Sunday morning in Salt Lake City, the leader of the Mormon Church, Prophet Thomas Monson, announced a Mormon temple will be built in Pocatello.
The Pocatello temple is one of five the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints revealed will be built around the world. The others are in Saratoga Springs, Utah and the capital cities of Brazil, Kenya and the Philippines.
Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad anticipates the temple opening within five years. A location for the structure hasn't been chosen yet, but in a meeting with church officials, Blad was told there's a strong possibility it will go near the city's northeast border.
The Idaho State Journal reports there was speculation about a Pocatello temple going on for decades, but it reached a fever pitch in recent years after temples were built in other Idaho cities and in Star Valley, Wyoming. The Mormon Church has owned 10 acres of land in an unincorporated part of Pocatello since 1997; last month the church announced they wanted 74 acres annexed into the city. The Pocatello City Council will vote on the annexation April 6.
Around 450,000 Mormons call Idaho home. Cities in the state with temples are: Boise, Idaho Falls, Rexburg and Twin Falls. A temple is in the final phases of construction in Meridian and will be dedicated November 19.
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