Nampa

Sister cities

• Kópavogur

History

Nampa had its beginnings in the early 1880s when the Oregon Short Line Railroad built a line from Granger, Wyoming, to Huntington, Oregon, that passed through Nampa. In Nampa there is a history museum that marks the railroad's significance. More railroad lines sprang up through Nampa, making it an important railroad town. Alexander and Hannah Duffes established one of the town's first homesteads, eventually forming the Nampa Land and Improvement Company with the help of their friend and co-founder, James McGee. Despite the name, many early settlers called the town "New Jerusalem" because of its citizens' strong religious focus. After only a year the town grew from 15 homes to 50. As amenities were added, Nampa continued to grow, and it was incorporated in 1891. Downtown Nampa's street grid is oriented with the railroad tracks, which run northwest–southeast; As the Oregon Short Line railroad originally bypassed Boise, Nampa has the fanciest of many railroad depots built in the area. Nampa gained attention in 1889 due to a purported archaeological discovery known as the Nampa figurine. George Frederick Wright wrote up details that year for the Boston Society of Natural History. The first elementary school was built in the 1890s. Lakeview School was 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. In 2008 the building was refurbished, and it is now used by the Idaho Arts Charter School. Lake Ethel, an irrigation reservoir, had long been the site of community picnics, and many citizens fished, swam, boated, and even hunted on it and its surrounding property. But the hunting didn't last long, as O. F. Persons, owner of the…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which, is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  15,033
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,671
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  14,550
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  13,173
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  13,057
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,436
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,369
• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  11,155

Largest nearby schools

• RIDGEVUE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · NAMPA · 1,578 students · 21.9:1 ratio
• NAMPA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · NAMPA · 1,482 students · 21.8:1 ratio
• CALDWELL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CALDWELL · 1,474 students · 21.7:1 ratio
• IDAHO ARTS CHARTER SCHOOL
  Other · NAMPA · 1,303 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• COLUMBIA HIGH SCHOOL
  High · NAMPA · 1,239 students · 20.6:1 ratio
• VALLIVUE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CALDWELL · 1,235 students · 19:1 ratio
• SKYVIEW HIGH SCHOOL
  High · NAMPA · 1,152 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• MIDDLETON MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · MIDDLETON · 1,007 students · 22.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2024-12-27
  6 km NNW of Smiths Ferry, Idaho
• M 2.7 — 2024-12-15
  7 km NNW of Smiths Ferry, Idaho
• M 2.7 — 2024-11-29
  6 km N of Smiths Ferry, Idaho
• M 3 — 2024-08-04
  7 km NW of Smiths Ferry, Idaho
• M 2.7 — 2024-08-04
  7 km NW of Smiths Ferry, Idaho
• M 2.5 — 2024-07-14
  7 km NNW of Smiths Ferry, Idaho