Moscow, Idaho
Encyclopedia : M : MO : MOS : Moscow, Idaho
Moscow (pronounced Mos-co to avoid confusion with other places with the name Moscow) is the county seat of Latah County[Geographic references#6GR6] in northern Idaho, along the Washington/Idaho border. The city is the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state. Eight miles to the west is Pullman, the home of Washington State University. While the University of Idaho is the dominant employer in Moscow, the city also serves as a modest agricultural and commercial hub for the Palouse region. As of the 2000 census, the city has a total population of 21,291. Moscow is the birthplace of Carol Ryrie Brink, singer Josh Ritter. Along with the rest of northern Idaho, Moscow resides in the Pacific Time Zone.
Moscow is the principal city of the Moscow, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Latah County.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census, the city has a total area of 15.9 km² (6.2 mi²), all land.
The town lies in a valley between the Palouse Range (highest point is Moscow Mountain at 4983 feet) to the northeast, and the less prominent Paradise Ridge (3702 feet) to the southeast. This region which surrounds the Moscow-Pullman area, known as the Palouse, has varied geologic formations: very old intrusive granite structures, fertile fields atop rolling hills of deep loess soil deposited after the last ice age by westerly winds, and flood-worn basaltic channels. The Palouse is commonly termed 'The Breadbasket of the Northwest' because of its high yield per acre of wheat (as well as peas, lentils, & canola). Downtown Moscow is at an elevation of 2560 feet, and the University of Idaho (Administration Building) is at 2640 feet (exactly a half mile).
History
The first settlers came to the area in 1869 and informally named the vicinity Hog Heaven, due to the abundance of camas bulbs, a favorite fodder of pigs. When the first post office opened in 1872, the town was called Paradise Valley (Paradise Creek flows through town, westward to Pullman), but the name was changed to Moscow in 1875.The origin of the name Moscow has long been disputed. There is no evidence that it was named by a Russian or for a Russian city. What can be verified is this: five of the settlers met to choose a proper name. They wanted a prestigious name, one that would bode well for the town. They failed to come to an agreement quickly, and so they designated the postmaster, Samuel Neff, to complete the official papers. He chose Moscow, which because of its favorable meaning, ‘city of brotherly love,’ met the desired requirements. An interesting sidelight to the choice is that Neff was born in Moscow, Pennsylvania and later moved to Moscow, Iowa.
With the establishment of the business district in 1875, the town began developing as a trading center. The coming of the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company's rail line (now Union Pacific) in 1885 touched off a migration that boosted the young town's population to 2000 in 1890. A second railroad line, the Northern Pacific, reached the town in 1890.
The capital of the Idaho Territory was relocated from Lewiston to Boise in December 1864. In the late 1880s, statehood for the Washington Territory was nearing. Because its commercial and transportation interests looked west, rather than south, the citizens of the Idaho Panhandle passionately lobbied for their region to join Washington, or form an entirely separate state, rather than remain connected with the less accessible southern Idaho. To appease the residents of the north, the territorial legislature of Idaho in Boise placed the new land grant university in Moscow. The University of Idaho was chartered in January 1889, and first opened its doors to students in October 1892.
In March 1890 Moscow's twin city, Pullman, was selected as the home of Washington's land grant institution. The college which would eventually become Washington State University, opened its doors in January 1892. Washington entered the union as the 42nd state in November 1889. Idaho entered next, eight months later, in July 1890.
Today,transportational, and political divide between northern & southern Idaho remains, which includes different time zones.
Education (Schools, Colleges, Universities)
- [Atlas School]
- A.B. McDonald (Moscow ISD - Elementary)
- Emmanuel Preschool (Private Religious Pre-K)
- Head Start Preschool (Public school Pre-K)
- Lewis-Clark Early Childhood Program (Private Non-Profit Pre-K to K)
- [Logos School] (Private Religious K-12)
- Montrose Academy (Private Religious K-12)
- Moscow Day School (Private Non-Profit Pre-K)
- [Moscow High School] (Moscow ISD)
- [Moscow Junior High School] (Moscow ISD)
- Moscow School of Massage (Commercial - Trade)
- Mr. Leon’s School Of Hair Design (Commercial - Trade)
- [New Saint Andrews College] (Private Christian 2 or 4 year)
- Palouse Hills Seventh Day Adventists School (Private Pre-K to 8)
- Paradise Creek Regional High School (Moscow ISD)
- Russell (Moscow ISD - Elementary)
- [Saint Mary's and Saint Rose’s] (Private Pre-K-6)
- Turning Point (Private Pre-K)
- [University of Idaho] (Public Land Grant Institution – includes graduate level - State of Idaho)
- University of Idaho College of Law (Public – State of Idaho)
- West Park (Moscow ISD - Elementary)
- [Lena Whitmore] (Moscow ISD - Elementary)
Organizations
- Humane Society of the Palouse [Web site]
- Creating Health Institute [Web site]
- Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse [Web site]
- Families and Communities Embrace [Web site]
- Idaho Hunters Feeding the Hungry [Web site]
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 21,291 people, 7,724 households, and 3,869 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,336.7/km² (3,460.6/mi²). There were 8,029 housing units at an average density of 504.1/km² (1,305.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.23% White, 0.91% African American, 0.80% Native American, 3.13% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.47% of the population.There were 7,724 households out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.9% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 16.1% under the age of 18, 35.8% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 14.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 109.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,884, and the median income for a family was $46,331. Males had a median income of $35,494 versus $24,560 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,930. About 9.5% of families and 22.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
Sister city
Moscow has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International:External links
- [Official site]
- [Community Site]
- [Moscow Wiki]
- [A Brief History of the University of Idaho]
- [Latah County Historical Society]
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