Arco, Idaho
| Arco, Idaho | |
|---|---|
| City | |
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 Location in Butte County and the state of Idaho |
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 Arco, Idaho
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| Coordinates: 43°38′5″N 113°18′5″W / 43.63472°N 113.30139°WCoordinates: 43°38′5″N 113°18′5″W / 43.63472°N 113.30139°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Idaho |
| County | Butte |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.07 sq mi (2.77 km2) |
| • Land | 1.06 sq mi (2.75 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
| Elevation | 5,325 ft (1,623 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 995 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 942 |
| • Density | 938.7/sq mi (362.4/km2) |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP code | 83213 |
| Area code(s) | 208 |
| FIPS code | 16-03160 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0396049 |
Arco is a city in Butte County, Idaho, United States. The population was 995 at the 2010 census. Arco is the county seat and largest city in Butte County.
Arco is located along the Big Lost River and is a gateway to the Lost River Range from the Snake River Plain. Craters of the Moon National Monument is located along U.S. Route 20, southwest of the city. The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is located east of Arco.
Originally known as Root Hog, the original town site was five miles (8 km) south at the junction of two stagecoach lines (Blackfoot-Wood River and Blackfoot-Salmon). A suspension bridge that crossed the Big Lost River funnelled traffic through the settlement. The town leaders applied to the U.S. Post Office for the town name of "Junction."
The Postmaster General thought the name too common and suggested that the place be named Arco for Georg von Arco (1869–1940) of Germany who was visiting Washington, D.C. at the time. Georg von Arco was an inventor and a pioneer in the field of radio transmission and would become the lead engineer of Telefunken, a German company founded in 1903 that produced radio vacuum tubes. The town later moved four miles southeast when the stage station was moved to Webb Springs at Big Southern Butte. When the Oregon Short Line railroad arrived from Blackfoot in 1901 the stage lines became obsolete and the town of Arco moved northwest to its present site.
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