How to Meet People if You're From Paul, Idaho
If you're from Paul, Idaho, you know the feeling: you open a dating app, scroll through the options, and you've seen everyone before. Paul is a city of about 1,700 people in Minidoka County, Idaho, and a pool that size only goes so far.
Paul in numbers
| Population (2025 estimate) | 1,722 |
|---|---|
| County | Minidoka County |
| Change since 2020 | +44.3% |
| Size rank in Idaho | 71 of 198 cities and towns |
| Larger than | 64% of Idaho's cities and towns |
| Other cities and towns within 30 miles | 13 (27,000 people combined) |
| Nearest city of 25,000 or more (OR, ID, WA, MT) | Twin Falls, Idaho: 35 miles (56,000 people) |
Population estimates by year:
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,198 | 1,439 | 1,720 | 1,730 | 1,722 | 1,722 |
Why dating close to home runs out
Add up every incorporated city and town within 30 miles of Paul and you get 13 places with about 27,000 people between them, not counting Paul itself. Within 60 miles it's 30 places and about 129,000 people. Those totals count incorporated places only, so people outside city limits would add to them, but the point stands: an app that starts with whoever lives closest builds your options from a small circle, so you keep seeing the same few profiles.
| Distance from Paul | Other cities and towns | People in them |
|---|---|---|
| Within 10 miles | 4 | 23,024 |
| Within 30 miles | 13 | 27,002 |
| Within 60 miles | 30 | 129,192 |
| Within 100 miles | 57 | 252,838 |
Why Burley is out of reach for you on the big apps
The city next to a small town is often the hardest place to date from it. Burley (about 12,000 people, 5 miles from Paul) has plenty of singles, but a distance-ranked app lists them for each other first; Tinuiti's analysis of Tinder's algorithm says proximity is a key factor in who it shows you. A member in Paul ends up behind every closer profile in the deck of everyone in Burley, so the matches that should be easiest to reach are the ones the app makes hardest.
Burley has about 7 times as many people as Paul, so a member from Paul is outnumbered there roughly 7 to 1 before the ranking even starts. There is 1 other incorporated place closer to Burley than Paul is, with about 3,800 people between it, and it tends to come ahead of you in Burley's deck.
On Amarbis, ranking isn't based on distance. Choose Idaho as your region and Burley is in your pool with everyone else in Idaho, so you aren't placed behind the person's next-door neighbor because of where you live.
Bigger places within reach of Paul, each with its own guide:
- Burley, ID: 12,409 people, 5 miles away
- Twin Falls, ID: 56,216 people, 35 miles away
- Jerome, ID: 13,731 people, 38 miles away
- Hailey, ID: 10,053 people, 68 miles away
- Pocatello, ID: 58,771 people, 69 miles away
How region-based dating changes it
On dating apps that sort by distance, the people nearest you come first. On Amarbis you choose your region, so who you meet isn't decided by how close they live to Paul. Choose Idaho and you're meeting people from a state of about 2.0 million. The nearest city of 25,000 or more to Paul is Twin Falls (35 miles away).
Other places near Paul
- Heyburn, ID: 3,783 people, 3 miles away
- Burley, ID: 12,409 people, 5 miles away
- Rupert, ID: 6,460 people, 6 miles away
- Hansen, ID: 1,109 people, 27 miles away
- Kimberly, ID: 5,798 people, 30 miles away
- Twin Falls, ID: 56,216 people, 35 miles away
Browse every city and town in Idaho.
Other places in Minidoka County
Minidoka County has 5 incorporated places with 12,194 people between them. Nearby places in the county include:
How to start from Paul
- Create a free profile with a clear photo of your face. Every photo on Amarbis is screened, and every profile is reviewed by a real person.
- Choose the region you want to meet people from. Starting with all of Idaho gives you the widest local pool.
- Open with a specific question rather than "hey", then decide whether a meeting is worth the drive. When you're ready to meet, read how to meet safely first.
Every profile on Amarbis is reviewed by a real person, and joining is free: 25 likes a day, unlimited messaging with matches, no credit card. Create your profile.
More from Amarbis
- Why Amarbis is the best dating app for small towns
- Singles in the United States
- International dating guide
- Overcoming language barriers in love
- Meeting someone safely for the first time
- Plans and pricing
Population figures are U.S. Census Bureau estimates for July 1, 2025. Distances are straight-line miles between place center points, so road distances are longer. Counts of nearby places include incorporated cities and towns in Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Montana only.