New Meadows, Idaho
Location in Adams County and the state of Idaho
Coordinates: 44°58′13″N 116°17′7″W / 44.97028, -116.28528
Country	United States
State	Idaho
County	Adams
Area
- Total	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km²)
- Land	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	3,868 ft (1,179 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	533
- Density	1,089.1/sq mi (420.5/km²)
Time zone	Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
- Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code	83654
Area code(s)	208
FIPS code	16-56890
GNIS feature ID	0387535

New Meadows is a rural city at the upper end of the Meadows Valley of the west central part of the U.S. state of Idaho, just south of the 45th parallel. The city is in Adams County at an elevation of 3868 feet (1179 m) and its population was 533 at the 2000 census. New Meadows is the junction of the primary north-south highway in the state, U.S. Highway 95, and State Highway 55, which connects to McCall and Boise.

History

The city of New Meadows hosts the last surviving Pacific and Idaho Northern (PIN) Railroad Depot. Without the Pacific and Idaho Northern Railroad, New Meadows would arguably not exist. The PIN Railroad ran from Weiser to an area about two miles from Meadows, thus creating the site of modern day New Meadows, founded in 1911.

The railroad depot was built in 1910 and served as the northern end of the PIN Railroad. It is a signification cultural, historical resource and is located in the Payette River Scenic Byway corridor in the City of New Meadows, Idaho at the junction of U.S. Highway 95 and State Highway 55. It is listed on the National Register of Historic places. The depot is an incredible asset for the community of New Meadows and currently functions as a community center for the local area. It hosted the Barn Again! Smithsonian Institute traveling exhibition in 2005, and it represents early twentieth century efforts to create a north-south railroad for Idaho. Though the efforts failed, the PIN Railroad served an important function as a “farm-to-market” railroad until 1940 and then as a timber railroad for local timber outfits.

The Union Pacific acquired the line in 1936 and in 1979 abandoned the northern end of the line, from Tamarack to New Meadows. The depot was a functioning facility until 1972. In 1978 ACHS acquired the title to the PIN Depot to preserve it as a repository for the history of Adams County. Since 2000, the building has been preserved from immediate deterioration. The foundation has been restored and the building has a new roof.

Education

The only school in New Meadows is Meadows Valley Jr/Sr High. This school is grade Kindergarten-12th. Its mascot is the mountaineer, and its colors are orange and black.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

New Meadows is located at 44°58′13″N, 116°17′7″W (44.970405, -116.285283)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

PIN Railroad Depot

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 533 people, 208 households, and 143 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,089.1 people per square mile (420.0/km²). There were 262 housing units at an average density of 535.4/sq mi (206.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.19% White, 0.19% African American, 1.31% Native American, 0.38% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 208 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 159.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 140.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,500, and the median income for a family was $31,042. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $14,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,884. About 16.2% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Meadows Valley Chamber of Commerce
• Southwest Idaho Travel Association - New Meadows

• New Meadows, Idaho is at coordinates 44°58′14″N 116°17′07″W / 44.970405, -116.285283 (New Meadows, Idaho)Coordinates: 44°58′14″N 116°17′07″W / 44.970405, -116.285283 (New Meadows, Idaho)

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