Soda Springs, Idaho
| Soda Springs, Idaho | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| Motto: "Historic Oregon Trail Oasis" | |
 Location in Caribou County and the state of Idaho |
|
 Soda Springs, Idaho
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| Coordinates: 42°39′29″N 111°35′46″W / 42.65806°N 111.59611°WCoordinates: 42°39′29″N 111°35′46″W / 42.65806°N 111.59611°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Idaho |
| County | Caribou |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.59 sq mi (11.89 km2) |
| • Land | 4.54 sq mi (11.76 km2) |
| • Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2) |
| Elevation | 5,774 ft (1,760 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 3,058 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 2,973 |
| • Density | 673.6/sq mi (260.1/km2) |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP codes | 83230, 83276, 83285 |
| Area code(s) | 208 |
| FIPS code | 16-75195 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0400099 |
| Website | Soda Springs, Idaho Website |
Soda Springs is a city in Caribou County, Idaho, United States. The population was 3,058 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Caribou County.
Soda Springs has been county seat of Caribou County since the county was organized in 1919. In the 1860s, Soda Springs served as the seat of Oneida County.
The city is named for the hundreds of natural springs of carbonated water that are located in and around the city. The springs were well known to Native Americans and were a famous landmark along the Oregon Trail in the middle 19th century. Today the city is also known as the location of the Soda Springs Geyser, which was unleashed in 1934 when "town fathers" were looking for hot water for a "hot pool" bathing attraction. Instead they drilled into a chamber of highly pressurized carbon dioxide gas and cold water and the geyser was released. After running for weeks, and flooding the downtown area, it was capped and manually released when requested as a tourist attraction. Now it is let loose every hour on the hour by a timed release valve. Its height and volume has not decreased after many years. There are viewing platforms at either end of the travertine mound where the Geyser erupts. Interpretive signs are located on the platforms explaining this phenomena.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.59 square miles (11.89 km2), of which, 4.54 square miles (11.76 km2) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) is water.
Soda Springs experiences a continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with long, cold, snowy winters and very warm summers.
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