Meridian, Idaho
| Meridian, Idaho | |
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| City | |
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| Nickname(s): The Center of the Treasure Valley | |
| Motto: "Built for business ...designed for living" | |
 Location in Ada County and the state of Idaho |
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 Meridian, Idaho
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| Coordinates: 43°36′51″N 116°23′56″W / 43.61417°N 116.39889°WCoordinates: 43°36′51″N 116°23′56″W / 43.61417°N 116.39889°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Idaho |
| County | Ada |
| Founded | 1893 |
| Incorporated | 1903 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Tammy de Weerd |
| Area | |
| • City | 26.84 sq mi (69.52 km2) |
| • Land | 26.79 sq mi (69.39 km2) |
| • Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,605 ft (794 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • City | 75,092 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 90,739 |
| • Density | 2,803.0/sq mi (1,082.2/km2) |
| • Metro | 624,000 |
| Time zone | Mountain (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | Mountain (UTC-6) |
| ZIP codes | 83642, 83646, 83680 |
| Area code(s) | 208 |
| FIPS code | 16-52120 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0396879 |
| Website | City of Meridian, Idaho Website |
Meridian is a city located in Ada County in the US state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census, the population of Meridian was 75,092 making it the second largest city in Idaho behind Boise and in front Nampa. A 2015 estimate placed the population at approximately 90,739. Meridian is the state's fastest-growing city, with an 81.5 percent increase in population since 2000.
The town was established in 1891 on the Onweiler farm north of the present site and was called Hunter. Two years later an I.O.O.F. lodge was organized and called itself Meridian because it was located on the Boise Meridian and the town was renamed. The Settlers' Irrigation Ditch, 1892, changed the arid region into a productive farming community which was incorporated in 1902.
Meridian was incorporated in 1903. The information in the following sections (Irrigation, Village, Rail Transportation, and Creamery) is found on the displays in the Meridian City Hall Plaza.
Early settlers arriving in the area came with no knowledge of gravity flow irrigation. Their previous homes were in areas where rain provided the needed moisture to raise crops. Irrigation soon became a necessity, since having a water source was a requirement for receiving the patent for the land from the U.S. Land Office.
Irrigation was and continues to be backbreaking hard work. Long hours spent using shovels have been shortened by newer methods of irrigation, but it is still a daily task for the person in charge of agricultural crops. Many of those early settlers returned to the land where the rain fell instead of remaining in the area where watering crops was a full-time occupation. Those who stayed in Idaho were hardy citizens. Irrigation districts, such as the Nampa-Meridian and Settlers irrigation districts, continue to serve the immediate Meridian area.
The original Meridian town site was filed in 1893 on homestead grant land belonging to Eliza Ann Zenger. Her husband, Christian, filed the plat with county officials and called it Meridian. The early settlers, many of whom were relatives, left their homes in Missouri to come west, either by wagon train or immigrant railroad car, bringing their lodge and church preferences with them. They established local institutions soon after arriving and filed for homestead lands. In other words, they brought their community with them.
Around the start of the 20th century, settlers established fruit orchards and built fruit packing businesses and prune dryers along the railroad tracks. Local orchards produced many varieties of apples and Italian prunes. Production continued through the mid-1940s, when it was no longer profitable and the businesses closed. In 1941, Meridian's status changed from a village to a city.
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