Spotlight on Moscow
Tucked away in North Central Idaho, the Palouse is an area unlike any other. The gently rolling hills of wheat, barley, lentil and dry pea fields and natural forestlands are home to the community of Moscow.
History
After settlers arrived in 1871, the town became known as “Paradise Valley.” In 1877, Samuel Neff filed for a postal permit under the name of Moscow because the area reminded him of his hometown of Moscow Pennsylvania. In 1875, the city’s first store was opened on what is now Main Street. Moscow grew with the arrival of the railroad in 1885. The town became incorporated in 1887 and was chosen as the site for a land-grant institution, the University of Idaho, in 1889. Idaho achieved statehood in 1890.
Community
Today Moscow is home to 22,000 residents and students. The area boasts a highly skilled and educated work force employed by Moscow’s thriving businesses and the University of Idaho. Merchants offer an extensive selection of quality products and services.
Alturas Analytics a competitive provider of LC/MS and LC/MS/MS services contracting to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries makes Moscow home. They offer high-quality contract research and provide personalized laboratory services in a modern, up-to-date facility, and have experience working in regulated environments. They take pride in their laboratory expertise, in their highly motivated team of skilled scientists, and in their unsurpassed commitment to customer service. Alturas Analytics believe in building strong and lasting relationships with clients.
Another thriving business in Moscow is EcoAnalysts, serving the aquatic monitoring community by providing accurate and timely taxonomic identification of macroinvertebrate samples, biological assessment and consulting services since 1995. EcoAnalysts is committed to helping their clients make highly informed decisions regarding the condition and stewardship of natural resources.
And labs aren't the only business that prosper in Moscow. Mike Meehan, President and Founder of Biktronics, Inc., a high tech fabrication firm that specializes in making electronic components for Harley-Davidson motorcycles moved his company from Southern California to Moscow in 2007.
“When we first got here, I remember getting a quote from my insurance agent on liability insurance. I said, ‘Are you sure you are not missing a zero?’ The rates were different by a factor of ten between California and Idaho.”
Biketronics sales have doubled every year but one and he currently employs 25. “We were growing so fast that we had to move three times within our first three years here,” Meehan says. “We will move again into a bigger facility and also create what I call the Fab Lab — a place where we will encourage entrepreneurs to create their own businesses and hire people. With two universities located around here, it is a cool little climate. There are a lot of professional people walking around and a lot of smart kids going to school.”
“Locating our company to Idaho helped for sure,” he says. “We were looking to get out of California and we were looking at all of the Western states. We looked at New Mexico, Oregon and Idaho in particular. Mike attended the University of Idaho in electrical engineering and then spent the next 18 years working for Hewlett-Packard.
In addition to Moscow’s fine business and educational reputation, the city’s arts community has gained national attention. The Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival, Festival Dance, Idaho Repertory Theatre, Renaissance Fair, Rendezvous in the Park, and the Prichard Art Gallery are reasons why Moscow is known as the “Heart of the Arts.” Moscow has also been rated one of the “Best 100 Small Art Towns in America.”