Eagle is a city in Ada County, Idaho, 10 mi northwest of downtown Boise. The population was 30,346 at the 2020 census.

History

19th century

Eagle Island in Idaho was settled in 1863 by Truman Coe Catlin, who later shifted from crop farming to dairy farming, starting the island's dairy tradition. He also pioneered irrigation in the area by constructing a wide irrigation ditch. The most notable early community developer was Thomas Hugh Aiken, a Canadian surveyor, who helped establish the Eagle community in the 1870s. Despite the construction of Arrowrock Dam in 1915 and subsequent dams, flooding has been a recurrent issue for residents, leading to continued efforts to mitigate flood risks.

20th century

The Eagle Fish Hatchery, established in the late 1940s in Idaho, was originally part of a trout program until the 1980s. In 1991, it was restructured to support the conservation of Snake River sockeye salmon, an endangered species listed that year. The hatchery's mission shifted to preserving the species and its genetic diversity through the development of eight broodstocks derived from smolts, anadromous adults, and residual populations. It also houses the IDFG Eagle Fish Health Laboratory.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.40 sqmi, of which 28.92 sqmi is land and 0.48 sqmi is water.

Climate

This region experiences warm to hot, dry summers, and cold, dry winters averaging 10 in of snow, with summer high temperatures averaging 79.6 F and winter low temperatures averaging 30.6 F. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Eagle has a "Csb" on climate maps.

Demographics

Eagle is home to many retired civil servants, especially police officers and firefighters, from California. The Los Angeles Times has described California pension money from CalPERS as "the lifeblood of the economy" in Eagle.

2020 census

At the 2020 census there were 30,346 people, 10,610 households, and 8,293 families living in the city. The population density was 984.7 PD/sqmi. There were 11,964 housing units at an average density of 384.9 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 91.1% White, 0.4% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 1.8% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.6%. Of the 10,610 households 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.9% were married couples living together, 19.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 19.8% were non-families. 13.8% of households were one person and 8.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age was 41.6 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.4% were from 25 to 44; 30.3% were from 45 to 64; and 20.9% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female. The median household income was $91,414 and the median family income was $107,607. Males had a median income of $65,625 versus $45,787 for females. The per capita income for the city was $51,917. About 5.3% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 19,908 people, 7,069 households, and 5,585 families living in the city. The population density was 688.4 PD/sqmi. There were 7,570 housing units at an average density of 261.8 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 94.4% White, 0.3% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.7%. Of the 7,069 households 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.9% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 21.0% were non-families. 17.7% of households were one person and 8.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.20. The median age was 40.6 years. 30.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.3% were from 25 to 44; 30.3% were from 45 to 64; and 12.1% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 11,085 people, 3,864 households, and 3,098 families living in the city. The population density was 1,206.3 PD/sqmi. There were 4,048 housing units at an average density of 440.5 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 95.90% White, 0.37% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.63%. Of the 3,864 households 45.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.4% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.8% were non-families. 16.1% of households were one person and 5.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.23. The age distribution was 32.6% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 95.5 males. The median household income was $65,313 and the median family income was $71,907. Males had a median income of $50,962 versus $29,066 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,226. About 4.0% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Arboretum Park is located in Eagle.

Education

Most of Eagle is in the West Ada School District (Meridian Joint School District 2), with a small portion in the Boise School District. The Boise schools portion is zoned to: Shadow Hills Elementary School, Riverglen Middle School, and Capital High School

In popular culture

The 2008 show The Baby Borrowers was filmed in Eagle. Eagle was the filming location for the 1980 film Bronco Billy.

Notable people