Riggins is a city in the

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

Idaho County Idaho County is a county in the U.S. state of Idaho, and the largest by area in the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,541. The county seat is Grangeville. Previous county seats of the area were Florence Florence ( ; it ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and W ...

. Nestled deep in a canyon at the confluence of the

Salmon Salmon () is the common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of ...

and Little Salmon rivers in west central Idaho, it is approximately north of

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown ...

, and south-southeast of Lewiston. The

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...

is above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

, and its population was 419 at the

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

census. U.S. Route 95, the only highway for the state connecting the

Panhandle A salient (also known as a panhandle or bootheel) is an elongated protrusion of a geopolitical entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state. While similar to a peninsula in shape, a salient is most often not surrounded by water on ...

to the south, runs through Riggins as Main Street. Along this route, Riggins is the most northwestern town in the

Mountain time zone The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when standard time ( UTC−07:00) is in effect, and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time ( UTC−06:00). The cl ...

;

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

time begins just north of the city, across the Salmon River.

History

Riggins was named for Richard L. Riggins, local businessman and postmaster, and for his father, Fred Riggins, who carried the mail to the area for years. A sawmill was formerly operated in Riggins, until an explosion and fire in 1982.

Geography

Riggins is located at (45.422125, -116.315848). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, 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 is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system, Riggins qualifies as having a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa), a climate type quite atypical for the region. However, due to cold winter months, Riggins's climate nearly qualifies as a dry, hot summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

( Köppen Dsa).

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 419 people, 239 households, and 116 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was . There were 306 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.9%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.7% Native American, 1.4% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 239 households, of which 13.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 51.5% were non-families. 46.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.75 and the average family size was 2.33. The median age in the city was 53.3 years. 12.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.8% were from 25 to 44; 35.4% were from 45 to 64; and 29.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.1% male and 48.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 410 people, 204 households, and 111 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 253 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.29%

, 0.49% Native American, 0.24% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. There were 204 households, out of which 15.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were

living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.1% were non-families. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.64. In the city, the population was spread out, with 17.6% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 18.5% from 25 to 44, 33.2% from 45 to 64, and 27.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $20,972, and the median income for a family was $30,000. Males had a median income of $27,361 versus $16,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,330. About 19.2% of families and 25.3% 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 50.0% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The Riggins Rodeo in early May can be viewed from the grandstands or from the hillside overlooking the arena.
Riggins also has an annual event labeled "Hot Summer Nights" which is a two-day music festival and talent show. "https://rigginsidaho.com/event/hot-summer-nights/"

Parks and recreation

Riggins is a hub for outdoor adventures in North Central Idaho.

Rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits facin ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques ...

, and

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/ tusks, horn/ a ...

are available and campgrounds surround the area, allowing access to view the scenery and wildlife. Visitors can

pan for gold Gold panning, or simply ''panning'', is a form of placer mining and traditional mining that extracts gold from a placer deposit using a pan. The process is one of the simplest ways to extract gold, and is popular with geology enthusiasts especia ...

in the river gravel, and guides and outfitters can provide assistance. The

Seven Devils Mountains The Seven Devils Mountains are notable peaks in the western United States, located in west central Idaho in the Hells Canyon Wilderness. They are above the east bank of the Snake River, which forms the Idaho-Oregon border. The Seven Devils are p ...

and the

Hells Canyon Hells Canyon is a canyon in the Western United States, located along the border of eastern Oregon, a small section of eastern Washington and western Idaho. It is part of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area which is also located i ...

National Recreation Area are just a few miles southwest of town; the Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness is nearby to the east, upstream on the Salmon River.

Notable people

* Dan Cummins, comedian * Leighton Vander Esch,

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...

for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

Paul Shepherd Paul David Edward Shepherd (born 17 November 1977) is an English former professional footballer who played as a full-back. Whilst at Leeds he made one first team appearance in October 1996; a 3–0 defeat away to Arsenal at Highbury. He was ...

, member of the

Idaho House of Representatives The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elects two representatives to separate sea ...

References

External links

City of Riggins
City Council, Economic Development, Community Events
Public Lands Map

Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Riggins
{{authority control Cities in Idaho Cities in Idaho County, Idaho