New Meadows is a rural city in Adams County,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

, United States, at the southern and upper end of the Meadows Valley, on the Little Salmon River. Located in the west central part of the state, just south of the 45th parallel, the population was 496 at the 2010 census, down from 533 in 2000. New Meadows is located at the junction of the primary north-south highway in the state,

U.S. Route 95 US Route 95 (US 95) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highways, US Highway in the western United States. It travels through the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho, staying inland from the Pacific Coast ...

, and State Highway 55, which connects it with McCall and

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area's ...

History

Pacific and Idaho Northern Railroad route

Meadows was in Washington County before Adams County was established in 1911. The Meadows Eagle was newspaper serving the community. C. A. Hackney was the publisher. The Pacific and Idaho Northern (PIN) Railroad ran from Weiser to an area about two miles (3 km) from Meadows, the site of modern-day New Meadows founded in 1911. The city of New Meadows hosts the last surviving PIN. Without the Pacific and Idaho Northern Railroad, New Meadows would arguably not have existed. The depot was built in 1910 and served as the northern end of the PIN Railroad. It is a significant cultural and historical resource in the Payette River Scenic Byway corridor in the city of New Meadows, at the junction of US-95 and state highway 55. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The depot is an asset for the community of New Meadows and currently functions as a community center for the local area. It hosted the Barn Again!

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

traveling exhibition in 2005, and represents early twentieth century efforts to create a north-south railroad for Idaho. Though the efforts ultimately 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 The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

acquired the line in 1936 and in 1979 abandoned the northern end of the line, from the Tamarack sawmill site north of

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

to New Meadows, along US-95. 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 now has a new roof.

Education

The only school in New Meadows is the Meadows Valley School, which houses all thirteen grades, K-12. The school mascot is the

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

, and the

school colors School colors (also known as university colors or college colors) are the colors chosen by a school as part of its brand identity, used on building signage, web pages, branded apparel, and the uniforms of sports teams. They can promote connectio ...

are

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

and

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

Recreation

Two established

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

ski area A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...

Brundage Mountain Brundage Mountain Resort is an alpine ski area in the western United States, located in west central Idaho in the Payette National Forest. Brundage first opened in November 1961 and is northwest of McCall, a twenty-minute drive in average winte ...

and the

Little Ski Hill The Little Ski Hill is a modest ski area in the western United States, located in west central Idaho, two miles (3 km) west of McCall. Adjacent to Highway 55, immediately west of the county line in Adams County, it was formerly known as the "Pa ...

are less than ten miles (16 km) to the east, both on the west side of the

Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

/ Adams county line. The MeadowCreek golf resort (originally "Kimberland Meadows") is a few miles northwest of town. Payette Lake and the surrounding areas in McCall offer numerous recreational opportunities, and further north along US-95 is Riggins, the gateway to the Salmon River and the

Seven Devils Mountains The Seven Devils Mountains are notable peaks in the western United States, located in west central Idaho in the Hells Canyon Wilderness. They are above the east bank of the Snake River, which forms the Idaho-Oregon border. The Seven Devils are p ...

. Five miles (8 km) north of New Meadows is Zim's Hot Springs.

Highways

- State Highway 55 - ''Payette River Scenic Byway'' New Meadows is approximately north of

, accessed via State Highway 55, the ''Payette River Scenic Byway,'' a designated

national scenic byway A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Co ...

. It heads north from

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

Ada County Ada County is located in the southwestern part of Idaho, United States. As of the 2021 United States census estimate, the county had a population of 511,931, making it by far the state's most populous county; it is home to 26.8% of the state's p ...

Horseshoe Bend Horseshoe Bend may refer to: Places Australia * Horseshoe Bend, New South Wales, an inner city suburb in the City of Maitland in the Hunter Region * Horseshoe Bend Station, a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the Alice Sprin ...

in Boise County, and climbs the

whitewater Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...

of the

Payette River The Payette River () is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 3, 2011 river in southwestern Idaho and is a major tributary of the Snake River. Its headwaters originate ...

Cascade Cascade, Cascades or Cascading may refer to: Science and technology Science *Cascade waterfalls, or series of waterfalls * Cascade, the CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense (a protein complex) * Cascade (grape), a type of fruit * Bioc ...

and McCall in Valley County. The route turns west at Payette Lake in McCall and ends at New Meadows at the junction with U.S. Route 95.

Geography

New Meadows is located at (44.970405, -116.285283), at an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 496 people, 201 households, and 136 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 264 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.4% Native American, 3.2% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 4.8% of the population. There were 201 households, of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.3% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age in the city was 35.9 years. 27.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.4% were from 25 to 44; 28.5% were from 45 to 64; and 10.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.2% male and 48.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 533 people, 208 households, and 143 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 262 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.19%

, 0.19%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.31% Native American, 0.38% from

, and 0.94% from two or more races.

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

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 Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $11,884. About 16.2% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Residents

* Gilbert F. Smith, state legislator and president of Meadows Valley Bank