Driggs is a city in the

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in eastern

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

, and is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Teton County. Part of the Jackson, WY-ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, it is located in Teton Valley, the headwaters of the Teton River. The population was 1,660 at the 2010 census, up from 1,100 in 2000.Spokesman-Review
– 2010 census – Driggs, Idaho – accessed December 23, 2011 Located within city limits is the Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport, a class II airport that can accommodate private aircraft on its runway.

History

The Teton Valley was discovered by

John Colter John Colter (c.1770–1775 – May 7, 1812 or November 22, 1813) was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806). Though party to one of the more famous expeditions in history, Colter is best remembered for explorations he made ...

in 1808, a member of the

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...

(1804–06). It later became known as Pierre's Hole, in honor of "le grand Pierre" Tivanitagon, and hosted the well-attended 1832 Rendezvous, which was followed by the Battle of Pierre's Hole. Driggs was founded in 1888 by Benjamin Woodbury Driggs, Jr. and Don Carlos Driggs, whose descendants later moved to

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

(where most live still), and there founded Western Savings and Loan. John Driggs, a descendant of Don Carlos Driggs, later became the mayor of

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

in the 1970s. In 2007, ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

'' magazine listed Driggs as one of the 10 best outdoor recreation destinations in the U.S. The

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

posited in 2023 that with the expansion of the Grand Targhee Resort 12 miles away in

Alta, Wyoming Alta is a census-designated place (CDP) in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 429 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Jackson, WY– ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, and it is located between Driggs, Idaho and the ...

that Driggs could become the next

Jackson Hole Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre Range, Gros Ventre and Teton Range, Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, Wyoming, T ...

(much to the dismay of many of its residents).

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total land area of .

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Driggs has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,660 people, 587 households, and 385 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 873 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 73.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 23.5% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 31.6% of the population. There were 587 households, of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.4% were non-families. 22.5% of all of the households were made up of individuals, and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.40. The median age in the city was 30.6 years. 29.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 33.9% were from 25 to 44; 20.5% were from 45 to 64; and 7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.4% male and 48.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,100 people, 386 households, and 252 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 449 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.73%

, 0.09%

, 0.73% Native American, 0.73%

, 13.64% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 20.55% of the population. There were 386 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were

living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.44. The population is spread over various age categories, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 34.6% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $40,469. Males had a median income of $30,703 versus $19,722 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $14,710. About 7.0% of families and 11.2% 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 ...

, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Sites and events in Driggs include: * an art gallery * Winter Snowfest, which includes a snow sculpture competition * Teton Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival * Shakespeare in the Park * Plein Air Arts Festival * Geotourism Center * "Music on Main", a series of free, outdoor musical concerts during the summer * SpudFest Family Film and Music Festival at Spud Drive-In Theater (2004-2008)

Education

The public schools of Teton County are operated by Teton School District #401, headquartered in Driggs. The county's only traditional high school (

Teton High School Teton High School is a four-year public secondary school in Driggs, Idaho. It is the only traditional high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schoo ...

), middle school and upper elementary school are in Driggs. College of Eastern Idaho includes this county in its catchment zone; however this county is not in its taxation zone.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highway

* – SH-33 to Victor (south), and Tetonia (north)

Airports

* Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport. (

IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...

: DIJ,

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

: KDIJ, FAA LID: DIJ)

Notable people

* Hendrika B. Cantwell (born 1925), clinical professor of pediatrics * Jeannine Davis-Kimball (1929–2017), archaeologist * Junius Driggs (1907-1994), banker *

Leon M. Lederman Leon Max Lederman (July 15, 1922 – October 3, 2018) was an American experimental physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1988, along with Melvin Schwartz and Jack Steinberger, for research on neutrinos. He also received the Wolf Pr ...

(1922-2018), director of

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), located in Batavia, Illinois, near Chicago, is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics. Fermilab's Main Injector, two miles (3.3 k ...

Dawn Wells Dawn Elberta Wells (October 18, 1938 – December 30, 2020) was an American actress. She is best known for her role as Mary Ann Summers in the sitcom ''Gilligan's Island''. Early life Wells was born to Evelyn (née Steinbrenner) and Joe Wesle ...

(1938-2020), actress, lived part time in Driggs.

References

External links

*
Teton Valley Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Idaho Cities in Teton County, Idaho County seats in Idaho Jackson, Wyoming micropolitan area Populated places established in 1888 1888 establishments in Idaho Territory