Twin Falls homes by area: the Original Townsite, the canyon rim and north Twin Falls

Browse Twin Falls homes · Search ZIP 83301

At a glance

The Original Townsite

What it is

The Twin Falls Original Townsite Residential Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (reference 01001306). Its nomination describes a roughly triangular area in the center of the city, roughly bounded by Blue Lakes, Addison Avenue, and Second Avenues East and West (National Register nomination, via Idaho State Historical Society).

From the nomination:

• The townsite refers to the city's earliest plats, from 1904, and most of the district's buildings are homes built as single-family houses, with some duplexes and two historic apartment buildings.
• The street grid is set at a 45-degree angle to the rest of the city, so many intersections and parcels at the edges are oddly shaped. Most homes face the avenues rather than the streets.
• Craftsman bungalows are the main style, with some Victorian-era and World War II-era homes and 1950s–60s infill. Garages usually sit at the back and open onto alleys.

What National Register listing means

The National Register is the federal list of places worth preserving (National Park Service). Listing on it is mostly recognition. Local design review is a separate city process.

In Twin Falls, the city's Historic Preservation Commission requires a Certificate of Appropriateness, its sign-off on exterior work, in the City Park, Downtown and Warehouse historic districts (City of Twin Falls, Historic Preservation Commission). The city's 2018 Historic Preservation Master Plan says the commission reviews projects in those three districts and acts as an advisory body in all other cases. It also lists no design guidelines for the Original Townsite district yet, and sets a goal to write them (Twin Falls Historic Preservation Master Plan, 2018).

Planning exterior work on a home in or next to the townsite? Call the city's Planning and Zoning staff first. The rules could change if the city adopts guidelines.

Checks for an older home

• Get a full inspection. Home inspection and appraisal in Idaho covers the steps.
• Ask about past updates to wiring, plumbing, the roof and the foundation, and whether permits were pulled.
• Check alley access and the garage if you're counting on rear parking.

Near the Snake River Canyon rim

The Snake River Canyon forms Twin Falls' northern edge, separating it from Jerome County (Twin Falls Comprehensive Plan, 2016). Public places along the rim, listed alphabetically:

• Canyon Rim Trail (city). A paved trail along the canyon rim with views of the Snake River Canyon, the Perrine Bridge, Pillar Falls and Shoshone Falls, with trailheads and access points along the way (City of Twin Falls, Parks and Facilities).
• Centennial Waterfront Park (county). A Twin Falls County park on Canyon Springs Road (Twin Falls County Parks).
• Dierkes Lake Park (city). A former apple orchard the city bought in 1969, with picnicking, swimming, fishing and a trail around the lake (City of Twin Falls, Parks and Facilities).
• Shoshone Falls Park (city). The park at Shoshone Falls on the Snake River. The city says flows peak in spring, and in fall the falls can look nearly dry because river water is diverted and stored upstream (City of Twin Falls, Shoshone Falls).

Checks for a home near the rim

The city's plan names a Canyon Rim Overlay District, a zoning layer with its own development rules near the canyon, and lists "Preserve the Canyon Rim" as a plan goal (Twin Falls Comprehensive Plan, 2016). For a home near the rim:

• Ask the city whether the property sits in the Canyon Rim Overlay District, and what that means for decks, fences, additions or other outside work.
• Ask about setbacks and any easements for the trail or utilities. Your title report lists recorded easements.
• Check the HOA's CC&Rs if the home is in a subdivision. They may have their own rules for fences or views.

North Twin Falls

The city's comprehensive plan says residential growth expanded north over the past century, and that most recent home building has happened in northern Twin Falls close to the canyon rim, in subdivisions to the south, and in small pockets of redevelopment around downtown (Twin Falls Comprehensive Plan, 2016). The city's summary of the plan's future-use map also says it "encourages infill in town" with a wider range of housing types (City of Twin Falls, Comprehensive Plan).

That's plan language, not a promise about any one street. If you're looking at a newer subdivision on the north side:

• Read the CC&Rs, bylaws and HOA account statement. HOAs in Idaho new communities explains what to look for.
• Ask how the home gets yard water. Many Twin Falls subdivisions have a city-run pressurized irrigation system (see below).
• Buying a brand-new home? New construction vs. resale covers the main differences.

Checks for any Twin Falls home

• Yard water. The City of Twin Falls runs pressurized irrigation stations in many subdivisions, using canal water it buys from the Twin Falls Canal Company. The city says the season usually starts in April and ends in mid-October, and it posts each subdivision's station status online (City of Twin Falls, What Is Pressurized Irrigation?; station status). Canal water isn't for drinking. Well, septic and irrigation water in Idaho covers the questions to ask.
• City utilities. The city's Utility Services office handles water and sewer billing (City of Twin Falls, Utility Services).
• HOA documents. Read them before you offer, in any subdivision.
• Inspection. Old or new, get one.

Browse Twin Falls homes

• Twin Falls homes: every live listing in the city. Zoom the map to the townsite, the rim or the north side.
• ZIP 83301: a ZIP code is a mail route, not a neighborhood. Use the map to focus on the area you want.
• Twin Falls homes by ZIP code explains the city's ZIP codes.

Nearby towns, alphabetically:

• Jerome homes · Jerome (83338) guide
• Kimberly homes · Kimberly (83341) guide
• Magic Valley homes

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