| Valley County, Idaho | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of Idaho |
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 Idaho's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | February 26, 1917 |
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| Seat | Cascade |
| Largest city | McCall |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
3,734 sq mi (9,670 km²) 3,638 sq mi (9,525 km²) 56 sq mi (145 km²), 1.50% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
7,651 2/sq mi (1/km²) |
| Time zone | Mountain: UTC-7/-6 |
| Named for: The Long Valley of the North Fork of the Payette River |
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Valley County is a rural county located in west central Idaho in the United States. Established in 1917, it was named after the Long Valley of the North Fork of the Payette River, which extends over 30 miles from Payette Lake at McCall south to Cascade to Round Valley.
The valley was formerly a summer pasture for livestock from the Boise Valley. Since the completion of the Cascade Dam in 1948, much of the northern valley has been covered by the Cascade Reservoir. The population was 7,651 at the 2000 census; it was estimated at 8,862 in 2008.[1] The county seat is Cascade,[2] and the largest city is McCall.
Valley County is home to the Idaho ground squirrel.
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Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,734 square miles (9,670 km²), of which, 3,678 square miles (9,526 km²) of it is land and 56 square miles (145 km²) of it (1.50%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Idaho County - north
- Adams County - west
- Gem County - southwest
- Boise County - south
- Custer County - east
- Lemhi County - east
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Idaho County | |
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| Adams County |  |
Custer County and Lemhi County | ||
 Valley County, Idaho  |
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| Gem County | Boise County |
National protected areas
- Boise National Forest (part)
- Payette National Forest (part)
- Salmon National Forest (part)
Highways
SH-55 - Payette River Scenic Byway
The county's primary highway is the north-south State Highway 55, the Payette River Scenic Byway, a designated national scenic byway. It heads north from Eagle in Ada County to Horseshoe Bend in Boise County, and climbs the whitewater of the Payette River to Cascade and McCall. The route turns west at Payette Lake in McCall and ends at New Meadows in Adams County, at the junction with US-95.[3]
Government and politics
Valley County has long been a Republican stronghold, like most of Idaho. In 2004 George Bush defeated John Kerry by a 21% margin (59-38%). In 2008 Valley County was much more competitive than in recent years, as John McCain defeated Barack Obama by only 7% (52-45%).
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1920 | 2,524 |
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| 1930 | 3,488 | 38.2% | |
| 1940 | 4,035 | 15.7% | |
| 1950 | 4,270 | 5.8% | |
| 1960 | 3,663 | −14.2% | |
| 1970 | 3,609 | −1.5% | |
| 1980 | 5,604 | 55.3% | |
| 1990 | 6,109 | 9.0% | |
| 2000 | 7,651 | 25.2% | |
| Est. 2008 | 8,862 | 15.8% | |
| sources:[1][4] | |||
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 7,651 people, 3,208 households, and 2,252 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 8,084 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.43% White, 0.69% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.04% Black or African American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.10% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. 1.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 19.1% were of German, 16.4% English, 11.3% American and 10.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 3208 households out of which 28.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.90% were married couples living together, 5.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.80% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the county the population was spread out with 23.70% under the age of 18, 4.40% from 18 to 24, 24.90% from 25 to 44, 32.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 105.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,927, and the median income for a family was $42,283. Males had a median income of $31,113 versus $21,777 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,246. About 6.20% of families and 9.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.10% of those under age 18 and 5.60% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
Unincorporated communities
- Big Creek
- Lake Fork
- Roseberry
- Smiths Ferry
- Warm Lake
- Yellow Pine
References
- ^ a b Valley County QuickFacts, U.S. Census Bureau, 2009-02-20, accessed 2009-08-07.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Idaho Byways - Payette River Scenic Byway - accessed 2009-05-18
- ^ census.gov Idaho population by county, 1900-90 - accessed 2009-05-18
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
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