Nampa (IPA: [næm pə]) is the largest city in Canyon County, Idaho, United States, and the second largest in the state. Only the capital
city, Boise, is larger. As of the 2000 Census the population of Nampa was 51,867
(2006 estimate: 79,587)[1].
Nampa is located about 20 miles west of Boise along Interstate 84. The city is
considered part of the Boise metropolitan area.
Nobody knows for sure where Nampa got its name. The belief is that it came from a Native American word for moccasin.
Native Americans stuffed their moccasins with sagebrush to keep warm, making a
larger footprint. There is also a Nampa in Alberta,
Canada.
Visitors to Nampa may notice a certain odor about the city, especially on foggy days. This is a by-product of the
Amalgamated Sugar Company sugar beet
processing plant. When the beets are cooked, they emit an odor. In 2006, though, the plant drastically cut emissions to reduce
the odor, making it only noticeable on occasion in the northern part of Nampa. Amalgamated Sugar is marketed under the name
"White Satin Sugar."
History
Nampa began its life as a small railroad town in the early 1880s. More railroad lines
sprung up running through Nampa, making it a very important railroad town.
Nampa was founded in 1886 by Europeans, and a year later had grown from 15 homes to 50. As new amenities were added to the
town, Nampa continued to grow. It was incorporated in 1890.
Unlike most towns in that historic era with streets running true north and south, Nampa's historic roads run perpendicular to
the railroad tracks that travel northwest to southeast through the town. Thus, the northside is really the northeast side of the
tracks, and the southside is really the southwest side of the railroad tracks. Founder Alexander Duffes laid out Nampa's streets
this way to prevent an accident like one that occurred earlier in a town he had platted near Toronto,
Canada. In that town, a woman and her two children were killed by a train when they started across the railroad tracks in
a buggy and the wheel got stuck. Nampa has the fanciest of many Oregon Short Line Railroad depots built in the area.
The first elementary school was built in the 1890s. Lakeview school was located on
a hill on 6th Street and 12th Avenue North, with a view of Lake Ethel. Just after the school's centennial celebration, it was
condemned as a school and sold to the First Mennonite Church. The building still stands to
this day.
Lake Ethel was later drained because it caused some flooding in neighboring homes. The area was
converted to Lakeview Park. It is Nampa's largest park and many community celebrations are held
there.
Colonel William H. Dewey, a man who made a fortune mining in Silver City, seeing the advantage of 4 railroad lines, built the elegant Dewey Palace Hotel in 1902
for a quarter of a million dollars. Colonel Dewey died in his hotel in 1903, leaving his son a
million dollars. The hotel survived the great fire of 1909, which burned several blocks of downtown Nampa, but was razed in 1963
because no one wanted to invest in renovating the grand structure. Relics from the hotel, such as
the chandelier and the hotel safe can be found at the Canyon
County Historical Museum, which is housed in the old train depot on Front Street and Nampa City
Hall.
A Carnegie library was built downtown in 1908. It burned down after the library
moved in 1966. The Nampa Public Library is now located on the corner of 1st Street
and 11th Avenue South.
Deer Flat Reservoir, an offstream irrigation storage reservoir, was constructed by the
United States Reclamation Service between 1906 and 1911. Known
locally as Lake Lowell, it is surrounded by the Deer Flat National Wildlife
Refuge, which was established in 1909 by President Theodore Roosevelt. The
refuge is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
Idaho State School and Hospital was built in Nampa in 1910, for the state's developmentally challenged population. It opened in 1918. The institution was largely self
sufficient. It had a large farm which was worked by the residents. The higher functioning residents
also cared for residents who couldn't do anything for themselves. Much has changed in the care of persons with developmental
disabilities from the time of the state school's opening. The old farm has been sold as a golf course, and residents no longer
give primary care to other residents. The institution is much more modern and remains in operation, though a few of the old
buildings are now used to house juvenile offenders.
Nampa held an annual harvest festival and farmers'
market from about 1908. It was a time of celebration and community fun. From this festival emerged the Snake River Stampede Rodeo in 1937, which continues to this day. It is one of the top twelve
rodeos in the pro rodeo circuits.
A local congregation of the Church of the Nazarene built a small
elementary school in 1913, later growing to Northwest Nazarene College in 1915 and
finally to Northwest Nazarene University. The university currently
educates about 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students.
In 1965, the Karcher Mall was built, becoming the first indoor shopping mall in the Treasure Valley. Many area residents have
memories of having an Orange Julius, sitting on Santa's lap (Arthur Yensen), or playing games at the Red Baron arcade
in the mall. Karcher Mall was "the place to gather" for several decades until the
Boise Towne Square was built in Boise in
1988, drawing the business and the people away. Karcher Mall, having struggled for many
years, is now making a comeback. With the new I-84 interchange nearby, the area is booming with new business.
Nampa is growing fast, with new homes, new shopping centers and new roads. Treasure Valley Marketplace north of the Karcher
Interchange has Costco, Target, Best Buy and Kohl's, and across from it a Sportsman Warehouse is currently
under construction. Off the Garrity Exit, near the Idaho Center, Nampa Gateway Center has
J.C. Penney and other large retailers, such as Wal-Mart
and Sam's Club.
Education
The Nampa School District is Nampa's major source of education. The district consists of 3 high schools, Columbia High School, Nampa High School, and
Skyview High School; 3 middle schools, East Valley Middle School, South Middle
School, and West Middle School; and 15 elementary schools.
Nampa also is home to part of the Vallivue School District. Which has Sage
Valley Middle School, Desert Springs Elementary, Birch Elementary, and East Canyon Elementary all located in Nampa.
Transportation
The interstate that runs through Nampa is Interstate 84 (west) which has four
exits into Nampa. The Nampa Municipal Airport is located there for general aviation. A couple of the main roads are
Nampa-Caldwell Boulevard, 12th Avenue Road, 16th Avenue, Garrity Boulevard, and Karcher Road.
Community Events
March
- Mercy Community Sale- A large yard sale to benefit youth.
April
May
- Cinco de Mayo
- Parade America
- Spring Fling Community Festival
- Downtown Nampa Nights- outdoor concerts begin and run through September
June
- God & Country Rally- timed around the 4th of July at the Idaho Center. An evening
of motivational speakers, with a grand fireworks finalé.
- Summer Reading at the Nampa Public Library.
July
August
- Farm City Night
- Fandemonium, Idaho's Entertainment Expo
- Friends of Nampa Public Library Booksale
September
November
- Canyon County Festival of Trees
December
Geography
Nampa is located at 43°34′29″N, 116°33′49″W (43.574807,
-116.563559).1
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 19.9 square miles. 19.9 mi² of it is land and 0.04 mi² of it (0.10%) is water.
ZIP codes: 83651, 83686, 83687.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 51,867 people, 18,090 households, and 13,024 families
residing in the city. The population density was 1,008.9/km² (2,612.3/mi²). There
were 19,379 housing units at an average density of 376.9/km² (976.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.45%
White, 0.40% African American, 0.94% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 11.25% from other races, and 2.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.90% of the population.
There were 18,090 households out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were
non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.25.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 15.0% from
45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 96.0 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,758, and the median income for a family was $39,434. Males had a median
income of $28,580 versus $22,022 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$14,491. About 8.7% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
External links
Coordinates:
43.574807° N 116.563559°
W
Notes
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