Idaho Falls, city (2020 pop. 64,818),
seat of Bonneville co., SE Idaho, traversed by the Snake River; inc. 1900.
The chief city of the extensively irrigated upper Snake valley, Idaho Falls
is the prosperous commercial and processing center of a cattle, dairy, and
farm region that produces potatoes, wheat, sugar beets, and alfalfa.
Building materials, food products, leather goods, and electronic equipment
are manufactured, and tourism is important (the city lies near several
national parks and major recreational areas). Nearby Idaho National
Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, a national reactor testing
station, is also a principal source of employment. Idaho Falls was
originally a miner's fording point over the Snake River, first settled by
Mormons. The impressive Idaho Falls Mormon Temple (opened 1945) is a
prominent landmark. Several annual rodeos are held in Idaho Falls.
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