About Montpelier, ID
Montpelier is a city in the southwest corner of the state of Idaho in Bear Lake County. The city has a population of about 3,000 and it is the largest inhabitance of Bear Lake Valley, which is a region renowned for its farming just north of Bear Lake in the southeastern portion of Idaho near the Utah border. The city was first settled by Mormon pioneers who were traveling along the route of the Oregon Trail. The name was given to the city by Brigham Young, who was one of the founding founders of Mormonism, after his hometown in Vermont he had left when traveling west on the Oregon trail. In 1892 a railroad was built through Montpelier and helped the population to grow. The city is intersected by Routes 89 and 30, which make it exceptionally easy to commute in and out of the area. One of the most famous events to take place in Montpelier was the bank heist by Butch Cassidy, and there is now a plaque dedicated to this on Washington Street in the middle of town. Some of the best things to do while in Montpelier are to take a trip to nearby Yellowstone or Salt Lake City or take in beautiful Bear Lake and original sites along the historic Oregon Trail. There is a historic district in the town which is also quite attractive to visitors because of its interesting neo-classical architecture.
