Town file
Chubbuck, Idaho
Chubbuck, Idaho (Bannock County, Idaho) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 172, "Natural Born Killer Idiots" (21 May 2020). Chubbuck, Idaho, is a small town of about 14,470 people in Bannock County, four and a quarter square miles of suburb wedged against Pocatello in the south-east of the state.
- Town
- Chubbuck
- County
- Bannock County
- State
- Idaho
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 172
- Approximate location
- 42.927, -112.458
Episode 172 / 21 May 2020 / 161 min / full
Natural Born Killer Idiots
"We're going to Chubbuck, Idaho... This is in Bannock County, about 4.25 square miles, right outside Pocatello." about 0:05:26
The case: Murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart (September 22, 2006). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2020
- Population
- 14,470
- Median household income
- $57,000
- Median home value
- $229,500
- Two-bedroom rent
- $720 a month
- Cost of living
- 93
- Religious
- 69%
- Property crime
- ▲ almost double
- Violent crime
- ▼ just over half
History, in brief
- In the early 1800s hunters and trappers came to the area. about 0:06:44
- The first settlers were the Bannock and Shoshone Indians. about 0:07:15
- John C. Fremont came to the area in about 1843 and said it was a good area for agriculture. about 0:07:23
- The city took its name from a road conductor, Earl Chubbuck. about 0:07:40
- It was formerly called Chubbuck Beat Run, then shortened to Chubbuck Siding, and eventually the suffix was dropped. about 0:08:09
- The U.S. government bought about 2,000 acres of reservation land for the townsite and surveyed it in 1889, selling lots at auction for $10 to $50. about 0:10:34
- Buildings had already been put up on some plots and the courts ended up honouring the squatters' rights. about 0:12:40
- An old article quoted said no state in the union was less known than Idaho, which had furnished no Wild West tragedy and no natural wonder. about 0:13:17
The reviews read out
2 stars
"The job market is a struggle and lots of kids work two jobs just to make ends meet; without a degree $1,600 a month is a great achievement, with call centres and college wage jobs, which is why low income is so high."about 0:15:15
2 stars
"They would like to recycle more but know of no free recycling areas; the only option costs extra and has limitations on what can be recycled."about 0:15:57
1 star
"It smells like dead fish, the town is ugly and the people are mean; the only attraction is the name."about 0:16:32
1 star
"There is little to no attractions within this railroad junction we call a city, though the Simplot Games are a large part of local events."about 0:16:56
1 star
"There is little to no variety in food and drink in Pocatello, Idaho."about 0:17:17
1 star
"A reviewer from Albuquerque who has spent the night there several times says there is a horrible smell in the air, blamed on a fertiliser factory, and fears locals will develop lung problems."about 0:17:51
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Blackfoot, Idaho19 miles
- Idaho Falls, Idaho44 miles
- Hazelton, Idaho88 miles
- Bellevue, Idaho98 miles
- Perry, Utah103 miles
- Jerome, Idaho105 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.