006 Dan Schilling jumped off the bridge 201 times in 21 hours to raise money for charity. Unlike Daisher, Schilling was hoisted to the top of the bridge by a crane after every jump.

Rankings

On the Livability.com list of "Top Ten Cities to Defy Death", Twin Falls ranked No. 1.

Pop culture references

• In 1999, Bruce Willis, a resident of nearby Blaine County, chose Twin Falls to serve as the fictional Midland City in the film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's novel Breakfast of Champions. Several Twin Falls locations, notably the Rob Green auto dealership on Blue Lakes Boulevard North, are prominently featured in the film.
• In the 2001 movie 3000 Miles to Graceland, Michael Zane (Kurt Russell) and Murphy (Kevin Costner) play a violent cat and mouse game with each other all the way to Twin Falls to launder the money they had stolen from an earlier casino heist.
• In the video game Resistance 2, the player must activate anti-aircraft towers in Twin Falls in order to stop an alien invasion. Also, one of the main characters is from Twin Falls.
• "Twin Falls," a Built to Spill song from their 1994 album There's Nothing Wrong with Love, mentions Harrison Elementary and is based on Doug Martsch's experiences growing up in the city. Ben Folds Five released a live cover of "Twin Falls" on their 1998 album Naked Baby Photos.
• In the 1968 episode of "Get Smart," "Snoopy Smart vs the Red Baron," it is revealed that Twin Falls is the hometown of Agent 99, as played by Barbara Feldon.