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Welcome to Nampa Idaho
Nampa is both the largest city and the fastest growing city in Canyon County, Idaho, United States, and the second largest in the state. Only the capital city, Boise, is larger. The population was 51,867 at the 2000 census. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population to be 79,249 as of July 1, 2007. Nampa is located about 20 miles west of Boise along Interstate 84. The city is considered part of the Boise metropolitan area. HistoryNampa began its life as a small railroad town in the early 1880s. More railroad lines sprung up running through Nampa, making it a very important railroad town. Nampa was founded in 1886 by Europeans, and a year later had grown from 15 homes to 50. As new amenities were added to the town, Nampa continued to grow. It was incorporated in 1890. Unlike most towns in that historic era with streets running true north and south, Nampa's historic roads run perpendicular to the railroad tracks that travel northwest to southeast through the town. Thus, the northside is really the northeast side of the tracks, and the southside is really the southwest side of the railroad tracks. Founder Alexander Duffes laid out Nampa's streets this way to prevent an accident like one that occurred earlier in a town he had platted near Toronto, Canada. In that town, a woman and her two children were killed by a train when they started across the railroad tracks in a buggy and the wheel got stuck. Nampa has the fanciest of many Oregon Short Line Railroad depots built in the area. The first elementary school was built in the 1890s. Lakeview school was located on a hill on 6th Street and 12th Avenue North, with a view of Lake Ethel. Just after the school's centennial celebration, it was condemned as a school and sold to the First Mennonite Church. In 2008 the building was refurbished, and is now being used by the Idaho Arts Charter School. Lake Ethel was later drained because it caused some flooding in neighboring homes. The area was converted to Lakeview Park. It is Nampa's largest park and many community celebrations are held there. Colonel William H. Dewey, a man who made a fortune mining in Silver City, seeing the advantage of 4 railroad lines, built the elegant Dewey Palace Hotel in 1902 for a quarter of a million dollars. Colonel Dewey died in his hotel in 1903, leaving his son a million dollars. The hotel survived the great fire of 1909, which burned several blocks of downtown Nampa, but was razed in 1963 because no one wanted to invest in renovating the grand structure. Relics from the hotel, such as the chandelier and the hotel safe can be found at the Canyon County Historical Museum, which is housed in the old train depot on Front Street and Nampa City Hall. After demolition the location on first street between 11th and 12th Ave. South was sold to private enterprise including a bank and tire store replacing this historic building with the current modern structures. A public-use postage stamp sized park was later placed across the street from the old palace property as a collaboration between the Downtown Alliance of Nampa (the local business council) and an Eagle Scout Project for the Boy Scouts of America. The park includes a large mural/wall sculpture of running horses that was commissioned for the project. A Carnegie library was built downtown in 1908. It burned down after the library moved in 1966. The Nampa Public Library is now located on the corner of 1st Street and 11th Avenue South in the old bank building. Deer Flat Reservoir, an offstream irrigation storage reservoir, was constructed by the United States Reclamation Service between 1906 and 1911. Known locally as Lake Lowell, it is surrounded by the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, which was established in 1909 by President Theodore Roosevelt. The refuge is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Idaho State School and Hospital was built in Nampa in 1910, for the state's developmentally challenged population. It opened in 1918. The institution was largely self sufficient. It had a large farm which was worked by the residents. The higher functioning residents also cared for residents who couldn't do anything for themselves. Much has changed in the care of persons with developmental disabilities from the time of the state school's opening. The old farm has been sold as a golf course, and residents no longer give primary care to other residents. The institution is much more modern and remains in operation, though a few of the old buildings are now used to house juvenile offenders. Nampa held an annual harvest festival and farmers' market from about 1908. It was a time of celebration and community fun. From this festival emerged the Snake River Stampede Rodeo in 1937, which continues to this day. It is one of the top twelve rodeos in the pro rodeo circuits. A local congregation of the Church of the Nazarene built a small elementary school in 1913, later growing to Northwest Nazarene College in 1915 and finally to Northwest Nazarene University. The university currently educates about 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. In 1965, the Karcher Mall was built, becoming the first indoor shopping mall in the Treasure Valley. Many area residents have memories of having an Orange Julius, sitting on Santa's lap (Arthur Yensen), or playing games at the Red Baron arcade in the mall. Karcher Mall was "the place to gather" for several decades until the Boise Towne Square was built in Boise in 1988, drawing the business and shoppers away. Karcher Mall, having struggled for many years, is now making a comeback. With the new I-84 interchange nearby, the area is booming with new business. Nampa is growing fast, with new homes, new shopping centers and new roads. Treasure Valley Marketplace north of the Karcher Interchange has a number of retailers including Costco, Target, Best Buy, Cost Plus World Market, Olive Garden, Michael's, DressBarn, Old Navy, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Kohl's. Across from Treasure Valley Marketplace is located a second shopping center containing a Sportsman's Warehouse and a McDonald's. The Nampa Gateway Center is a shopping center under development near the Idaho Center off the Garrity Boulevard Exit of Interstate 84. J.C. Penney is located in the Nampa Gateway Center. Other large retailers such as Wal-Mart and Sam's Club are in the same area. The Idaho Press-Tribune is the local newspaper for the Canyon County area. Area Links
Fun Things To DoCaldwell
Nampa
Surrounding Areas
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