Industries
Energy and Technology
Idaho Falls: Home of Energy Innovation
Idaho Falls is at the core of Energy Innovation in Idaho with Idaho National Laboratory (INL) as its largest employer. The community’s economy was mostly agriculturally focused until the Atomic Energy Commission opened the National Reactor Testing Station in the nearby desert in 1949. This led to many energy firsts occurring at the INL site. INL is the home of the first use of nuclear energy for commercial power, the home of the new nuclear Navy, and now home to the first of its kind small and micro nuclear reactors. 70 years later in 2019, INL was named the Nuclear Innovation Research Center, where its’ history of leading first of its kind energy technologies will continue.
INL also leads research energy production challenges with contributions in energy transmission, energy security, renewable energy integration, transportation transformation, water utilization, energy critical materials, biomass feedstock assembly, and advanced manufacturing.
The innovation of energy doesn’t stop with INL. Idaho Falls Power has a deep-rooted innovative culture that allows for creativity and tackling the challenges of growth and needs of business. Idaho Falls Power is a municipal electric utility serving the corporate city limits of Idaho Falls. In addition to the generation, system maintenance, and transmission of electricity to homes and businesses, Idaho Falls Power offers several programs and services that benefit its customers and the community.
Idaho Falls Power provides business with a variety of programs and information that help save money, save energy, and save time. Idaho Falls Power offers both rebates and zero-interest loans for commercial customers who participate in energy efficiency programs.
Additionally, the City of Idaho Falls is committed to keeping a carbon-free power portfolio. It is important to maintain a diverse energy portfolio, including wind, hydroelectric power, and when available, nuclear. Idaho Falls Power has partnered with the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems on a future project called the Carbon Free Power Project: a collaboration to build small modular reactors at the U.S. Department of Energy site west of Idaho Falls.
Energy Business Attracts More Energy Business
Idaho Falls is a place where private companies can come and gain access to the technical expertise and infrastructure necessary to develop, test, and demonstrate energy designs, as well as materials, fuels, and other technologies. Our energy innovation has been the reason many other energy industries have chosen Idaho Falls as their home.
Energy Business Development
Supplier Opportunities
Energy Grants
Investment Opportunities
Workforce Development- Energy Training and Education Programs
Agriculture
Idaho Falls: Agricultural Heritage
Idaho Falls celebrates its agricultural roots, beginning as a sparsely populated settlement of cattle and sheep ranchers. When a man named Harry Rickets built and operated a ferry on the Snake River in 1864, the area became a bustling hub along the Montana Trail as travelers, freighters, and miners made their way to their fortunes. When Matt Taylor built a timber frame toll bridge seven miles downstream from the ferry, a little town sprang forth and soon had an operating bank, hotel, livery stable, post office, and stage station. Eventually the Utah and Northern Railway was built and the little city of Eagle Rock (as it was known back then) grew even more. Once water rights were established and grain harvest began, families started to deepen their roots and call the beautiful banks of the Snake River home. The rest, as they say, is history.
Idaho agriculture is diverse, abundant, and rooted in our history. As a state, Idaho has nearly 25,000 farms and ranches which produce more than 185 different commodities. Agriculture remains a fundamentally important part of Idaho’s economy and way of life, and Idaho Falls is no exception.
Idaho Falls & Bonneville County Agriculture
Potatoes: Idaho Falls is surrounded by a special kind of farm land which contributes significantly to the production of the world’s most famous potato. The soils and climatic conditions of the Snake River plain are ideally suited for the crop which made Idaho famous. Potatoes grow best at high altitudes during long, warm summer days and cool nights. Irrigation water from Idaho’s mountain streams makes it possible to precisely control the amount of water required to produce an ideal crop.
Crops: From early beginnings harvesting grain crops with the help of family and friends, Idaho Falls area farmers produce crops of wheat, barley, quinoa, sugar beets, and more annually. Idaho Falls is a top-producing barley area, growing both malting and feed varieties. A consistent supply of top-quality malting barley has attracted companies such as Anheuser-Busch and InteGrow Malt to Idaho Falls. Additionally, Idaho Falls has become the largest quinoa production region in North America thanks to Clark Seed Company, a facility with the capacity to process up to 5 percent of the world’s quinoa supply.
Livestock: Livestock production in Idaho remains the state’s largest agricultural sector. Livestock production includes dairy, beef, sheep, and pork. Farmers and ranchers from a tri-state area have been buying and selling at the Idaho Falls Livestock Auction since 1936. The last animal crossed the scales on December 19, 2019, after which the property was sold to the City of Idaho Falls. The Idaho Falls community honors the legacy of the Idaho Livestock Commission and continues to be a leading region in livestock production.
Healthcare
Idaho Falls: Comprehensive Healthcare
The thriving healthcare sector Idaho Falls is experiencing today reflects the growth and development of the city of Idaho Falls and the changing healthcare needs of our country. Idaho Falls seeks to offer comprehensive healthcare services to the residents and visitors of Idaho Falls. The community also serves as the healthcare hub to the surrounding region and neighboring states of Montana and Wyoming.
Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center is verified as a Level II Trauma Center, making it one out of three in the state of Idaho to be designated as such. Each of the other hospitals in the city offer strengths and specialties of their own, making the Idaho Falls healthcare sector a well-respected resource for a catchment area of over 500,000 people.
Employment opportunities abound for individuals seeking healthcare related professions in Idaho Falls. Surrounded by education institutions that offer competitive and highly rated nursing and pre-med programs, the opportunities are endless for job seekers looking to progress in their career. Residency programs, internships, and robust variety of available positions make Idaho Falls an attractive option for securing a high-paying, fulfilling, and quality career in a community that believes in providing service with integrity and professionalism.
Healthcare Facilities
Idaho Falls is fortunate to have many exceptional healthcare facilities and professionals serving Idaho Falls. Within city limits are three hospitals, each offering unique service options to patients and their families. Additional options for treatment include women care specialists, radiology facilities, a state of the art kidney center, and a cancer institute.
Healthcare Business Development
- Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
- College of Eastern Idaho Nursing Program
- Idaho State University Health Professions Programs
- University of Idaho Health Professions Programs
- Brigham Young University-Idaho Health Professions Program
- Brigham Young University-Idaho Nursing Program
- Brigham Young University-Idaho Healthcare Administration Program
- Your Health Idaho