Atomic City

Atomic City was called ‘Midway’ until 1950, when the town voted to change its name. The town was located next to the newly created Idaho National Laboratories (INL), which was experimenting with the first power generating nuclear reactor designs. Atomic city hoped to attract new residents with a futurist name to heralded in the atomic age.After some initial success, Atomic City’s population began rapidly declining. This may be due to the proximity of the town to over 50 nuclear reactors built by INL. It may be due to its (lack of) proximity to the nearest large town, Idaho Falls, which is nearly 1 hour away. Or, it may be its proximity to the first fatal nuclear power accident which occurred on January 3, 1961 on the INL property when the 3 Megawatt experimental SL-1 reactor exploded after a stuck control rod was removed too rapidly.Whatever accounted for Atomic City’s decline, the result is a town with a few hulking buildings, an overgrown stock car racetrack, and a population of 29 according to the 2010 census. There is a small RV park with full hookups near the town entrance, which offers a rustic, post-apocalyptic atmosphere for your vacation getaway.