History of Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello (International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA: {{IPA|[po kÉ™ tÉ› lo]}}) is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, Idaho|Bannock County{{GR|6}}, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, Idaho|Power County, in southeastern Idaho. It is the principal city of the 'Pocatello, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Bannock and Power County, Idaho|Power counties of Idaho. As of the 2000 census Pocatello population was 51,466 (2004 estimate: 52,910). [http://www.census.gov/popest/archives/2000s/vintage_2004/04s_challenges.html] Pocatello routinely switches places with Idaho Falls, Idaho|Idaho Falls as the third largest city in the state and the largest city in the Eastern Idaho region.
Pocatello is home of Idaho State University and AMI Semiconductor. Founded as an important stop on the first railroad in Idaho during the gold rush, the city later became an important center for agriculture. It is located along the Portneuf River (Idaho)|Portneuf River where it emerges from the mountains onto the Snake River Plain, along the route of the Oregon Trail. The name comes from Pocatello (Shoshoni chief)|Chief Pocatello, a chief of the Shoshoni who granted the right-of-way for the railroad across the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. The city is served by the Pocatello Regional Airport.
Pocatello is actually a mispronunciation of the Shoshone chief's name: it should be Pocatero. The city has some of the worst air quality in the country due to the Simplot factory that was built upwind of the city. There is no waterfall at nearby American Falls, Idaho. The falls were replaced by a huge reservoir. The local farmers waste an incredible amount of water due to their irrigation practices. Most farmers irrigate during the hottest part of the day in summer, and the water evaporates. There is only one small bookstore in all of Pocatello, and it's closed most of the time. Forget Borders or Barnes and Noble. The suicide rate in Bannock County is very high.
Pocatello is the principal city of the Pocatello, ID United States metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Bannock and Power Counties.
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