Notus Idaho City Information

Local History

Notus is located on the Snake River basin plain that crosses, from east to west, the south end of the State of Idaho. Notus is on the west end of the valley at an average elevation of about 2,316 feet above sea level and is about 12 miles east of the confluence of the Boise and Snake Rivers. The Boise River borders the community on the south. 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. These waterways provide the irrigation water used by farmers across the whole south end of the state.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through the Notus area in 1805 on their way to the west coast. In 1811, the Wilson Price Hunt party passed through exploring portions of the then future Oregon Trail that would follow the Boise River in the immediate area of Notus. In 1836, the very first "white" settlement in southwest Idaho was established near Notus by the Hudson Bay fur trading company. This settlement was a small fort, called Fort Boise and was located about four miles southwest of present day Parma that in turn is about 8 miles west of Notus. In 1843, the first settlers started passing through this location on the Oregon Trail. The 1850's brought the start of the Indian Wars that lasted until about 1880.

In 1883, a railroad siding was put in near present day Notus as the Oregon Short line was being brought into the Boise Valley that was completed in 1884. When the line entered the valley, a railroad siding was put down every five to 10 miles, anticipating future growth and commerce. At that time the railroad was more than just a freight line as it is today but also the primary method of transportation for the region. Until a system of irrigation canals brought water to the land around Notus in about 1905, Notus was little more than a railroad siding location. After 1905, Notus sparked to life as a small service center for local farmers putting the land into production.

Notus is part of the greater Boise economic region of Southwest Idaho, referred to as the "Treasure Valley" due to its agriculturally based wealth made possible by irrigation and mild climate. Boise is the economic and political hub of this region being the capital of the state, the largest city in the state and the primary source of non-agriculturally based jobs for the region. Notus is located about five miles west of Caldwell, the county seat, and 30 miles west from Boise the economic and political center of the state. To a small extent, Notus has become a satellite or bedroom community location for the Boise market. It has been limited by its lack of infrastructure, i.e. sewer system that hinders large-scale changes in population. A small new subdivision was finally put in just a few years ago. Because of the change in transportation modes these small rail siding locations did not all develop into larger communities like Caldwell and Nampa. Most of the recent development pressure has been taken up by lands and communities closer to Boise such as Caldwell, Nampa and Middleton. The recent rapid growth in the east county area came primarily through the introduction of clean industries, such as Hewlett Packard and Micron Technologies, in the last 20 years.

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.

Notus is located in Canyon County. It has a population of about 540 within the city limits as of 2009 and has experienced positive growth in the last 20 years. Most of the population lives outside the city limits on farmlands near Notus. Notus is part 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. Notus has its own school district and schools with classes K-12. Notus has some farm related industry next to the railroad siding and a few convenience stores including a gas station. Caldwell has always been used for most services, as there was insufficient population around Notus to support most retail businesses. There has been some limited development of upper end small acreage residential properties in the county area around Notus but not to a great extent. As more infrastructure is developed, Notus may evolve into more of a bedroom community location in support of larger employers to the east in Canyon and Ada Counties.

Whatever your reasons for coming to Notus, 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 Notus Idaho real estate.

Still unsure about where you want to move? Keep reading about Notus 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.