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Location
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Transportation Education |
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In central Idaho, the Wood River Valley is located in Blaine County, at the edge of the Sawtooth and Challis National Forests; the majestic Sawtooth Wilderness is located immediately to the north. Almost surrounded by U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands, the valleyís heart is the Big Wood River. Between the sagebrush and lava drylands to the south and the forested mountain ranges to the north, the valley has a mountain desert climate. With an average humidity of only 30%, and 15 inches of precipitation per year, the northern latitude creates long days, with 15 hours of sunshine in the summer.Average summer temperature is 78 degrees and average winter temperature is 23 degrees, with an annual snowfall of 150 inches. The cities of Sun Valley and Ketchum are at an
altitude of 5,750 feet, dwarfed by the ski mountain, Baldy, at 9,150 feet.
The river valley slopes down to the cities of Hailey and Bellevue at 5,300
feet. Four large lakes in the Stanley Basin to the north and two large
reservoirs to the south offer recreational opportunities. Hundreds of
streams and alpine lakes can be found in the mountains and valleys surrounding
the towns. Back to Top Sun Valley, Ketchum, Hailey, Bellevue and Carey
are the towns in Blaine County. All are goverened by an elected mayor
and a city council. In addition, the county is governed by a three member
Board of Commissioners. Ketchum, Hailey and Sun Valley have full-time
city administrators. Effective and responsive law enforcement is provided
by the State of Idaho, Blaine County and the city police departments. Fire protection in the north county is provided
by five stations, ten full-time permanent firefighters (who are also Emergency
Medical Technicians), two full time fire chiefs and a large group of paid
on call volunteers. The entire county is linked by 911 emergency dispatch
centers which are staffed by trained Emergency Medical Dispatchers. Back to Top The Wood River Valley, home to many sophisticated businesses, meets the needs of its community with a wide variety of services. Federal Express offers daily pickup six days a week U.S. Postal Service is available 7 days a week United Parcel Service, including 2nd Day Air, operates Monday through Friday. Saturday deliveries only for Next Day Air. Web Site designers, Internet providers, e-mail services and custom computer software is available from numerous local firms. Local companies offer a full range of secretarial services including word processing, call forwarding, dictation, convention support, notary services, residential property management, and mail pickup and forwarding. An extensive number of attorneys practice general litigation, business and real estate law in the area. Complete accounting services are available in the
valley at a selection of accredited firms. Local printing and design services
offer computerized typesetting, local printing, instant printing, blueprinting,
and local and national advertising capabilities. Office supply outlets
provide furniture, computer supplies, typewriter and equipment purchase
and rentals and copying facilities in addition to a full line of art and
office supplies. FAX, Telex and Western Union outlets are available locally.
US West provides the Sun Valley customer with state-of-the-art digital
telephone service including advanced custom calling services such as Caller
ID, Priority Call and Call Waiting. Sun Valley is linked to the electronic
superhighway with a statewide long distance fiber optic cable that is
capable of handling high speed data transmissions in addition to long
distance telephone calls. Extensive cellular service is provided in the
area by 2 carriers, AirTouch and U S Cellular. Back to Top Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey serves the
air transportation needs of the area's tourists and businesses with a
runway length of 6,601 feet and an air traffic control tower. However,
businesses relying on air connections should be aware that diversions
in snowy mountain weather are not uncommon. Horizon Air and Sky West are
the main carriers into the Sun Valley area. Horizon, owned by Alaska Airlines
and with a marketing agreement with Northwest Airlines, offers regularly
scheduled flights from Boise, Seattle and the Northwest on 37-passenger
DeHavilland Dash 8s. Sky West, the Delta Connection, provides service
from Salt Lake City on a 30-passenger aircraft, the Embrauer Brazilia.
Most national carriers serve Sun Valleyís gateway cities of Boise
and Salt Lake City. Serving Boise are Delta, Horizon, Sky West, Southwest,
Northwest and United. Approximate air time from Boise is 35 minutes; from
Salt Lake City, 60 minutes. Charter air service is available in the valley
from private carriers. Back to Top The Sun Valley area is served by highly skilled,
conscientious educators and concerned parents who work to provide students
with what we believe are the best educational opportunities in the state.
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