Hailey

Hailey, Idaho

Hailey is a city and the county seat of Blaine County in the Wood River Valley of the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 6,200 at the 2000 census. Hailey is the site of Friedman Memorial Airport. From 1882 to 1895 Hailey was the county seat of now-defunct Alturas County. The resort area of Ketchum and Sun Valley is 11 miles (17¾ km) north, and the town of Bellevue is a few miles south. The elevation of Hailey is 5330 feet (1624 m) above sea level.

The city is named after John Hailey, a two-time Congressional delegate from Idaho Territory.

Hailey is the current home of retired tennis player Mats Wilander. Actors and former couple Bruce Willis and Demi Moore also lived in the town. The writer Ezra Pound was born here in 1885.

Geography

Hailey is located at (43.514937, -114.306251).

A TerraServer Aerial Photo from 8/9/1992

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.2 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,200 people, 2,389 households, and 1,603 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,959.3 people per square mile (757.5/km²). There were 2,557 housing units at an average density of 808.1/sq mi (312.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.68% White, 0.26% African American, 0.35% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 7.02% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.95% of the population.

There were 2,389 households out of which 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 37.4% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $51,347, and the median income for a family was $56,379. Males had a median income of $37,750 versus $29,025 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,255. About 4.6% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Blaine County School System, located in Hailey, provides several schools for local children. Hailey Elementary is located in the center of Hailey, and the new Woodside Elementary is located in the south of the city. Wood River Middle School lies north of downtown, and Wood River High School sits near the Foxmoor subdivsion.

The Silver Creek Alternative School provides a different avenue for students who have struggled in a typical school setting.

The College of Southern Idaho's Blaine Country Center is located in Hailey.

Outdoor life

Hailey is surrounded by the Sawtooth National Forest. Hiking, biking, skiing, snowboarding, BMX riding, horseback riding, fishing, ice skating and river activities (such as fishing), are popular in Hailey, Idaho. Hailey was home to the Sun Valley Polo Club until 1999.

Hailey had its own ski mountain called Rotarun Ski Hill. The mountain is much smaller than its local cousin at the Sun Valley Resort. However, sledding is free and the day lift prices are very low. A rope tow or handle tow takes the skier up the mountain.

Other mountains in Hailey are Carbonate, Quigley, Red Devil, and Della. These mountains are popular for hiking, mountain biking, dog walking and other outdoor activities.

Friedman Memorial Airport

The Friedman Memorial Airport provides daily direct flights to Salt Lake City, Boise and Seattle. Daily flights to Los Angeles, and Oakland are available seasonally. The airport has a private terminal for small jets. Herbert Allen, Jr.'s annual summer executive retreat, Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference is a regular client of Firedman Memorial Airport.

Publications and media

Hailey is the home to Sun Valley Magazine, a quarterly publication focusing on fine dining, real estate and local events. Hailey has two local newspapers: The Wood River Journal (a weekly) and The Idaho Mountain Express. The Idaho Mountain Express is located in Ketchum and is published every Monday and Friday.

KECH at 95.3 is a local radio station. Another is KSKI at 103.7

Plum TV is premiering in 2007 from Hailey, Idaho. Plum TV is a boutique network at upscale resort communities.

Independence Day

Every year, the town of Hailey, Idaho celebrates Independence Day as Days of the Old West. The celebration consists of four major events. Main Street is cleared and the sidewalks fill with spectators. At noon, a skit with a shoot out, is put on in the center of town,. The next event is a parade. After the parade, spectators gather at places such as Chester & Jake's at The Mint (previously known only as "The Mint" or "The Mint Bar") and Hop Porter Park for food and music. Activities also include a rodeo during the day and then a huge fireworks display that, until recently, was often sponsored by Bruce Willis.

Dalai Lama

In 2005, the Dalai Lama spoke to over 20,000 people at the Wood River High School stadium to begin his tour of the United States. His speech, which commemorated the September 11 attacks, was broadcast live on CNN.

Skate park

Hailey features a nationally known skateboard park. The park has appeared in Thrasher magazine and many professional skateboarders have appeared, such as Tony Hawk and Bam Margera. The park's official website is http://www.skatehailey.com

Growth

Hailey is growing at an extremely fast rate. There has, in fact, been a shift in growth of shopping and fine dining from Ketchum and Sun Valley to Hailey. This growth has led to the construction of three additional traffic lights. Hailey now has four total.