Town file
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Idaho Falls, Idaho (Bonneville County, Idaho) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 509, "Almost Got Away With It" (11 July 2024). Betty Lou Hales was born in Long Beach, California, on 12 June 1942, the daughter of Joseph, a Navy veteran who built and flipped houses, and Dorothy.
- Town
- Idaho Falls
- County
- Bonneville County
- State
- Idaho
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 509
- Approximate location
- 43.490, -112.035
Episode 509 / 11 July 2024 / 172 min / full
Almost Got Away With It
"Going to Idaho Falls, Idaho today; it's southeastern Idaho, and this is in Bonneville County." about 0:04:24
The case: Murders of Betty Lou Gray and Rita Roundy (July 24th, 1989). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2024
- Population
- 64,399
- Median age
- 33.6
- Median household income
- $57,412
- Median home value
- $344,700
- Two-bedroom rent
- $980
- Cost of living
- $94,000
- Property crime
- exactly average
- Violent crime
- exactly average
History, in brief
- In 1864 Matt Taylor built a timber-frame toll bridge across a narrow black gorge of the river, and the settlement became known as Taylor's Crossing. about 0:05:56
- By 1866 postmarks show the town was known as Eagle Rock, named for an island where about 20 eagles nested. about 0:06:32
- It was later renamed Idaho Falls, although James could not find a falls there. about 0:06:51
- In 1949 the Atomic Energy Commission opened the National Reactor Testing Station in the desert west of Idaho Falls. about 0:07:11
- On December 20th, 1951, a reactor at the station produced usable electricity for the first time in history. about 0:07:21
- More than 50 unique reactors were built at the facility for testing. about 0:07:32
- On January 3rd, 1961, the site saw the only fatal nuclear reactor incident in US history; the reactor vessel was thrown nine feet into the air and one man was impaled on a shield plug in the ceiling. about 0:07:39
- Three men died in the 1961 accident and were buried in lead coffins because they were radioactive. about 0:09:05
The reviews read out
5 stars
"Loved it since the family moved there on the writer's twelfth birthday; family friendly, lots of culture and love for everyone."about 0:09:46
3 stars
"It's a good town but the writer has no specifics about what they like or would change."about 0:10:17
2 stars
"A beautiful place, but the local Mormons are rude to non-Mormons and too many people are moving in and taking farm and country land."about 0:10:44
1 star
"A city run by teenagers, with terrible hygiene, rude people and a mayor who behaves badly online."about 0:11:38
1 star
"The worst town the writer has lived in, overrun with meth, a sex slave kidnapping ring and drug dealers; would give zero stars if possible."about 0:12:25
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Blackfoot, Idaho26 miles
- Chubbuck, Idaho44 miles
- Bellevue, Idaho111 miles
- Hazelton, Idaho123 miles
- Jerome, Idaho136 miles
- Perry, Utah140 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.