Pocatello

Sister cities

• Ali Sabieh
• Iwamizawa

History

Shoshone and Bannock Indigenous tribes inhabited southeastern Idaho for hundreds of years before the Lewis and Clark Expedition across Idaho in 1805. The expedition's reports of the many riches of the region attracted fur trappers and traders to southeastern Idaho. The city is named after Chief Pocatello, a 19th-century Northern Shoshone leader. Nathaniel Wyeth of Massachusetts established one of the first permanent settlements at Fort Hall in 1834, which is only a few miles northeast of Pocatello. When over-trapping and a shift in fashion to silk hats put an end to the fur trade, Fort Hall became a supply point for immigrants traveling the Oregon Trail. Although thousands of immigrants passed through Idaho, it was not until the discovery of gold in 1860 that Idaho attracted settlers in large numbers. The gold rush brought a need for goods and services to many towns, and the Portneuf Valley, home of Pocatello, was the corridor initially used by stage and freight lines. The coming of the railroad provided further development of Idaho's mineral resources and "Pocatello junction" became an important transportation crossroads as the Union Pacific Railroad expanded its service. After its founding in 1889, Pocatello became known as the "Gate City" for being a gateway to Idaho and the Pacific Northwest. As pioneers, gold miners and settlers traveled the Oregon Trail, they passed through the Portneuf Gap south of town. Stage and freight lines and the railroad soon followed, turning the community into a trade center and transportation junction. After the gold rush played out, the settlers who remained turned to agriculture. With the help of irrigation from the nearby Snake River, the region became a large supplier of potatoes, grain and other crops. Residential and…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. A main water feature of Pocatello is the Portneuf River, which runs southeast to northwest on the western side of the city. Since 1992, the city and the Portneuf Greenway Foundation have worked to create a system of trails that follow the river and connect to other trails in the greater Portneuf Valley. Currently, 15+ miles of trails have been constructed with 27 planned total miles. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Pocatello has a (Cold semi-arid) continental climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Pocatello was on August 2, 1969, August 8, 1990, July 22, 2000, and July 31, 2020, while the coldest temperature recorded was on February 1, 1985. |source 2 = National Weather Service }}

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  2,772
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  2,324
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,914
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  1,911
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,635
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,570
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,498
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  1,457

Largest nearby schools

• HIGHLAND HIGH SCHOOL
  High · POCATELLO · 1,589 students · 22.4:1 ratio
• POCATELLO HIGH SCHOOL
  High · POCATELLO · 1,352 students · 22.5:1 ratio
• CENTURY HIGH SCHOOL
  High · POCATELLO · 1,092 students · 20.2:1 ratio
• FRANKLIN MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · POCATELLO · 742 students · 21.8:1 ratio
• IRVING MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · POCATELLO · 712 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• HAWTHORNE MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · POCATELLO · 674 students · 19.3:1 ratio
• ALAMEDA MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · POCATELLO · 645 students · 19.5:1 ratio
• TYHEE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · POCATELLO · 557 students · 22.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2026-10-16
  8 km SW of Georgetown, Idaho
• M 2.9 — 2026-08-30
  22 km W of Auburn, Wyoming
• M 2.7 — 2026-06-16
  26 km NE of Soda Springs, Idaho
• M 2.51 — 2026-06-16
  25 km NNW of Snowville, Utah
• M 2.6 — 2026-06-15
  2 km ESE of Malad City, Idaho
• M 2.93 — 2026-05-17
  9 km W of Bennington, Idaho