Kellogg is named after a prospector named Noah Kellogg. Legend has it that his donkey wandered off during the morning of September 4, 1885; Kellogg found the animal at a large outcropping of galena, which became the site of the Bunker Hill and Sullivan Mines; those mines led to the founding of Kellogg, a city where a local sign reads "This is the town founded by a jackass and inhabited by his descendants." Noah Kellogg is buried in the city's cemetery.
After nearly a century of bustling activity in the mines, including a history of disputes between union miners and mine owners, the Bunker Hill Mine (& smelter) closed in 1981, leaving thousands out of work, a history of lead contamination, and other mines reduced operations as well. Since the mines have closed Kellogg is moving more towards a resort town as development of new condos, hotels, restaurants, shops, a water park and a new golf course continues at the base of the Silver Mountain Gondola. Kellogg was recently featured in the New York Times travel section as an up and coming ski resort. [1]
The Silver Mountain Resort is a ski resort which includes Kellogg Peak (6300 ft/1920 m) and Wardner Peak (6200 ft/1890 m) and is accessed by taking the world's longest single-cabin gondola 3.1 miles from the town of Kellogg to the lodge at Kellogg Mountain.
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,395 people, 1,023 households, and 603 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,235.1 people per square mile (476.7/km²). There were 1,239 housing units at an average density of 639.0/sq mi (246.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.70% White, 0.13% African American, 1.59% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 2.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.75% of the population.
There were 1,023 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $25,898, and the median income for a family was $32,260. Males had a median income of $29,214 versus $17,391 for females. The per capita income for the village was $16,274. About 17.3% of families and 21.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.2% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.