Blaine County, Idaho

Infobox U.S. County
county = Blaine County
state = Idaho


founded year = 1895
founded date = March 5
seat wl = Hailey
largest city wl = Hailey
area_total_sq_mi = 2661
area_total_km2 = 6892
area_land_sq_mi =
area_land_km2 =
area_water_sq_mi = 16
area_water_km2 = 42
area percentage = 0.6%
census yr = 2005
pop = 21166
density_sq_mi =
density_km2 = 3
time zone = Mountain
UTC offset = -7
DST offset = -6
footnotes =
web = www.co.blaine.id.us
named for =

Blaine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 18,991 (2005 estimate: 21,166). [ [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/16/16013.html U.S. Census Bureau: 2005 population estimates] ] The county seat and largest city is Hailey.GR|6

Blaine County was created by the Idaho Legislature on March 5, 1895, by combining Alturas and Logan Counties. [ [http://www.idaho.gov/aboutidaho/county/blaine.html Blaine County - Idaho.gov] ] Its present boundaries were set on February 8, 1919, when a western portion became Camas County. [ [http://www.idaho.gov/aboutidaho/county/camas.html Camas County - Idaho.gov] ]

The county is named after former U.S. Congressman and 1884 Republican presidential nominee James G. Blaine. [ [http://www.idaho.gov/aboutidaho/county/blaine.html Blaine County - Idaho.gov] ]

History

The Wood River Valley in present-day Blaine County was organized as part of Alturas County by the Idaho Territorial Legislature in 1864. [ [http://www.idahogenealogy.com/alturas/index.htm Alturas County, Idaho Genealogy and History] ] By the 1880s the area became noted for its mining ecnonomy. In 1882 the county seat of Alturas County was moved from Rocky Bar in present-day Elmore County to Hailey, in response to a population shift from Rocky Bar - which would eventually become a ghost town - to the Wood River Valley. [ [http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0983.pdf Blaine County Courthouse] ]

After Idaho statehood in 1890, as in the rest of the state mining gradually decreased in significance in Blaine County. Blaine County began to recast itself as a tourism destination with the opening of the Sun Valley resort in 1936. The area soon began to attract celebrity residents, most notably Ernest Hemingway, who is buried in Ketchum. [ [http://www.svguide.com/heming.htm Hemingway Haunts] ] Celebrities who currently live either full-time or part-time in Blaine County include Adam West [ [http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A153890 Adam West: Behind the Mask] ] , Demi Moore [ [http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_story/2141:2714/3/Demi_Moore.htm The Biography Channel - Demi Moore Biography] ] , John Kerry [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article498699.ece Ghostly secret haunts Kerry's Idaho idyll] ] , Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Clint Eastwood. [ [http://www.idaho-home.com/ketchum/index.html Ketchum/Sun Valley - Luxury Custom Home Builder] ]

County profile

Many Blaine County residents live in the Wood River Valley along Idaho State Highway 75 in the western half of the county. This area includes all of the county's incorporated cities and towns except Carey, which is located in the south-central part of the county on U.S. Route 26. The county's southeastern panhandle, known locally as the Yale area, is very sparsely populated. [ [http://www.mtexpress.com/2000/01-19-00/1-12sage.htm Populated north, rural south: Blaine County's two worlds] ]

Blaine County has a much higher cost of living than surrounding areas. Its median value of owner-occupied housing units is more than double the state average. [ [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/16/16013.html Blaine County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau] ] As a result, some people who work in Blaine County live in outlying areas, particularly Shoshone in neighboring Lincoln County. It is estimated that 2,540 people from outside the county commute to work in Blaine County. [ [http://blainecounty.govoffice2.com/vertical/Sites/%7BDDCFF136-A071-4998-93F2-2DDE77274A17%7D/uploads/%7BEF48A7D0-93C1-4ACE-8537-B92121C44EF5%7D.PDF Blaine County estimate (PDF)] ]

Education

Public schools in Blaine County are administered by the Blaine County School District. [ [http://www.blaineschools.org/Default.aspx Blaine County School District] ] . There are two public high schools in the county, Wood River High School in Hailey and Carey High School in Carey. The rural Yale area in the county's southeastern panhandle is served by schools in neighboring Minidoka County. [ [http://www.blaineschools.org/District/Neighborhood_School_Boundaries.aspx Blaine County School District : Neighborhood School Boundaries] ]

Private schools include The Community School in Sun Valley.

The Twin Falls-based College of Southern Idaho operates an off-campus outreach center in Hailey. [ [http://offcampus.csi.edu/blaine/index.asp CSI Off-Campus Centers | Blaine County Center] ]

Government and politics

Similar to other Idaho counties, an elected three-member county commission heads the county government. Other elected officials include clerk, treasurer, sheriff, assessor and prosecutor. [ [http://www.co.blaine.id.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={403CC67E-FE33-437C-83E9-9AB2BF1FC3A9} Blaine County Idaho Elected Officials] ]

Blaine County has a reputation as a strong Democratic Party enclave in predominately Republican Idaho. [ [http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid:314204 Real Western: Pondering the Democratic map of the Intermountain West] ] The Democratic candidate for President of the United States has won in the county in every election since 1992, when George H. W. Bush finished third behind Bill Clinton and Ross Perot. [ [http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/datagraph.php?year=1992&fips=16&f=0&off=0&elect=0 Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections] ] Blaine was the only Idaho county carried by Al Gore and John Kerry in 2000 and 2004 respectively. [ [http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?f=0&fips=16&year=1992 1992 Presidential General Election Results - Idaho] ] [ [http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?f=0&fips=16&year=1996 1996 Presidential General Election Results - Idaho] ] [ [http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?f=0&fips=16&year=2000 2000 Presidential General Election Results - Idaho] ] [ [http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?f=0&fips=16&year=2004 2004 Presidential General Election Results - Idaho] ]

At the state level Blaine County is located in Legislative District 25 [ [http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/about/07districtmap.pdf Idaho Legislative District Map] ] , which currently has an all-Democratic delegation in the Idaho Legislature. [ [http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/about/district.cfm#d25 Idaho Legislative Districts] ] Both Clint Stennett and Wendy Jaquet, the current Democratic leaders in the Idaho Senate and House respectively, reside in Ketchum.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,661 square miles (6,892 km²), of which, 2,645 square miles (6,850 km²) of it is land and 16 square miles (42 km²) of it (0.61%) is water.

Adjacent counties

*Butte County, Idaho - northeast
*Bingham County, Idaho - east
*Power County, Idaho - southeast
*Cassia County, Idaho - south
*Minidoka County, Idaho - southwest
*Lincoln County, Idaho - south
*Camas County, Idaho - west
*Elmore County, Idaho - northwest
*Custer County, Idaho - northwest

National protected areas

* Craters of the Moon National Monument (part)
* Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge (part)
* Salmon-Challis National Forest (part)
* Sawtooth National Forest (part)

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 18,991 people, 7,780 households, and 4,839 families residing in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 12,186 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.73% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 6.43% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. 10.69% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.0% were of English, 14.6% German, 10.8% Irish and 6.2% American ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 7,780 households out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.20% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.80% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 32.60% from 25 to 44, 27.90% from 45 to 64, and 7.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 107.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,496, and the median income for a family was $60,037. Males had a median income of $35,949 versus $27,487 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,346. About 4.90% of families and 7.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.80% of those under age 18 and 5.30% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

*Bellevue
*Carey
*Hailey
*Ketchum
*Sun Valley

Unincorporated communities

*Picabo
*Triumph

References

External links

* [http://www.co.blaine.id.us/ Blaine County]