Preston is a city in

Franklin County, Idaho Franklin County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census the county had a population of 14,194. The county seat and largest city is Preston, Idaho, Preston. The cou ...

, United States. The population was 5,591 at the 2020 census, up from 5,204 at the 2010 census. The city 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 Franklin County. It is part of the Logan,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The Bear River Massacre occurred in 1863 at a point a few miles northwest of Preston. The

Bear River Massacre Site Bear River Massacre Site, near Preston, Idaho, is the site of the Bear River Massacre, in which a village of Shoshone Native Americans were attacked by the 3rd Regiment California Volunteer Infantry, California Volunteers on January 29, 1863. Esti ...

is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

. In 1866, Latter-day Saint pioneers arrived in the northern end of the Cache Valley, stretching across southeastern

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 northeastern

. They founded a community in that location and named it Worm Creek, but in 1881 changed it to Preston because leaders of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church) in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

objected to the name "Worm Creek" being part of any church congregation's name.Baltzar W. Peterson, ''Historical Scrapbook of Preston and Vicinity'' (Carnegie Library: Preston, Idaho).Clarence G. Judy
"A History of Preston, Idaho"
(Brigham Young University: MA Thesis, 1961) p. 36. The name Preston was suggested by a local member to honor William B. Preston, who at the time was president of the LDS Church's Cache Stake. It was not until the 1880s while William C. Parkinson was serving as the

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Preston LDS Ward that a regular townsite was laid out.

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 area of , of which, is land and is water. Nearby is the Cub River Canyon, which is a popular recreation area. Within Preston itself, U.S. Highway 91 is the main north–south street, State Street. By driving south on US-91, it is a 25-minute drive from Preston to the larger

Logan, Utah Logan is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The 2020 United States Census, 2020 census recorded the population at 52,778. Logan is the county seat of Cache County and the principal city of the Logan metropolitan area, which includes Ca ...

. Oneida Street, also State Highway 36 is the primary west–east road. Preston is a half-hour drive from

Interstate 15 Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the Western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Ca ...

Climate

Preston has a warm-summer

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 ...

(

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 ...

: ''Dfb'').

Demographics

2020 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 2020, there were 5,591 people, 1,932 households, residing in the city. 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 2,025 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was

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 ...

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 ...

, Native American, Asian,

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 ...

, from other races, and 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 of the population. There were 1,932 households, of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them. Of the 1,932 households, 60.1% were married couple households, 21% had a female householder with no spouse present, 14.8% had a male householder with no spouse present, 4.1% had a cohabiting couple household. The average household size was 2.85. The median age in the city was 33.4 years. 33.8% of residents were under the age of 20; 5.7% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 20% were from 45 to 64; and 16.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was male and female. As per the 2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the median income was $48,651. The median income for families was $56,799, $59,205 for married-couple families, and $27,264 for non-family households. About 19.8% 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 ...

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 5,204 people, 1,751 households, and 1,327 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 1,873 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.7%

, 0.2%

, 0.7% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1%

, 3.3% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 7.5% of the population. There were 1,751 households, of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% 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, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.2% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.43. The median age in the city was 31.7 years. 33.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.1% were from 25 to 44; 19.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,682 people, 1,529 households, and 1,200 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,640 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.22%

, 5.04%

or Latino, 0.09%

, 0.45% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.06%

, 3.12% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. There were 1,529 households, out of which 44.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.2% were

living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.5% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.50. In the city, the population was spread out, with 35.3% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,204, and the median income for a family was $39,537. Males had a median income of $29,247 versus $20,652 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 $13,751. About 5.9% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the

, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Festivals

For several years the city held a "Napoleon Dynamite Festival" in the summer. The 2007 and 2008 event was held along with the 'That Famous Preston Night Rodeo' in Preston.

Festival of Lights

Each year Preston holds the "Idaho Festival of Lights", which starts the day after Thanksgiving and goes until December 31.

Education

Preston Joint School District 201 operates public schools, including Preston High School.

Media

Much of the 2004 film ''

Napoleon Dynamite ''Napoleon Dynamite'' is a 2004 American Independent film, independent Coming-of-age story, coming-of-age comedy film produced by Jeremy Coon, Chris Wyatt (producer), Chris Wyatt and Sean C. Covel (producer), Sean Covel, written by Jared and J ...

'' was shot in the city of Preston, including at Preston High School, located several blocks from U.S. Highway 91. Several area landmarks can be seen throughout the film. Preston is the home of the film's creators,

Jared and Jerusha Hess Jared is a given name of Biblical derivation. Origin In the Book of Genesis, the biblical patriarch Jared () was the sixth in the ten pre-flood generations between Adam and Noah; he was the son of Mahalaleel and the father of Enoch, and lived ...

; Jared attended high school in Preston.

Notable people

* Mervyn S. Bennion — awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

* Leonard C. Brostrom — awarded the Medal of Honor * L. Edward Brown — politician, general authority of the LDS church * Ross T. Christensen — archaeologist * Spencer J. Condie — general authority of the LDS church *

Matthew Cowley Matthew Cowley (August 2, 1897 – December 13, 1953) was an American missionary in New Zealand and then served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1945 until his ...

— missionary; member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the LDS church * Earl C. Crockett — economist; served as acting president of

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

* Richard F. Daines — Commissioner of the New York State Department of Health * Richard C. Edgley — general authority of the LDS church * R. E. Edlefsen — four term mayor of Boise, Idaho * Robert L. Geddes — 39th President ''pro tempore'' of the Idaho Senate *

— husband-and-wife filmmakers known for their comedy films * Archie Johnson Inger — artist, author and religious lecturer * Harold B. Lee (1899–1973) — educator; president of the LDS church * Nathan K. Van Noy — awarded the

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Cities in Idaho County seats in Idaho Cities in Franklin County, Idaho Logan metropolitan area Populated places established in 1866 1866 establishments in Idaho Territory