Atomic City, Idaho
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1978. It stands in the Atomic City census division. It lies in ZIP code area 83221. The Survey maps it on the Atomic City quadrangle. 41 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 5,013 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresAtomic City grew from 29 to 41 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 29 | |
| 2020 | 41 | +12 (+41%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 9 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1955 USGS Idaho Falls quadrangle1:250000, 5 printings
- 1958 USGS Idaho Falls quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1973 USGS Atomic City quadrangle1:24000
- 1978 USGS Blackfoot quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
19 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 19 fires within 5 miles of Atomic City between 1992 and 2020, burning about 24,259 acres in total. 6 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Natural | 6 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 5 |
| Firearms and explosives use | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 September 2000 | Natural | under an acre | Idaho Falls District | SIERRAGRND |
| 8 August 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Idaho Falls District | WHITE TOP |
| 31 August 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Idaho Falls District | 282 FIRE |
| 3 August 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.4 acres | Idaho Falls District | TABLE LEGS |
| 27 August 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 14,058 acres | Idaho Falls District | MIDDLE BUTTE |
| 1 August 2009 | Natural | under an acre | Idaho Falls District | MIDDLE BUTTE |
| 9 July 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,419 acres | Idaho National Laboratory | HIGHWAY 20 |
| 8 July 2001 | Natural | 78 acres | Idaho Falls District | BUTTE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Atomic City: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
35 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Atomic City in 35 storm reports between 1999 and 2025: 25 thunderstorm wind, 4 flood, 2 tornado, 1 wildfire. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2017 | Flood | Atomic City | $917,000 | Sheet flooding from extensive snowmelt from excessive winter snow began early in the month and continued through the month. Several homes received extensive flooding damage mainly in the Shelley area. The depth of water in the sheet flooding reached as high as two feet in some areas. The worst of the flooding was from the 7th through the 15th. Ferry Butte and Riverton Roads had to be closed. In the Shelley area also the roadway on 1200 N between 1150 E and 1200 E and from 1200 E to 1150 N also had to be closed. Further flooding occurred after the 20th with several road closures in Aberdeen, Blackfoot, Shelley and Springfield. A County disaster declaration was declared for the county as well. |
| March 2017 | Flood | Atomic City | $215,000 | Sheet flooding from snow melt continued throughout March though there was a significant improvement over February. On March 16th significant road damage and roads washed out were reported in Taber. The main issue was road damage and some property damage that continued to run up the monetary damage. Some roads remained closed through the first two weeks of March in Aberdeen, Blackfoot, Shelley, and Springfield. |
| May 2017 | Flood | Atomic City | $33,000 | Minor flooding continued in Bingham County in May but the worst was over. Some fields remained covered in water early in the month causing some agricultural damage with levee repair work done. |
| June 2017 | Flood | Atomic City | $15,000 | Minor flooding continued the first part of June with agricultural damage continuing along with west nile mosquito control due to ponding water. |
| May 2018 | Tornado (EF1) | Atomic City | $300 | A tornado crossed portions of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) around East and Middle Buttes to the north and east across US 20 (including near the MFC facilities) between 400 and 430 pm MDT. Due to sparseness of population and terrain, the only damage observed was at mile marker 277 on US Highway 20 at approximately 419 pm MDT. At this point, large sections of 2 snow fences were heavily damaged Multiple steel beems were bent and twisted to varying degrees, with portions of those beems that were below the surface and moved approximately one inch. The horizontal part of these fences, make of vinyl and steel cable, were ripped apart and strewn for several yards. Large metal pieces used to hold these together were snapped and/or thrown several yards away from the fence. Other indications of tornado damage included a sign snapped off at the ground, sagebrush that was partially or completely ripped from the ground, and several small size lava rocks tossed an unknown distance. ||Based on that evidence, the tornado was assigned an EF-1 rating. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | The EBR INL Materials Fuels Complex mesonet site recorded a 61 mph wind gust. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | A 58 mph wind gust was recorded at Atomic City. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | A 60 mph thunderstorm outflow wind measured at the INL Materials Fuels Complex. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | A 58 mph thunderstorm outflow wind measured at Telegraph Hill ITD site. |
| September 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | Sixty five mph wind gust 11 miles west southwest of Atomic City. |
| May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | A 61 mph wind gust at Atomic City. |
| April 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | A 63 mph wind gust measured at Telegraph Hill. |
| April 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | Seventy mph wind gust at Atomic City. |
| April 2018 | Funnel Cloud | Atomic City | - | Funnel cloud viewed by NWS employee southwest of Atomic City. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | The Atomic City ARL site recorded a 68 mph wind gust. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | A thunderstorm produced a 62 mph wind gust at the Materials Fuels ARL mesonet site. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | A 65 mph wind gust measured at Atomic City. |
| October 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | Atomic City mesonet reported 64 mph wind gust. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | Atomic City INL site recorded 62 mph wind gust. |
| August 2014 | Heavy Rain | Atomic City | - | Bingham County was declared a natural disaster area by the USDA due to barley crop loss in August from heavy rains. Eastern Idaho lost about 64 million dollars of barley crops due to the rains with a portion of that occurring in Bingham County. |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | The ITD site at the INL Puzzle recorded a thunderstorm wind gust of 65 mph. |
| April 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | Fifty-nine mph wind gust measured at Atomic City. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | A 58 mph wind gust was recorded in northeast Bingham County at a weather site at the Idaho National Laboratory. |
| October 2006 | Tornado (F0) | Atomic City | - | Tornado touched down 2 miles southwest of Atomic City in open land picking up sage brush. The tornado continued into Butte County. |
| May 2008 | Hail | Atomic City | - | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Atomic City | - | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Wildfire | Atomic City | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerro Grande | 6.4 miles | 9 | |
| Taber | 10.9 miles | 9 | |
| Fullmer | 12.1 miles | 9 | |
| Olsen | 15.0 miles | 9 | |
| Havens | 16.8 miles | 9 | |
| Coffee Point | 21.5 miles | 9 | |
| Rockford | 23.0 miles | 10 | |
| Rouse | 23.2 miles | 12 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Atomic City | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q757596 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 397396. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.



