Stanley, Idaho facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stanley, Idaho
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Stanley in June 2009
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Location of Stanley in Custer County, Idaho.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Idaho |
| County | Custer |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.55 sq mi (1.42 km2) |
| • Land | 0.54 sq mi (1.41 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.01 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,290 ft (1,920 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 116 |
| • Density | 127.07/sq mi (49.10/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
83278
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| Area code(s) | 208 |
| FIPS code | 16-76780 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2411968 |
Stanley is a small town in Custer County, Idaho, in the United States. It's located in a beautiful area called the Sawtooth Valley. In 2020, about 116 people lived there. This was more than the 63 people who lived there in 2010.
Contents
History of Stanley
People who trapped furs discovered the Stanley area in the 1820s. They didn't stay long because there weren't many beavers. Later, in the 1860s, a man named Captain John Stanley led a group looking for gold. They didn't find much gold here, so they moved on. Stanley officially became a town in 1919 when its streets were planned out.
Stanley has always been a meeting spot for people in this quiet area. In 2005, a 22-year-old named Hannah Stauts became the mayor. She was the youngest mayor ever elected in Idaho!
In 2017, a total solar eclipse brought many visitors to Stanley. The town is also known for its very dark night skies, where you can clearly see the Milky Way. Stanley is part of the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, which helps protect the night sky from light pollution.
Geography and Location
Stanley is a small town, covering about 0.62 square miles (1.6 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a tiny bit of water. The town is completely surrounded by the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. This is a special outdoor area with amazing mountains and forests.
Main Roads in Stanley
SH 21 - This road is also known as the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway.
SH 75 - This road is called the Sawtooth Scenic Byway when you go south. If you go north, it's called the Salmon River Scenic Byway.
2020 Earthquake
On March 31, 2020, a strong earthquake happened about 20 miles northwest of Stanley. It was a 6.5 magnitude earthquake. This was the second strongest earthquake ever recorded in Idaho. The strongest was the 1983 Borah Peak earthquake.
People Living in Stanley (Demographics)
The number of people living in Stanley has changed over the years:
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1950 | 33 | — | |
| 1960 | 35 | 6.1% | |
| 1970 | 47 | 34.3% | |
| 1980 | 99 | 110.6% | |
| 1990 | 71 | −28.3% | |
| 2000 | 100 | 40.8% | |
| 2010 | 63 | −37.0% | |
| 2020 | 116 | 84.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
What the 2020 Census Showed
In 2020, the census counted 116 people living in Stanley. There were 169 homes or housing units in the town.
What the 2010 Census Showed
In 2010, there were 63 people living in Stanley. They lived in 30 households, and 13 of these were families. Everyone living in Stanley at that time was White.
- About 3.3% of households had children under 18.
- 40% of households were married couples living together.
- About 40% of all households were single people living alone.
- The average age of people in Stanley was 52.5 years old.
- Most people were between 45 and 64 years old (58.7%).
- Slightly more than half of the people were male (52.4%).
Climate and Weather
Stanley has a very cold climate, like places near the Arctic. Winters are very cold, and summers are warm. However, the temperature can change a lot between day and night, even in summer. It can even freeze any time of the year.
This cold weather happens because Stanley is in a valley. Cold air gets trapped there, making it much colder than nearby mountains.
| Climate data for Stanley, Idaho, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1916–present: 6249ft (1905m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 54 (12) |
56 (13) |
64 (18) |
77 (25) |
87 (31) |
93 (34) |
98 (37) |
98 (37) |
92 (33) |
84 (29) |
67 (19) |
60 (16) |
98 (37) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 41.1 (5.1) |
46.1 (7.8) |
56.0 (13.3) |
66.1 (18.9) |
76.2 (24.6) |
84.0 (28.9) |
90.4 (32.4) |
89.1 (31.7) |
84.3 (29.1) |
73.8 (23.2) |
55.3 (12.9) |
42.1 (5.6) |
90.8 (32.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 25.7 (−3.5) |
