McCall is a resort town on the western edge of Valley County, Idaho, United States. Named after its founder, Tom McCall, it is situated on the southern shore of Payette Lake, near the center of the Payette National Forest. The population was 3,686 as of the 2020 census, up from 2,991 in 2010.Spokesman-Review - 2010 census - McCall, Idaho - accessed December 26, 2011
History Native Americans were the first inhabitants of the McCall area. Three tribes, the Tukudika (a sub-band of the Shoshone known as the "Sheepeaters"), the Shoshone, and the Nez Perce, inhabited the land primarily in the summer and migrated during the harsh winter months.
In the early 19th century, mountain men including the nomadic French Canadian fur trapper François Payette, Jim Bridger, Peter Skene Ogden, and Jedediah Smith passed through the area.
During the 1860s, miners temporarily named the settlement "Lake City", but only alluvial gold was discovered, so the temporary establishment was abandoned as most mining activity moved north to the town of Warren.
The settlement of McCall was established by Thomas and Louisa McCall in 1889. For a cabin and assumed rights to the of land, they traded a team of horses with Sam Dever, who held the squatter rights. Tom, his wife, four sons and a daughter lived in the cabin located on the shore of the lake, near present-day Hotel McCall. He established a school, hotel, saloon, and post office, and named himself postmaster. McCall purchased a sawmill from the Warren Dredging company and later sold it to the Hoff & Brown Lumber Company, which would become a major employer until its closure in 1977.
During this time Anneas "Jews Harp Jack" Wyatte provided the first recreational sailboat rides around the lake for tourists and advertised in Boise's Idaho Statesman a "30-foot sailing yacht for the use of parties who might visit the lake". The Statesman referred to McCall as a "pleasure resort."
Tourism continued in the early 20th century. In June 1902, the Boydstun Hotel in nearby Lardo opened as a "place to stay and camp on Payette Lake". In 1906, Charlie Nelson opened a tented camping area known as Sylvan Beach Resort along the west side of Payette Lake. In 1907, Lardo Inn opened for business. The arrival of the Oregon Short Line Railroad (a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad) in 1914 secured McCall as a viable community and tourist destination. The Town of McCall was officially incorporated on 19 July 1911.
The town's annual winter carnival was inspired by the Payette Lake Sports Carnival initially held in 1923–24 and lasting several years. Activities included dog and snowshoe races, ski jumping, horse skijoring, and a tug-o-war. Reports vary between hundreds to thousands of tourists visiting the festivities. The Winter Carnival, which resumed in1941, recently celebrated100 years.
The beauty of McCall and Payette Lake drew attention from Hollywood in 1938 when it was selected as the filming location for the Academy Award-nominated Northwest Passage, starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, and Walter Brennan. The film, released in 1940, was set during the French and Indian War of 1755–63 in eastern North America, Idaho's forests substituting for the woods of New England and the Upper Midwest.
In 1943, the U.S. Forest Service opened the McCall smokejumper base, one of nine permanent smokejumper bases in the nation. The site includes a smokejumper training unit, parachute loft, dispatch office, and the McCall air tanker base at the airport.
After World War II, a consortium of businessmen and doctors from Lewiston, to the north, decided that McCall and the lake were an ideal recreation site and thus the town was transformed from lumber to tourism. The iconic Shore Lodge opened on 3 July 1948, at Shellworth Beach on Payette Lake. The lodge became McCall's centerpiece for the next 51 years. Shore Lodge management and shareholders intentionally created a resort-style lodge that was a cozy and intimate place for locals and tourists, contrasting with the glamour and glitz of the other famous Idaho lodge in Sun Valley. It was turned into a private club in 1999, then it re-opened to the public in 2008. One of Shore Lodge's first summer employees was University of Idaho student John Ascuaga of Notus, who worked as a bellhop learning the business from the bottom up and was to go on to found the Nugget hotel, convention center, and casino in Sparks, Nevada, one of the largest and most successful in the Reno, Nevada area.
