Kjell our flying reporter is currently in Moscow Idaho. Here is his first report.
The city of Moscow is located in Russia, this is what one thinks if one tells you that one goes to Moscow;-) But stop, there is more than the Russian Moscow. Searching the web, I found 78.100.000 hits (source: Google.com 06.01.2008) on Google for the word Moscow. And I’m going to be in Moscow (Latah County Idaho USA) a small town with a population of 21.291 (2000 census).
The geographical coordinates are 46°43?54?N 116°59?50?W, an elevation of 2,579 ft (786 m) and an area of 6.2 sq mi (15.9 km²). In Moscow, like in all North Idaho resides the Pacific Time Zone.
When tracking the origin of name of the City of Moscow, Idaho the stories popping up are cute. Memory usually does this to reality. Everybody knows that. It probably was a postman called Samuel Neff, who gave the name to the area, which was discovered and settled in 1871.
The life in Moscow is dominated by the University of Idaho with about 11.000 students. It is half of the town’s population.
Pullmann is the big neighbour city. 9 miles seperate the two cities and its two big Universities (Washington state University in Pullman and University of Idaho in Moscow).
My experience in Moscow is and was always fun. The area is great for running, the traffic is not too bad to ride my bike - only a little cold in the winter - and the swimming facilities are great. It is bizarre to walk around coming from a city with a population of 2 Mio people. The choices where to shop what to do for fun are very limited. Getting around town on a run takes me about 15 minutes.
Once I went into the post office and the nice man at the counter asked me: »Sorry Sir, your are not from here, usually there don’t come tourist to our town. May I ask you why are you in Moscow?«
Being in Moscow and not being a student from the University is something unusual. I told him: »Moscow is my love, and hope my for ever lasting one«. He smiled and I continued my may thorough small town, enjoying to be back again.