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About Homedale
Homedale sits in the middle of a large agricultural area along the Snake River near the Oregon-Idaho border. It is the largest city in Owyhee County and lies right in the northern tip of the county. The Snake River passes just northeast of Homedale. Succor Creek also flows past Homedale on the west side, joining the Snake River just north of town. Farmland surrounds Homedale, where vast crops of corn, potatoes, onions, wheat are grown, being the main source of livelihood for its residents.
In the 1800s, a branch of the Oregon Trail passed through Homedale. Jacob Mussell was the first settler to settle here. He arrived in 1898 and operated a ferry to help people across the Snake River. The townsite was platted in 1909 and the name Homedale was selected by drawing from a hat.
U.S. Highway 95 passes by Homedale on the eastern edge of town. It continues northward across the Snake River into Canyon County, and southward out of the Snake Basin and into Oregon. Idaho Highway 19 leaves Highway 95 at Homedale and travels the short distance west to the Oregon border.
The population of Homedale was 2,528 as of the 2000 census and the elevation is 2,235 feet. A branch of the Oregon Short Line Railroad used to extend through Homedale, but it has been removed and the land it occupied has been converted for residential space. Railroad Street, which runs diagonally through Homedale used to front the tracks and is a remnant of those days.
For More Information:
See the Wikipedia article on Homedale, and the city's official site at cityofhomedale.com.