Soda Springs is a city in

Caribou County, Idaho Caribou County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 Census the county had a population of 7,027. The county seat and largest city is Soda Springs. History Robert Stuart explored the area of Soda Springs in 1812. ...

, United States. Its population was 3,133 at the time of the 2020 census. The city has been 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 Caribou County since the county was organized in 1919. In the 1860s, Soda Springs served as the seat of Oneida County.

History

The city is named for the hundreds of natural springs of carbonated water that are located in and around the city. The springs were known to Native Americans, and were a landmark along the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...

in the middle 19th century. The city is also the location of the Soda Springs Geyser, which was unleashed in 1937 when town fathers were seeking hot water for a hot pool bathing attraction. They drilled into a chamber of highly pressurized

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

gas and cold water, and the

geyser A geyser (, ) is a spring with an intermittent water discharge ejected turbulently and accompanied by steam. The formation of geysers is fairly rare and is caused by particular hydrogeological conditions that exist only in a few places on Ea ...

erupted. After running for weeks and flooding the downtown area it was capped and then manually released, at first upon request, as a tourist attraction. More recently a timed release valve opens every hour on the hour. The geyser's height and volume have not decreased in the decades since. Viewing platforms are located at either end of the

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

mound where the geyser erupts. Interpretive signs are located on the platforms explaining the phenomenon. Soda Springs is also the location of one of the Ground Observer Corps sites.

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. Soda Springs experiences a

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfb'') with long, cold, snowy winters and cool summers.

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 3,058 people, 1,204 households, and 830 families living 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 1,393 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.4%

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 ...

, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% 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 ...

, 1.4% from other races, and 1.2% 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 people of any race were 3.4% of the population. There were 1,204 households, of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% 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, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.1% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age in the city was 37.8 years. 27.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.9% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,381 people, 1,210 households, and 905 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,505 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.63%

, 0.03%

, 0.09% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.21%

, 1.18% from other races, and 1.72% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 2.90% of the population. There were 1,210 households, out of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.1% were

living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.24. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.8% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $40,690, and the median income for a family was $46,152. Males had a median income of $41,979 versus $21,250 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 $15,729. About 7.0% of families and 9.3% 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 8.5% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* David Archer, former

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

quarterback * Vic Baltzell, former National Football League fullback * Reed Budge, Idaho legislator

References

External links

Soda Springs Chamber of Commerce website

City of Soda Springs portal
{{authority control Cities in Caribou County, Idaho Cities in Idaho Oregon Trail County seats in Idaho