In 1965, a peninsula outside of McCall became Ponderosa State Park, home to large old-growth trees.
Geography The town is situated on the southern shore of Payette Lake, near the center of the Payette National Forest. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, McCall had a population of 3,686. The median age was 45.0 years. 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.3% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.3 males age 18 and over.
91.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 8.2% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,630 households in McCall, of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.2% were married-couple households, 20.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. In addition, 40.1% of residents aged 15 and older had never been married, and the average family size was 2.92.
There were 3,707 housing units, of which 1,630 were occupied and 2,077 were vacant. The vacancy rate was 56.0%; the homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.9%. The homeownership rate was 78.6%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 3,250 88.2% Black or African American 8 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native 27 0.7% Asian 34 0.9% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.0% Some other race 189 5.1% Two or more races 178 4.8% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 297 8.1%
2010 census As of the 2010 United States census, there were 2,991 people, 1,348 households, and 769 families in the city. The population density was . There were 3,581 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.6% White, 0.1% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 3.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.9% of the population.
There were 1,348 households, of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.0% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.80.
The median age in the city was 40.7 years. 21% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.5% were from 25 to 44; 31.1% were from 45 to 64; and 13.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.7% male and 48.3% female.
2000 census As of the 2000 United States census, there were 2,084 people, 902 households, and 549 families in the town. The population density was . There were 2,247 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.83% White, 0.05% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 1.34% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 2.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 19.2% were of German, 17.3% English, 10.6% Irish and 8.2% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 98.3% spoke English and 1.7% Spanish as their first language.
There were 902 households, out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.86.
The town population contained 24.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 30.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,250, and the median income for a family was $46,420. Males had a median income of $27,955 versus $26,932 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,479. 12.2% of the population and 7.0% of families were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under the age of 18 and 7.2% of those 65 and older.
Population history Lardo (now western McCall) had a population of 300 at the 1910 census, its only census entry.Moffatt, Riley. Population History of Western U.S. Cities & Towns, 1850-1990. Lanham: Scarecrow, 1996, p. 95.
Ancestry/Ethnicity As of 2017 the largest self-identified ancestry groups/ethnic groups in McCall, Idaho were:https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/17_5YR/DP02/1600000US1648790
Largest ancestries (2017) Percent English 39.1% Norwegian 19.2% German 18.3% Irish 12.8% "American" 5.7% Swedish 4.7% Scottish 3.5% Welsh 2.3% French (except Basque) 1.5%
Healthcare McCall is served by St. Luke's McCall, a member of the only Idaho not-for-profit health system. The hospital was established in 1956. The community hospital completed a significant modernization and expansion from 30,000 to 65,000 square feet in 2023. Modifications included outfitting its 24 hour emergency department with a new trauma bay, triage area and additional exam rooms, modernizing diagnostic equipment for its orthopedic services, enhanced surgical care, and expanding maternal and childbirth services. St. Luke's has affiliated outpatient clinics and offers programs focused on education, fitness, prevention, and wellness. There are 33 physicians with 29 specialties affiliated with the hospital.
Parks and recreation
Within McCall Payette Lake is a glacier-carved 4,986.7 acre lake at the north end of McCall surrounded by the Payette National Forest. The average depth of the 8.3 square mile lake is120 feet with a maximum depth of 304 feet. Activities on the Lake include swimming, sailing, wake surfing, waterskiing, jet skiing, canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, and boating. It is a popular fishing spot with many species present including tiger muskie, walleye, crappie, smallmouth bass, and three species of trout and kokanee. Trophy-sized fish are frequently caught. There are several public and private boat launch sites including a public boat launch next to the Mile High Marina, a private marina with 175 slips. The marina offers boat and jet ski rentals, fuel, a shop and food service. There are also several options for renting boats and jet skis in town.
The McCall Recreation Area, McCall Ranger District is accessible from the City and includes French Creek Trailhead, Smokejumper Base Interpretative Site, and Upper Payette Lake Campground, Camping Area and Group Campground. There are also many opportunities for outdoor activities in the McCall area.