Post Falls, Idaho facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Post Falls, Idaho
City
Downtown Post Falls along the Spokane River
Location of Post Falls in Kootenai County, Idaho
Post Falls, Idaho Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Idaho
County	Kootenai
Founded	1871
Incorporated	1891
Government
• Type	City Council (6) & Mayor elected to four-year terms
Area
• City	15.17 sq mi (39.29 km2)
• Land	15.14 sq mi (39.22 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2)
Elevation	2,182 ft (665 m)
Population  (2010)
• City	27,574
• Estimate  (2019)	36,250
• Density	2,394.00/sq mi (924.31/km2)
• Metro	144,265 (US: 283th)
• CSA	679,989 (US: 71st)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	83854, 83877
Area code(s)	208, 986
FIPS code	16-64810
GNIS feature ID	0397061

Post Falls is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, between Coeur d'Alene and Spokane, Washington. It is a suburb of Coeur d'Alene, to the east, and a bedroom community to Spokane, to the west. The population was 27,574 at the time of the 2010 census, up from 17,247 in the 2000 census, making it Idaho's tenth-largest city. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated 2019 population is 36,250.

History

Post Falls is named after Frederick Post, a German immigrant who constructed a lumber mill along the Spokane River in 1871 on land he purchased from Andrew Seltice, Chief of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. The purchase of the land is preserved in a pictograph on a granite cliff in Treaty Rock park.

Geography

47°42′43″N 116°56′53″W / 47.712°N 116.948°W / 47.712; -116.948

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.11 square miles (36.54 km²), of which 14.07 square miles (36.44 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) is water.

Post Falls is located four miles (6 km) east of the Washington-Idaho border along Interstate 90 in Kootenai County. It is bounded by Coeur d’Alene to the east, the state of Washington to the west, the Spokane River to the south and the Rathdrum prairie to the north. Post Falls is 20 miles (32 km) east of Spokane and approximately 100 miles (160 km) south of the Canada–United States border. The elevation of the city is 2,182 feet (665 m) above sea level.

Climate

Post Falls has a dry-summer continental climate, with four very distinct seasons.

Demographics

As of 2009 the per capita income for the city was $32,696.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 27,574 people, 10,263 households, and 7,396 families living in the city. The population density was 1,959.8 inhabitants per square mile (756.7/km²). There were 11,150 housing units at an average density of 792.5 per square mile (306.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.0% White, 0.4% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.6% of the population.

There were 10,263 households, of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.9% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.10.

The median age in the city was 33 years. 29% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.6% were from 25 to 44; 22.4% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

Transportation

• - Interstate 90 - Spokane (west), Coeur d'Alene (east)

The city is served by Interstate 90, the primary east–west highway of the northern United States, which crosses the Idaho panhandle through Post Falls. Two miles (3.2 km) east is its junction with State Highway 41, which extends 8 miles (13 km) north to Rathdrum. Post Falls is approximately 7 miles (11 km) west of U.S. Route 95, the state's primary north–south highway, which extends into Canada.

Air passenger service is available at Spokane International Airport, west of Spokane. Amtrak passenger rail service is available in Spokane and Sandpoint. Bus service and taxi service are available in the immediate area.

Economy

Due to the proximity of numerous lakes, rivers and mountains, Post Falls has developed tourism and retirement communities. There is an increasing number of retail, dining and entertainment businesses locating in the City.

Kootenai County traditionally has had a timber-based economy. That is changing gradually, as the manufacturing base has become more diverse. Jobs Plus, Inc., the local economic development organization has recruited several small to medium-sized firms to the county. Manufacturing jobs are found primarily in electronics, lumber and furniture at the present. Post Falls was the chosen location for Flexcel, Inc., a major furniture manufacturer that relocated to North Idaho nearly fifteen years ago and employs a workforce of 350. This was done with the help of Jobs Plus, Inc. and by creating an Urban Renewal District to help build infrastructure. This District closed out at the end of December 2001. Jobs Plus, Inc. has also just recently helped bring Center Partners, a call center business (employing a workforce of 300), and Buck Knives brought their manufacturing headquarters (workforce of 250) to the City. Also, Wal-Mart opened its new store in January 2002, employing a workforce of 300.

Construction of a private surgical hospital was completed in 2004. Sysco foods opened their distribution plant during 2005. This project was made possible by Jobs Plus, Urban Renewal, and the City working together. Also, a community development block grant for $500,000 was used to help fund a water tower (approximately $1,500,000 total cost) that was needed on the west side of town for development in that area. In 2007, Cabela's opened its doors to a beautiful 130,000-square-foot (12,000 m²) retail store. Considerable economic development activity transpired in Post Falls in 2009 including the opening of ALK Source Materials/Biopol which is a Danish pharmaceutical company, a second Super Wal-Mart store that will be located near the new Cabelas store began its construction and is slated to open in early summer 2010, and Lowe's Home Improvement finalized the purchase of land adjacent to the new Wal-Mart at the Pointe at Post Falls. Ground Force Manufacturing, a large construction equipment manufacturer, completed an addition that increased their production space by 20,000 square feet (1,900 m²) in 2009 in order to meet the heavy demands for their mining construction products around the globe. In 2010, additional commercial real estate activity is anticipated including the construction of the Lowe's Home Improvement store mentioned earlier; a new 30,000 professional office building to house a company named Ednetics; a 30,000 LEED certified industrial building to be the home of a subsidiary of Berg Integrated Systems will begin construction in early 2010; the State of Idaho Department of Labor will construct their new regional office here in Post Falls that will provide services to the northern five counties of Idaho; several restaurants are also anticipated to locate within the Pointe at Post Falls regional power center to take advantage of the retail traffic of Cabela's and Wal-Mart; the City's downtown area is expected to see a major mixed-use project also take off with infrastructure and the first phase including a hospitality component begin construction; and finally the community anticipates that construction on the Beck Road Interchange with Interstate 90 will begin this fall ultimately providing service to the Pointe at Post Falls and EXPO on the north side of the freeway and the Riverbend Commerce Park and Greyhound Event Center on the south side of Interstate 90.

Employers

Major employers in Post Falls in 2009 were:

Education

The public schools are run by the Post Falls School District #273. Other schools within Post Falls include:

• Classical Christian Academy
• Frederick Post Kindergarten
• Greensferry Elementary
• Genesis Prep Academy
• Mullan Trail Elementary
• Ponderosa Elementary
• Prairie View Elementary
• Seltice Elementary
• Treaty Rock Elementary
• West Side Elementary
• West Ridge Elementary
• Post Falls Middle School
• Immaculate Conception Academy
• River City Middle School
• Post Falls High School
• New Vision Alternative High School
• Riverbend Professional Technical Academy
• Calvary Chapel Bible College Northwest
• North Idaho College Workforce Training Center
• St. Dominic School

Images for kids

• 

  Treaty Rock

See also

In Spanish: Post Falls para niños