The city is named for Frank R. Gooding, a local sheep rancher who became a prominent political figure in Idaho in the early 20th century, serving as both Governor of Idaho and a United States Senator.

Gooding is home to the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind.

It has a capacity of 120,000 metric tons per year of barrel cheese and belongs to the Glanbia group.

33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

College of Southern Idaho maintains a Gooding Center.

[13] Gooding County is in the catchment area, but not the taxation zone, for College of Southern Idaho.

"[21][22][23] The North Valley Academy charter school was approved December 20, 2007.

[25] The Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind (ISDB) was first established in 1906 in Boise and operated there until it burned down on December 8, 1908.

The Idaho Legislature passed an act on March 16, 1909, establishing a permanent state school.

[27] The school covers a 40-acre (160,000 m2) area and provides dormitories for many of its students and has other facilities, such as a gymnasium and park.

[30] The surviving building of the campus, which dates to 1920, became a tuberculosis hospital in 1946, and was later converted into an inn.