32.7 (0.4) |
42.6 (5.9) |
49.7 (9.8) |
60.4 (15.8) |
68.8 (20.4) |
80.2 (26.8) |
79.4 (26.3) |
70.3 (21.3) |
56.1 (13.4) |
38.4 (3.6) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
52.4 (11.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 11.3 (−11.5) |
15.9 (−8.9) |
25.6 (−3.6) |
34.0 (1.1) |
43.2 (6.2) |
50.0 (10.0) |
57.1 (13.9) |
55.5 (13.1) |
47.7 (8.7) |
37.4 (3.0) |
24.0 (−4.4) |
11.4 (−11.4) |
34.4 (1.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −3.0 (−19.4) |
−0.9 (−18.3) |
8.6 (−13.0) |
18.2 (−7.7) |
26.0 (−3.3) |
31.1 (−0.5) |
34.0 (1.1) |
31.6 (−0.2) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
18.9 (−7.3) |
9.6 (−12.4) |
−2.1 (−18.9) |
16.4 (−8.6) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −27.9 (−33.3) |
−24.3 (−31.3) |
−12.9 (−24.9) |
5.4 (−14.8) |
17.0 (−8.3) |
22.9 (−5.1) |
27.4 (−2.6) |
24.5 (−4.2) |
16.7 (−8.5) |
7.7 (−13.5) |
−11.8 (−24.3) |
−23.8 (−31.0) |
−32.0 (−35.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −46 (−43) |
−47 (−44) |
−34 (−37) |
−18 (−28) |
8 (−13) |
12 (−11) |
15 (−9) |
12 (−11) |
1 (−17) |
−11 (−24) |
−30 (−34) |
−54 (−48) |
−54 (−48) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.80 (46) |
1.44 (37) |
2.02 (51) |
1.69 (43) |
1.67 (42) |
1.48 (38) |
0.62 (16) |
0.55 (14) |
1.01 (26) |
1.60 (41) |
2.00 (51) |
2.32 (59) |
18.20 (462) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 19.7 (50) |
16.8 (43) |
8.8 (22) |
4.1 (10) |
1.4 (3.6) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
1.9 (4.8) |
9.1 (23) |
19.8 (50) |
81.9 (207.16) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 8.2 | 7.5 | 5.9 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 2.8 | 4.4 | 6.5 | 7.8 | 62.4 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 7.6 | 6.2 | 4.8 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 4.5 | 7.1 | 35.1 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Stanley Ranger Station, Idaho, 1991–2020 normals: 6495ft (1980m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 50 (10) |
54 (12) |
65 (18) |
74 (23) |
84 (29) |
93 (34) |
95 (35) |
96 (36) |
93 (34) |
83 (28) |
68 (20) |
49 (9) |
96 (36) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 42.5 (5.8) |
46.4 (8.0) |
54.2 (12.3) |
64.4 (18.0) |
75.4 (24.1) |
83.0 (28.3) |
90.4 (32.4) |
88.5 (31.4) |
83.2 (28.4) |
71.1 (21.7) |
56.7 (13.7) |
42.5 (5.8) |
91.1 (32.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 29.5 (−1.4) |
34.9 (1.6) |
42.5 (5.8) |
48.6 (9.2) |
60.3 (15.7) |
68.7 (20.4) |
79.9 (26.6) |
79.7 (26.5) |
70.0 (21.1) |
55.4 (13.0) |
38.8 (3.8) |
27.8 (−2.3) |
53.0 (11.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 16.9 (−8.4) |
21.0 (−6.1) |
28.3 (−2.1) |
34.8 (1.6) |
45.0 (7.2) |
51.6 (10.9) |
59.3 (15.2) |
58.4 (14.7) |
50.3 (10.2) |
39.7 (4.3) |
26.4 (−3.1) |
16.8 (−8.4) |
37.4 (3.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 4.4 (−15.3) |
7.1 (−13.8) |
14.1 (−9.9) |
20.9 (−6.2) |
29.7 (−1.3) |
34.5 (1.4) |
38.7 (3.7) |
37.0 (2.8) |
30.6 (−0.8) |
24.1 (−4.4) |
13.9 (−10.1) |
5.9 (−14.5) |
21.7 (−5.7) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −22.4 (−30.2) |
−20.1 (−28.9) |
−10.0 (−23.3) |
3.7 (−15.7) |
15.9 (−8.9) |
23.3 (−4.8) |
28.0 (−2.2) |
26.1 (−3.3) |
18.4 (−7.6) |
7.2 (−13.8) |
−9.2 (−22.9) |
−19.9 (−28.8) |
−26.7 (−32.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −35 (−37) |
−31 (−35) |
−23 (−31) |
−17 (−27) |
7 (−14) |
18 (−8) |
23 (−5) |
18 (−8) |
8 (−13) |
−8 (−22) |
−25 (−32) |
−34 (−37) |
−35 (−37) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.74 (44) |
1.32 (34) |
2.20 (56) |
1.69 (43) |
1.49 (38) |
1.60 (41) |
0.63 (16) |
0.48 (12) |
1.01 (26) |
1.59 (40) |
2.19 (56) |
1.92 (49) |
17.86 (455) |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: XMACIS2 (records & monthly max/mins) | |||||||||||||
Fun Things to Do and See
During the summer, Stanley hosts the Sawtooth Mountain Mamas Craft Fair. This event usually lasts a few days in July. It's a great place to find handmade items.
There's also a music festival called the Sawtooth Valley Gathering. Many people come to Stanley to enjoy the music.
Stanley in Books and Movies
- A book from 1980, Appaloosa Rising: the Legend of the Cowboy Buddha by Gino Sky, is set in the Stanley area.
- In 2003, John Rember wrote a book called Traplines: Coming Home to the Sawtooth Valley. It talks about what life is like in Stanley.
- The 1985 movie Pale Rider, starring Clint Eastwood, was filmed mostly near Stanley.
Images for kids
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Stanley from above
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Stanley Post Office (83278)
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Chapel
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Museum
See also
In Spanish: Stanley (Idaho) para niños
