Caribou County, Idaho

Caribou County, Idaho
Seal
Location in the state of Idaho
Idaho's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 11, 1919
Named for	The Caribou Mountains
Seat	Soda Springs
Largest city	Soda Springs
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,798.62 sq mi (4,658 km²) 1,766.01 sq mi (4,574 km²) 32.61 sq mi (84 km²), 1.81%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	6,963 3.9/sq mi (1.6/km²)
Time zone	Mountain: UTC-7/-6

Caribou County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2010 Census the county had a population of 6,963. The county seat and largest city is Soda Springs, followed by Grace and Bancroft.

History

Caribou County was formed on February 11, 1919, by the Idaho Legislature by a partition of Bannock County. It was the last county formed in the state, three days after Jerome County, and was named for the Caribou Mountains.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1,798.62 square miles (4,658.4 km²), of which 1,766.01 square miles (4,573.9 km²) (or 98.19%) is land and 32.61 square miles (84.5 km²) (or 1.81%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Bonneville County - north
• Lincoln County, Wyoming - east
• Bear Lake County - south
• Franklin County - south
• Bannock County - west
• Bingham County - northwest

National protected areas

• Cache National Forest (part)
• Caribou National Forest (part)
• Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Highways

• - US 30
• - SH-34

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1920	2,191		—
1930	2,121		−3.2%
1940	2,284		7.7%
1950	5,576		144.1%
1960	5,976		7.2%
1970	6,534		9.3%
1980	8,695		33.1%
1990	6,963		−19.9%
2000	7,304		4.9%
2010	6,963		−4.7%
sources:

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,304 people, 2,560 households, and 1,978 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 3,188 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.14% White, 0.05% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 2.20% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 3.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 29.7% were of English, 12.2% German, 11.0% American, 8.2% Danish and 5.5% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 2,560 households out of which 39.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.30% were married couples living together, 5.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.70% were non-families. 20.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the county the population was spread out with 31.70% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,609, and the median income for a family was $42,630. Males had a median income of $38,575 versus $20,085 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,179. About 7.00% of families and 9.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.60% of those under age 18 and 9.90% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Bancroft
• Grace
• Soda Springs

Unincorporated communities

• Conda
• Freedom
• Henry
• Wayan

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Caribou County, Idaho