| Latah County, Idaho | |
 |
|
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Idaho |
|
 Idaho's location in the U.S. |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | May 14, 1888 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Moscow |
| Largest city | Moscow |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,077 sq mi (2,789 km²) 1,077 sq mi (2,789 km²) 0 sq mi (1 km²), .02% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
34,935 55/sq mi (13/km²) |
| Time zone | Pacific: UTC-8/-7 |
| Website: www.latah.id.us | |
| Named for: Latah Creek | |
Latah County is a county located in the north central region of the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 34,935 at the 2000 census (2008 estimate: 35,906).[1] The county seat and largest city is Moscow,[2] which is the home of the University of Idaho, the state's land-grant university. The county comprises the majority of the eastern portion of the Palouse, famous for its rolling hills and rich agriculture. Latah County is the only county in the U.S. established by an act of Congress.[3]
Latah County (pron. LAH'-tah ) was created in 1886 and named for Latah Creek in its northwest corner. The name is Nez Perce and means "the place of pine trees and sestle," because the tribe found stones here suitable for pulverizing camas roots and shade under the white pine trees in which to work.[4].
Latah County comprises the Moscow, ID, Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents |
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,077 square miles (2,789 km²), of which, 1,077 square miles (2,789 km²) of it is land and 0 square miles (1 km²) of it (0.02%) is water. It is part of the Palouse, a wide and rolling portion of the middle Columbia basin.
Adjacent counties
- Benewah County - north
- Shoshone County - northeast
- Clearwater County - east
- Nez Perce County - south
- Whitman County, Washington - west
 |
Benewah County | Shoshone County | |
|
| Whitman County, Washington |  |
Clearwater County | ||
 Latah County, Idaho  |
||||
 |
||||
| Nez Perce County |
National protected area
- St. Joe National Forest (part)
Highways
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 13,451 |
|
|
| 1910 | 18,818 | 39.9% | |
| 1920 | 18,092 | −3.9% | |
| 1930 | 17,798 | −1.6% | |
| 1940 | 18,804 | 5.7% | |
| 1950 | 20,971 | 11.5% | |
| 1960 | 21,170 | 0.9% | |
| 1970 | 24,891 | 17.6% | |
| 1980 | 28,749 | 15.5% | |
| 1990 | 30,617 | 6.5% | |
| 2000 | 34,935 | 14.1% | |
| Est. 2008 | 35,906 | 2.8% | |
| sources:[5][1] | |||
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 34,935 people, 13,059 households, and 7,770 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile (13/km²). There were 13,838 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.94% White, 0.59% Black or African American, 0.75% Native American, 2.10% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 1.76% from two or more races. 2.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 20.4% were of German, 13.5% English, 8.7% Irish, 7.8% American and 5.9% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 13,059 households out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.50% were married couples living together, 6.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.50% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the county the population was spread out with 20.30% under the age of 18, 24.50% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 18.90% from 45 to 64, and 9.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 107.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,524, and the median income for a family was $46,303. Males had a median income of $34,734 versus $24,886 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,690. About 7.90% of families and 16.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.20% of those under age 18 and 5.40% of those age 65 or over. Forty percent of all workers in Latah County work for the University of Idaho or Washington State University in nearby Pullman.
Flora and fauna
There are numerous species of plants and animals within Latah County. There are a variety of tree species within the county including White Pine.[7] Faunal species include the Clay-colored sparrow[8] and Rough-Skinned Newt.[9]
Government and politics
 |
This section requires expansion. |
Latah County has long been one of the most competitive counties in Idaho, while the state as a whole is strongly Republican.
Latah County residents voted in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections for the Republican candidate at a lower rate than the rest of the state. In 2000, George W. Bush carried Latah County with 53.3% of the vote; in 2004, this fell to 49.5% of the vote as the Democratic vote share increased from 37.0% to 48.0%. Ralph Nader, who received 6.5% of the vote in 2000, was not on the ballot in 2004. In 2008, Barack Obama carried the county over John McCain 51%-45%. In 2006, Latah County voted 55.05% against HJR 2, which amended the Idaho Constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage; the measure passed with 63.35% of the statewide vote. Blaine County, a very popular ski resort area and Idaho's one Democratic stronghold, was the one other county to reject HJR 2.[10]
On the precinct level, Democrats generally carry the university city of Moscow by moderate margins, and the rural remainder of the county is strongly Republican.[11]
Communities
Cities
| Name | Population | Elevation | Zip Code | Coordinates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bovill | 305 | 2874 ft (876 m) | 83806 | 46°51′33″N 116°23′40″W / 46.85917°N 116.39444°W | |
| Deary | 552 | 2874 ft (876 m) | 83823 | 46°48′0″N 116°33′31″W / 46.8°N 116.55861°W | |
| Genesee | 946 | 2680 ft (817 m) | 83832 | 46°33′4″N 116°55′39″W / 46.55111°N 116.9275°W | |
| Juliaetta | 609 | 1171 ft (357 m) | 83535 | 46°34′40″N 116°42′28″W / 46.57778°N 116.70778°W | |
| Kendrick | 369 | 1240 ft (378 m) | 83537 | 46°36′52″N 116°39′1″W / 46.61444°N 116.65028°W | |
| Moscow | 21,291 | 2579 ft (786 m) | 83843 | 46°43′54″N 116°59′50″W / 46.73167°N 116.99722°W | county seat |
| Onaway | 230 | 2621 ft (799 m) | 83855 | 46°55′43″N 116°53′21″W / 46.92861°N 116.88917°W | |
| Potlatch | 791 | 2546 ft (776 m) | 83855 | 46°55′20″N 116°53′52″W / 46.92222°N 116.89778°W | |
| Troy | 798 | 2487 ft (758 m) | 83871 | 46°44′19″N 116°46′15″W / 46.73861°N 116.77083°W |
Unincorporated community
Notes
- ^ a b Quickfacts.census.gov - Latah County - accessed 2009-06-06.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Latah County - history
- ^ Idaho.gov - Latah County - accessed 2009-06-06
- ^ census.gov Idaho population by county, 1900-90 - accessed 2009-06-06
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Julie R. Monroe (2006) Latah County, Arcadia Publishing, 127 pages ISBN 0738531332
- ^ Shirley Shurts, 2006, A Comprehensive List of Review Species Reports in Idaho
- ^ C. Michael Hogan (2008) Rough-skinned Newt ("Taricha granulosa"), GlobalTwitcher, ed. N. Stromberg [1]
- ^ Idaho HJR 2 Results by County
- ^ "Idaho Election Results". Idaho Secretary Of State: Elections, Campaign Disclosure and Lobbyists. Idaho Secretary of State. http://www.idsos.state.id.us/ELECT/results.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
External links
- County website
- Access Idaho
- Latah County Historical Society
- Latah Trail Project
- National Register of Historic Places - Latah County
|
||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
