New Plymouth Idaho City Information

Local History

New Plymouth is located in and is part of the Snake River basin plain that covers most of the south end of the State of Idaho. New Plymouth is in the mouth of a tributary valley, referred to as the lower Payette River Valley that flows into and becomes part of the larger Treasure Valley where Boise, Nampa and Caldwell are located. The Treasure Valley got its name because of its economic prosperity. The Treasure Valley system runs from Vale, Oregon on the west, to Boise, Idaho on the east. It was formerly known as the "Lower Snake River Valley or Boise River Valley" until 1959 when the name was changed.

The lower Payette River Valley parallels the Treasure Valley about straight north of Boise then running east to west, joins into it near the Snake River and Idaho/Oregon border. Near the middle of the valley and the Idaho/Oregon border, five rivers, the Boise, the Payette, the Weiser, the Malheur and the Owyhee drain into the larger Snake River. This is considered a high desert area with most of the moisture occurring and collecting in the surrounding mountains and then being transferred into the valley by creeks, streams and rivers. There are diversion canals and dams that come off the Payette River which feed irrigation canals in and around New Plymouth making commercial agricultural possible. Similar waterways provide the irrigation water, used by farmers, across most of the south end of the state.

New Plymouth's general location sprang to life in the earliest years of Idaho. In 1805, the Lewis and Clark expedition passed through the Treasure Valley following the Boise River, just south of the Payette River, heading west. In 1811, the Astorian Expedition under Wilson Price Hunt came through on the same route and explored parts of what was later to become the Oregon Trail route. Shortly after this a fort was established for fur traders on the west end of the valley between where the Boise and Payette Rivers flow into the Snake River. It was named Fort Boise. The Payette River, which flows by north of New Plymouth, was named after Francois Payette, a fur trader that came into the area about 1818 and was later put in charge of Fort Boise from about 1835 to 1844. In 1834, Fort Boise was taken over and upgraded by the Hudson Bay fur trading company. Though fur traders passed through the area following the river, as most trade routes followed the rivers in the early days and in the 1860's became a stopping point for miners heading into the mountain up the Payette River, the area did not attract permanent settlers until the 1880's when the Oregon Short Line Railroad came into Payette County and Idaho. In 1883 railroad survey teams were in the area and "graders," excavation workers, used the location north of the Payette River near Payette, the county seat of Payette County, as a railroad staging area. By 1884 the basic line was in up to Huntington Oregon, a railroad bridge built over the Snake River and by 1885, Payette and Payette County got its first train depot.

New Plymouth, though dependant on the same economic factors as other communities in the area, was unique for Idaho and for the USA in general, in its conception. New Plymouth was a "colony town" planned, bought and paid for before the community was started. It was a type of "Utopian" plan created by William E. Smythe of Chicago, the then executive chairman of the National Irrigation Conference. He was famous for promoting irrigation project based settlements in the west. The special community plan was based on a self reliant community model, utilizing climate, agriculture, irrigation and railroad access. It was also based on the principles of cooperative business interests, government by the people, the prohibition of intoxicating liquors in any form and social and civic equality.

In essence, it is a community cooperative, using free enterprise principles, constitutional law and high civic standards as a foundation. The uniqueness did not end with the founding principles, the village itself was platted in the shape of a "U" with residential properties placed on the outer and inside rims and with commercial/industrial properties being placed on the inside facing the railroad on the north of town and further on, the Payette River. The original land grant patent was for 325 acres. There were 30 original colonists that were required to purchase 20 shares in the cooperative in return for 20 acres of land plus a 1 acre city lot. They were then required to clear the land, for agricultural use, with apple orchards being recommended as the best use of the land. The 1 acre lot was designed to contain a single residence with room for a green garden and pasture for domestic livestock such as cows, chickens and horses. The plan was conceived in 1895 and the community came to life with its incorporation in 1896. It was first called the New Plymouth Farm Village and was governed by the colony members through a board of directors. This government form lasted until 1908 when it was incorporated as a "Village."

In 1909 the railroad was extended from Payette to New Plymouth and that same year multiple commercial building were finished, most of which are still standing today. In 1948 the "Village" was incorporated into it current city form which is called the City of New Plymouth. Though orchards were put in originally, there are currently very few if any fruit trees left around the community. Now most of the agricultural ground is in row crops, feed crops or pasture ground for commercial livestock grazing. Today New Plymouth is still a small farming community but with modern farming equipment and irrigation systems, requires comparatively little labor.

Most people in New Plymouth commute out of the county into Canyon and Ada Counties to the south and south east for employment. New Plymouth's commuting distance puts it on the edge of what commuters are willing to drive to go to work. Another limiting factor is lack of infrastructure that might allow for a more rapid development primarily due to the limited sewer system capacity. New Plymouth is considered a full service community with schools K-12, medical clinic etc., but with major purchase, employment and major services being located outside the community and county. Higher education is available in Caldwell, Nampa and Boise to the south and south east and in Ontario, Oregon to the west.

New Plymouth is part of the greater Boise economic region of Southwest Idaho. New Plymouth is on the edge of the Boise Metro area that now has the greatest concentration of people between Salt Lake City Utah and Portland Oregon at about 588,000. The metro area has exploded in growth in the last 20 years due to the introduction of the electronics industry into the area. Examples include Hewlett Packard and Micron Technologies. Boise and the surrounding areas have also become a hub for transportation and storage, higher education, communication call centers, medical services and most other major demographic factors that allow clean and sustained growth.

Whatever your reasons for coming to New Plymouth, it can be considered a good choice and one of the positive puzzle pieces that make up the "Treasure Valley" whose real treasure has always been its people. Trust the experts at Stewart Realty, LLC to help you find your own piece of New Plymouth Idaho real estate.

Still unsure about where you want to move? Keep reading about New Plymouth Idaho or check out other city pages to find the area of the Treasure Valley that best fits your needs. This site also has up to date information from the Boise MLS on available homes in the area so you can find the perfect home.