The Long Way
Payette County
An aerial view of a small town with houses and buildings surrounded by fields.
Plate I. Aerial view of New Plymouth. From islands.com
A man prepares to pitch a horseshoe at a park while others watch.
Plate II. Horseshoe pitching tournament in New Plymouth. From livinginthenews.com
An aerial black-and-white photograph shows a circular town layout surrounded by fields.
Plate III. Aerial view of New Plymouth, Idaho. From atlasobscura.com
A large wooden water wheel sits beside a small stream in a grassy field.
Plate IV. Water wheel, New Plymouth. From atlasobscura.com

World's Largest Horseshoe-Shaped Town

New Plymouth, Payette County, Idaho. Horseshoe-shaped town.

Details

Map. New Plymouth, Payette County, Idaho. Larger map
Where
Elm St., New Plymouth, ID. Directions
When
Monday -Thursday 7am - 5:30 pm Friday CLOSED.
Getting there
I-84 exits 3 (or 8), then drive east (or north) on US Hwy 30 for several miles into town. The horseshoe wraps around the town center at US Hwy 30 and Elm St., with East/West Blvd being the outermost road.
Access
Founded in 1896, New Plymouth is small, measuring just under 0.7 square miles, and is set out in a distinctive and unusual double-horseshoe shape.
Phone
(208) 278-5338
Website
npidaho.com
Managed by
City of New Plymouth.
Established
1896.
Coordinates
43.970556, -116.820556.

New Plymouth is the World's Largest Horseshoe. It doesn't own this horseshoe; rather, it is shaped like one. The blvd. mimics the general shape of a horseshoe.

Notable Events

  1. 1894In 1894, the National Irrigation Congress designed a model town and canal system. hmdb.org
  2. 1895In 1895 they formed what they called The Plymouth Society of Chicago. idahopress.com
  3. 1896The colony was incorporated in 1896; each colonist bought 20 shares at $30 a share for 20 acres and a town lot. npidaho.com
  4. 1897Later in 1897, it was incorporated as a village with "New Plymouth" as the name. payettecounty.info
  5. 1908The community was governed by a colony board of directors until it incorporated as a village in 1908, dropping the last two words in the name. idahopress.com
  6. 1948It was designated a city in 1948. idahopress.com

People

  • William E. Smythe, irrigation promoter who led The New Plymouth Society of Chicago.
  • William E Smyth, founder of the colony; chairman of the executive committee of the National Irrigation Congress and irrigation promoter.
  • William J. Shawhan, holder of the original patent under the Desert Land Act of 1877 for the land granted to the New Plymouth Farm Colony, Ltd.

Sources

  1. npidaho.com
  2. npidaho.com/about-us
  3. livinginthenews.com/new-plymouth-celebrates-community-spirit-during-2026-horseshoe-days
  4. islands.com/1767052/new-plymouth-worlds-largest-horseshoe-quirky-idaho-gem-quaint-small-town-vibe
  5. atlasobscura.com/places/horseshoeshaped-town
  6. roadsideamerica.com/tip/9384
  7. npidaho.com/horseshoe-park-bench-project
  8. npidaho.com/maps
  9. npidaho.com/documents/54/NP_CITY_TAB.pdf
  10. npidaho.com/documents/54/NP_NEW_ADDR_GRID.pdf