It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho.

Nathaniel Wyeth of Massachusetts established one of the first permanent settlements at Fort Hall in 1834, which is only a few miles northeast of Pocatello.

When over-trapping and a shift in fashion to silk hats put an end to the fur trade, Fort Hall became a supply point for immigrants traveling the Oregon Trail.

The gold rush brought a need for goods and services to many towns, and the Portneuf Valley, home of Pocatello, was the corridor initially used by stage and freight lines.

As pioneers, gold miners and settlers traveled the Oregon Trail, they passed through the Portneuf Gap south of town.

Stage and freight lines and the railroad soon followed, turning the community into a trade center and transportation junction.

The adjacent city of Alameda was consolidated into Pocatello in 1962,[8][9] Chubbuck, further north, opposed a similar merger and remained a separate municipality.

Attending the meeting was Roman Mars –whose 2015 TED Talk had made Pocatello's flag infamous.

[15][16] A main water feature of Pocatello is the Portneuf River, which runs southeast to northwest on the western side of the city.

People of English descent made up 20.5% of the population of the town, followed by German at 14.2%, Irish at 9.8%, American at 6.0%, Scottish at 4.0%, Italian at 3.0%, Danish at 3.0%, Swedish at 2.7%, Norwegian at 2.6%, French at 2.0%, Welsh at 2.0%, Polish at 1.4%, Swiss at 1.3%, Scotch-Irish at 1.2%, and Dutch at 1.0%.

[31] The United States Postal Service operates the Pocatello,[32] Bannock,[33] and Gateway Station post offices.

and Thelma E. Stephens Performing Arts Center is the largest such complex in Pocatello and hosts dance, theater, music, and other entertainment events.

[37] Pocatello is home to Holt Arena, a multipurpose indoor stadium that opened in 1970 on the ISU campus.

Holt Arena also plays host to the Simplot Games, the nation's largest indoor high school track-and-field meet.

[39] Pocatello is also home to a semi-pro baseball team, the Gate City Grays, who are a member of the Northern Utah League.

and Thelma E. Stephens Performing Arts Center occupies a prominent location overlooking Pocatello and the lower Portneuf River Valley.

The center's three venues provide performance space, including the Joseph C. and Cheryl H. Jensen Grand Concert Hall.