Gooding is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of and the largest city in Gooding County,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

, United States. The population was 3,716 at the 2020 census. The city is named for Frank R. Gooding, a local

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

rancher who became a prominent political figure in Idaho in the early 20th century, serving as both

Governor of Idaho A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' may ...

and a

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

. The original name of Gooding was Toponis. Gooding is home to the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind. The world's largest factory for barrel cheese, the raw product for

processed cheese Processed cheese (also known as process cheese; related terms include cheese food, prepared cheese, cheese product, and/or government cheese) is a product made from cheese mixed with an emulsifying agent (actually a calcium chelator). Additiona ...

, is located in Gooding. It has a capacity of 120,000 metric tons per year of barrel cheese and belongs to the

Glanbia Glanbia plc ( ) is an Irish multinational nutrition company that owns several consumer brands that produce products such as food supplements and ingredients businesses. Glanbia is headquartered in Kilkenny, Ireland with over 5,500 employees in ov ...

group. Gooding is also home to

Gooding High School Gooding High School is a public high school located in Gooding, Idaho, United States. It is the main high school operated by the Gooding School District. Athletics Gooding High School is classified as a 3A school (enrollment between 320 and 63 ...

and Gooding Middle School.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 3,567 people, 1,395 households, and 864 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,537 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.4%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.9% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 11.2% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 22.9% of the population. There were 1,395 households, of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.1% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.26. The median age in the city was 33.5 years. 29.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.5% were from 25 to 44; 19% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,384 people, 1,304 households, and 842 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,397 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.51%

, 0.15%

, 1.60% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 5.97% from other races, and 2.57% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 14.80% of the population. There were 1,304 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were

living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.11. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,316, and the median income for a family was $33,309. Males had a median income of $24,688 versus $16,926 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $13,752. About 12.4% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 28.8% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

Gooding is located near the confluence of the

Big Wood River The Big Wood River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. , accessed May 4, 2011 river in central Idaho, United States, that is a tributary of the Malad River (which in turn is a tributary to the ...

and Little Wood River, which merge to form the Malad River. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Gooding has a cold semi arid climate (''BSk'').

Government and infrastructure

The Gooding Fire District maintains its fire station in Gooding.

Education

There are six schools based in Gooding; four in the Gooding Joint School District, the North Valley Academy charter school,Times-News: Magicvalley.com, Twin Falls, ID
/ref> and the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind. Another school, Gooding College, closed in 1938.

College of Southern Idaho College of Southern Idaho (CSI) is a public community college in Twin Falls, Idaho. It also has off-campus programs in Jerome, Hailey, Burley and Gooding. Together with the College of Eastern Idaho, College of Western Idaho and North Ida ...

maintains a Gooding Center. Gooding County is in the catchment area, but not the taxation zone, for College of Southern Idaho. There is also a public library.

Gooding Joint School District

The Gooding Joint School District operates three schools: Gooding Elementary School, Gooding Middle School, and

. The district is mostly in Gooding County, and it has a portion in Lincoln County. There are approximately 1200 students in the district. It ranks 43rd in size amongst the 114 school districts in Idaho. The Gooding Joint School District was ranked in fourth place (in the small district category) on the Digital School Districts Survey, for its "''use of technology to govern the district nd to/nowiki> communicate with students, parents and the community.''" Gooding School District was the first district in the nation to win the HealthierUS Challenge "Gold Award of Distinction."

North Valley Academy

The North Valley Academy charter school was approved December 20, 2007.

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

through eighth grade started in the 2008–2009 school year, grades 9-12 began in the 2009–2010 school year.

Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind

The Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind (ISDB) was first established in 1906 in

Boise Boise ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Located on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and nor ...

and operated there until it burned down on December 8, 1908. The Idaho Legislature passed an act on March 16, 1909, establishing a permanent state school. Governor Frank Gooding donated land for the ISDB so it was moved to Gooding and started accepting students in September 1910. The school covers a area and provides dormitories for many of its students and has other facilities, such as a gymnasium and park.

Gooding College

Gooding College operated in the city from to , offering high school and college courses. The school's largest enrollment was 209 students, in 1928. Buildings of the college were added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1983, listed as "Gooding College Campus". The surviving building of the campus, which dates to 1920, became a

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

hospital in 1946, and was later converted into an inn.

References

External links

*
Gooding Joint School District

Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind
website
Gooding Idaho Chamber of Commerce

North Valley Academy
{{authority control Gooding, Idaho Cities in Idaho Cities in Gooding County, Idaho County seats in Idaho Populated places established in 1907 1907 establishments in Idaho