Wallace, Idaho
Location of Wallace, Idaho
Coordinates: 47°28′23″N 115°55′30″W / 47.47306, -115.925
Country	United States
State	Idaho
County	Shoshone
Area
- Total	0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²)
- Land	0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	2,730 ft (832 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	960
- Density	1,104.4/sq mi (426.4/km²)
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	83873-83874
Area code(s)	208
FIPS code	16-84790
GNIS feature ID	0392796

Wallace is a historic city in the Panhandle region of the U.S. state of Idaho and the county seat of Shoshone County^[1] in the Silver Valley mining district. Wallace sits alongside the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River (and Interstate 90) and the town's population was 960 at the 2000 census. Wallace is the principal town of the Coeur d'Alene silver-mining district, which produced more silver than any other mining district in the United States. Burke-Canyon Road runs through historic mining communities — many of them now deserted — north and eastward toward the Montana border. The area periodically experienced open warfare between miners and mine owners. With silver prices reaching new highs, Wallace and the surrounding Silver Valley area are booming. East of Wallace, the Route of the Hiawatha (rails-to-trails) and the Lookout Pass ski area are popular with locals and tourists.

In 1890, Shoshone County was the most populated county in the new state of Idaho, and Wallace was its largest city and the third largest in the state, with 2000 residents. The elevation is 2728 feet (831 m) above sea level.

Geography

Wallace is located at 47°28′23″N, 115°55′30″W (47.472923, -115.924935)^[2].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.

Wallace, Idaho

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 960 people, 427 households, and 237 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,104.4 people per square mile (426.0/km²). There were 587 housing units at an average density of 675.3/sq mi (260.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.90% White, 2.50% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.62% from other races, and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.19% of the population.

There were 427 households out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.3% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,065, and the median income for a family was $33,472. Males had a median income of $25,288 versus $16,429 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,699. About 12.8% of families and 20.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Center of the Universe

On September 25, 2004, Mayor Ron Garitone proclaimed Wallace to be the center of the Universe. Specifically, a sewer access cover was declared to be the precise location of the center of the Universe. A specially made manhole cover was made to mark the spot. It bears the words "Center of the Universe. Wallace, Idaho." This prompted British comedian and writer Danny Wallace to visit Wallace. He wrote about his visit in the book Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe, published in 2006.

Trivia

• The 1997 film Dante's Peak was filmed in and around Wallace during the summer of 1996, with the large hill next to town digitally altered to look like a volcano. One scene shows Pierce Brosnan driving a pickup down Main Street to escape the volcanic eruption. You can also see a sign that says Wallace in one of the scenes with the community standing around for the celebration. Many scenes take place in the historic downtown area, visible from the nearby Interstate 90. The 1980 epic Heaven's Gate also filmed several scenes in Wallace.
• The last traffic light on a coast-to-coast Interstate highway to be removed was on a stretch of I-90 in Wallace, on September 15, 1991.
• Every building in downtown Wallace is on the National Register of Historic Places.
• The fire-fighting tool called a Pulaski is widely credited to a forest ranger from Wallace, Ed Pulaski.
• Actress Lana Turner was born in Wallace, as was politician Bill Thomas and Oregon State football coach Mike Riley.

References

1. ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Wallace, Idaho is at coordinates 47°28′23″N 115°55′30″W / 47.472923, -115.924935 (Wallace, Idaho)Coordinates: 47°28′23″N 115°55′30″W / 47.472923, -115.924935 (Wallace, Idaho)
• History of Wallace Idaho
• Wallace photos and information at Western Mining History

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Shoshone County, Idaho
County seat: Wallace
Cities	Kellogg | Mullan | Osburn | Pinehurst | Smelterville | Wallace | Wardner
Unincorporated communities	Avery | Burke | Clarkia