Moscow, Idaho
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1910 and the latest in 1982. It stands in the Moscow census division. It lies in ZIP code area 83843. It lies near Paradise Valley. The Survey maps it on the Moscow West quadrangle. 25,435 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,579 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Moscow
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 12 of 24 shown
Administration Building, University of Idaholisted 1978
Cordelia Lutheran Churchlisted 1995
Mason Cornwall Houselisted 1977
Davids' Buildinglisted 1979
First Methodist Churchlisted 1978
Hotel Moscowlisted 1978
Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Gamma Theta Chapterlisted 1996
Kenworthy Theatrelisted 2001
Almon Asbury Lieuallen Houselisted 1978
W. J. McConnell Houselisted 1974
McConnell-McGuire Buildinglisted 1978
Memorial Gymnasiumlisted 1977
Population over time
2 figuresMoscow grew from 23,800 to 25,435 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 | 23,800 | |
| 2020 | 25,435 | +1,635 (+7%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 16 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.
- 1910 USGS Pullman quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1955 USGS Pullman quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Pullman quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1964 USGS Moscow West quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1975 USGS Moscow West quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1982 USGS Pullman quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
10 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 10 fires within 5 miles of Moscow between 1994 and 2020, burning about 61 acres in total. 4 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 | 4 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 September 1996 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | Idaho Department of Lands | ROBINSON LAKE |
| 17 September 1998 | Natural | under an acre | Idaho Department of Lands | BLAINE ROAD |
| 12 September 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.5 acres | Idaho Department of Lands | PINE PATCH |
| 31 August 2000 | Natural | under an acre | Idaho Department of Lands | PARADISE RIDGE |
| 10 August 1999 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Idaho Department of Lands | PARADISE RIDGE |
| 8 July 2002 | Natural | under an acre | Idaho Department of Lands | TOMER BUTTE FIRE |
| 31 July 2003 | Debris and open burning | 25 acres | Idaho Department of Lands | JOEL |
| 13 July 2007 | Natural | under an acre | Idaho Department of Lands | CRUMARINE LOOP |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
8 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Moscow: 5 past producers, 2 occurrences, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Silica, Quartz, Gemstone, Kaolin. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayer Deposit No. 1 | Kaolin | Occurrence | Clay | |
| Canfield-Rogers Clay Deposit Mine | Kaolin, Fire Clay (Refractory) | Past Producer | 1925 | |
| O'Donnell Opal Occurrence | Gemstone | Past Producer | 1890 | |
| Paradise Ridge Silica Deposit | Silica, Quartz | Occurrence | Metamorphic | |
| Poppie Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Whelan | Semiprecious Gemstone | Past Producer | 1891 | |
| Jester Pit | Stone | Producer | ||
| Pullman-Moscow Quarry | Stone | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
28 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Moscow in 28 storm reports between 1996 and 2026: 12 flood, 6 thunderstorm wind, 5 flash flood, 3 hail. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2019 | Flash Flood | Moscow | $200,000 | Heavy rain during the afternoon and evening of April 9th caused Paradise Creek running through Moscow to rapidly rise and inundate lower elevation portions of the city along the creek. In addition heavy rain in the hills north of Moscow caused flash flooding in the northeastern areas of the city as runoff drained through valleys and ravines along North Polk Street and into the East D street neighborhood, then through downtown before draining into Paradise Creek. In some areas flood waters were reported to be 3 feet deep with numerous roads, intersections and underpasses impassable. Most of the reported damage involved basement and first floor flooding of buildings. |
| November 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moscow | $100,000 | Thousands of people went without power near the Viola area on the Idaho Palouse as 11 transmission structures went down in a domino effect on Highway 95 between Moscow and Potlach. The highway was shut down for a four mile stretch. |
| April 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moscow | $80,000 | The Latah County Emergency Manager reported broken tree branches and downed power lines in Latah County. The Moscow area was impacted with several large trees down, at least one tree falling on a house, and at least two cars damaged by falling trees. |
| March 2012 | Flood | Moscow | $80,000 | Moderate to major flooding occurred along Paradise Creek on the morning of March 26th flooding numerous streets, bridges, and homes within the city of Moscow, Idaho. The creek crested at ten feet, making it the fourth highest crest on record. Among the list of flooded streets, bridges, parks, and homes which were impacted from the flooding along Paradise Creek include: the intersection of Bridge and Hillcrest Streets, intersection at 5th and Roosevelt, D Street bridge, Main Street, Mountainview Park, the University of Idaho bike path, Blaine Street Bridge, South Lynn Street, and Sand Road. |
