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Eastern Idaho is the area ofIdaho lying east of theMagic Valley region. Much of the region is in theMormon Corridor, andthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plays a major role in the lives of the region's residents.
Eastern Idaho is generally understood to includeBannock,Bear Lake,Bingham,Bonneville,Caribou,Clark,Franklin,Fremont,Jefferson,Madison,Oneida,Power andTeton counties.
According to the 2010 census the counties of the Eastern Idaho region had a combined population of 365,847.Idaho Falls andPocatello are the region's largest cities and only metropolitan areas, accounting for the majority of the region's population. Other important cities includeRexburg,Chubbuck andBlackfoot. Americans who are ofEnglish ancestry form a large plurality in every county in eastern Idaho.
Eastern Idaho is a solidly Republican region, even more so than the rest of the state. BesidesTeton County voting forBarack Obama in2008 andJoe Biden in2020, no county in the region has voted for a Democratic presidential nominee since the landslide election of1964, which was also the last time the region as well as the state of Idaho as a whole voted for the candidate of the Democratic Party.
The region has also shown a strong affinity for third-party candidates, such as for the candidacies ofGeorge Wallace in 1968,John G. Schmitz in 1972,Bo Gritz in 1992, andEvan McMullin in 2016, all four of whom besides Wallace performed exceptionally well there proportionate to the share of the national vote.[1]
Eastern Idaho is home to several of the state's colleges and universities, includingIdaho State University in Pocatello,College of Eastern Idaho in Idaho Falls andBrigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg. The Center for Higher Education provides outreach degree programs for Idaho State University and the University of Idaho at University Place in Idaho Falls. Most of the region's cities and towns support separate public school districts.
Eastern Idaho is generally thought of as an all-season outdoor mecca above all else, with ski resortsKelly Canyon andPebble Creek, and extreme proximity toYellowstone, theTetons,Jackson, andGrand Targhee in Wyoming, each of which lie near the Idaho border. The area is also renowned in the fly fishing world as well, with travelers coming from afar to fish theSnake River and its branches and tributaries.Island Park,Bear Lake, Heise Hot Springs, andLava Hot Springs are also regional tourist hotspots.
Cultural events are routinely held at Idaho State University and Brigham Young University-Idaho, and at various venues throughout downtown Idaho Falls. Idaho State University's 123,000-square-foot (11,400 m2) L.E. and Thelma E Stephens Performing Arts Center contains state-of-the-art performance space. The facility's Jensen Grand Concert Hall contains more than 500 fiberglass-reinforced gypsum panels which allow the concert hall to be computer-tuned. Two ceiling canopies allow the acoustics of the hall to be computer-adjusted, making the center a hit with both performers and their audiences. Idaho Falls's Museum of Idaho brings in major national exhibitions each year, including Da Vinci inventions and the famous Bodies exhibit.
The Eastern Idaho State Fair is held every September in Blackfoot. The 2004 independent filmNapoleon Dynamite was set in and filmed on location inPreston inCache Valley.
Sincethe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest religion in the region,Mormon culture dominates the region, though there are also many Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, and Jehovah's Witnesses.
There are only two professional sports teams in the region. First is theIdaho Falls Chukars ofMinor League Baseball. The organization, which has changed names and affiliations numerous times, has been around since 1940 and has played atMelaleuca Field since 2007. Second, the Idaho Falls Spud Kings, who play at theMountain America Center in Idaho Falls. The team played their first game in the winter of 2022.
In the spring of 2018, Eastern Idaho gained a semi-professional soccer team Idaho Lobos FC based in Idaho Falls. The team competes in the Mountain Conference of theUPSL.[2]
The Eastern Idaho region grows most of Idaho'spotato crop, making it one of the world's most productive potato-growing areas.Barley forbeer production is also significant. Several major breweries, includingCoors,Anheuser-Busch andMexico'sGrupo Modelo have barley producing operations in the area.Sugar beets,alfalfa andwheat are also major crops. There are also many cattle ranches for raisingbeef.
Idaho National Laboratory betweenIdaho Falls andArco inButte County is one of the nation's top nuclear research facilities.Philo Farnsworth, inventor of thecathode-ray tube, and considered the primary inventor oftelevision grew up inRigby. ON Semiconductor (formerly AMIS) of Pocatello is a computer chip manufacturer. Idaho State University in Pocatello is home to the Idaho Accelerator Center. The center contains 10 operating accelerators used in research done through the University, national laboratories such as INL, and the private sector.Idaho State University operates the Center For Advanced Energy Studies at University Place in Idaho Falls. This public-private partnership researches solutions to America's continuing energy crisis.