| May 2020 | Flood | Moscow | $20,000 | Heavy rainfall in thunderstorms produced flooding in a field and basement in Moscow. |
| March 2026 | Flood | Moscow | $15,000 | Several areas across Moscow had localized flooding issues. Areas included Berman Creekside Park, Soccer fields on west side of Guy Wicks Field, Mountain View Roundabout, White Avenue and Highway 8, Damen Street, Lemhi Drive, North Couplet of Main Street, Perimeter Drive at Pullman Highway, Sand Road outside of Moscow, and the city park along the Potlatch River. |
| February 2000 | Flood | Moscow | $15,000 | no account filed |
| December 2022 | Flood | Moscow | $10,000 | Melting snow and heavy rain over half an inch caused flooding along Paradise Creek through the city of Moscow. Kiwanis Park reported flooding, basements had flooding issues, and water over roadways. |
| May 2020 | Flash Flood | Moscow | $10,000 | The Lewiston Tribune reported that heavy rainfall resulted in mud and water flowing over Highway US-95, south of Moscow. Water and areas of mud were transported from nearby cropland. |
| December 1998 | Flash Flood | Moscow | $5,000 | Minor flooding of small streams and creeks occurred due to snow melt and 2 - 4" of rain during this period. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moscow | $5,000 | 8 inch diameter trees snapped. many power lines down. |
| February 2025 | Flood | Moscow | $2,000 | Several road closures were reported due to flooding. Perimeter Drive closed between Pullman Road and 6th Street Stadium Drive due to flooding between Pullman Rd. and 6th St. are closed due to high water. Third St and Roosevelt closed due to flooding. The intersection of Bridge and Hillcrest closed due to flooding. Field flooding at Mountain View Park. |
| August 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moscow | $1,000 | no account filed |
| September 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moscow | $500 | Observer reported large tree branches down from storm. Pullman, Moscow Airport recorded a max gusts of 67 MPH. |
| May 2019 | Flash Flood | Moscow | $500 | A spotter submitted photos of a Flash Flood flowing down a driveway and washing out a culvert creating a breach in the driveway 3 to 4 feet deep with a similar width. |
| December 2017 | Flood | Moscow | $500 | The USGS river gage at Paradise Creek in Moscow recorded a sharp rise above the Flood Stage of 9.2 feet at 8:45 PM December 29th. The creek quickly crested at 9.7 feet by 9:00 PM and then receded back below Flood Stage by 11:00 PM. No damage was reported with this minor flood. |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moscow | $400 | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Flash Flood | Moscow | $250 | Latah County Sheriff reported on social media that Sand Road has been washed out near the state line. Radar estimated around half an inch fell in an hour. Radar estimated between 0.8 to 1 inch fell. |
| June 2022 | Flood | Moscow | - | Several of the fairways at the elks golf course in Moscow, ID were flooded from heavy rain. Water was estimated to be over a foot deep in spots. |
| June 2021 | Hail | Moscow | - | Hail, up to 1 inches, fell in Moscow and Viola as a strong thunderstorm cell moved through early morning June 15th. |
| February 2020 | Flood | Moscow | - | The USGS Stream Gage on Paradise Creek at Moscow reported a rapid rise during the afternoon of February 7th. The creek rose above the Flood Stage of 9.2 feet at 9:30 PM PST on February 7th, crested at a stage of 9.3 feet at 1:15 AM February 8th, and dropped back below Flood Stage at 2:00 AM February 8th. |
| February 2020 | Flood | Moscow | - | Minor flooding of Paradise Creek was reported in Moscow. On Bridge Street and Roosevelt Street there was minor flooding resulting from water overflowing out of storm drains. No damage was reported. |
| May 2020 | Heavy Rain | Moscow | - | Idaho Department of Environmental Quality rainfall gauge measured 0.43 in one hour. |
| April 2019 | Flood | Moscow | - | The USGS River Gage on Paradise Creek in Moscow recorded a sharp rise to above the Flood Stage of 9.2 feet at 2:45 PM PDT on April 9th. The creek continued to rise passing through the Moderate Flood Stage of 10.0 feet at 7:00 PM. The creek continued to rise and crested at 11.4 feet at 7:15 PM which is a record high crest beating the previous record crest of 11.3 feet set in 1996. The creek then quickly receded passing below the moderate Flood Stage at 8:00 PM and then below Flood Stage at 9:15 PM PDT. |
| July 2014 | Hail | Moscow | - | Hail to the size of quarters covered the ground. |
| March 2011 | Flood | Moscow | - | Minor flooding was observed along Bridge Street in Moscow as water overflowed its banks along Paradise Creek. The City of Moscow utilized sandbags and temporary gravel walls to contain the flood waters. |
| May 2009 | Hail | Moscow | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Lightning | Moscow | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estes | 3.3 miles | 13 | |
| Blaine | 5.9 miles | 13 | |
| Joel | 6.7 miles | 13 | |
| Buswell (historical) | 7.1 miles | 13 | |
| Advent Hollow (historical) | 7.3 miles | 14 | |
| Cornwall | 7.3 miles | 11 | |
| Viola | 7.4 miles | 13 | |
| Howell | 9.7 miles | 11 |
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 Moscow | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q499927 | 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 400006. 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.





