Blaine County, Idaho
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county
Blaine County is a county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 24,272.<ref name="2020 Census" /> The county seat and largest city is Hailey.<ref name=lmtjulp>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is also home to the Sun Valley ski resort, adjacent to Ketchum.
Blaine County was created by the territorial legislature on March 5, 1895, by combining Alturas and Logan counties; it was named for former congressman and 1884 Republican presidential nominee James G. Blaine.<ref name=lmtjulp/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its present boundaries were set on February 8, 1917, when a western portion was partitioned off to form Camas County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Blaine County is part of the Hailey, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
[edit]
The Wood River Valley in present-day Blaine County was organized as part of Alturas County by the Idaho Territorial Legislature in 1864.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By the 1880s the valley supported a thriving mining commerce; 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Blaine County boundaries described in its 1895 creation ordinance contained lands that soon were partitioned off to form other counties. Only thirteen days after the official formation date of Blaine, Lincoln County was formed from the county. Lincoln itself was later partitioned to create Gooding (1913), Minidoka (1913), and Jerome (1919) counties. Blaine County was further reduced in 1917 when Camas County was formed.<ref name=lmtjulp/>
The strong mining economy of the 1880s had substantially declined by 1890, when Idaho Territory became a state. The county began to recast itself as a tourism destination in 1936 with the opening of the Sun Valley resort, originally owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. The area soon attracted celebrity visitors, and later residents, most notably Ernest Hemingway, who is buried in the Ketchum Cemetery.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Celebrities who have lived in Blaine County include Adam West,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Demi Moore,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and John Kerry.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
County profile
[edit]Most Blaine County residents live in the Wood River Valley along 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 at the junction of US 20 with US 26/93. The county's gerrymandered southeastern panhandle, known locally as the Yale area, is sparsely populated.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
As the home of a major ski resort, Blaine County has a higher cost of living than surrounding areas; the median value of its owner-occupied housing units is more than double the state average.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As a result, many who work in Blaine County live in outlying areas, particularly in the city of Shoshone in neighboring Lincoln County. It is estimated that 2,540 people from outside the county commute to work in Blaine County.<ref>Blaine County estimate (PDF) Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
A portion of Blaine County, the "Yale" area, forms a political peninsula. Douglas S. Jones of the Mini-Cassia News Service wrote that access to a Union Pacific railroad line, and therefore getting tax money from it, is likely why the county wanted that strip of land.<ref name=JonesRailroadtaxes>Template:Cite news - Attached map</ref>
Government and politics
[edit]Since 1992, Blaine County has gained a reputation as a Democratic Party enclave in strongly Republican Idaho.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Democratic presidential candidate has won the county in every election since; that year, incumbent George H. W. Bush finished third behind Bill Clinton and Ross Perot.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2000 and 2004, Blaine was the only Idaho county carried by Al Gore and John Kerry, respectively.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Barack Obama carried the county in 2008 by a 33.2% margin over John McCain, while McCain won statewide by a 25.3% margin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was one of three counties (Latah, Teton) in Idaho won by Obama in 2008, and by far the highest margin.<ref>2008 – General Election Blaine Template:Webarchive</ref> In 2020, Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump in the county by 36.8 percentage points, with his 67.1% vote share being the highest for any Democrat since 1900.
Obama also carried Blaine County in 2012 with 58.8 percent of the vote, compared to Mitt Romney's 38.7 percent. Blaine County was the only Idaho county in which Obama received over 50 percent of the vote, although he also carried Latah County with 49.6 percent of the vote. From 1968 through 1988, a less populated Blaine County was won by the Republican candidate in all six presidential elections, as was the state of Idaho, although even then the county voted more Democratic than Idaho as a whole in every election going back to 1924.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2006, Blaine County voted 66.3% against HJR 2, which amended the Idaho Constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage in Idaho; the measure passed with 63.4% of the statewide vote. Latah County (Moscow, home of the University of Idaho) was the only other county where the measure failed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Until the 2021 redistricting cycle, Blaine County at the state level was located in Legislative District 25,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with an all-Democratic delegation in the Idaho Legislature.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Michelle Stennett, a former minority leader of the Idaho Senate, and Wendy Jaquet, a member of the Idaho House of Representatives and a former minority leader of that body, both live in Ketchum.
Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot
Geography
[edit]According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.6%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Adjacent counties
[edit]- Butte County – northeast
- Bingham County – east
- Power County – southeast
- Cassia County – south
- Minidoka County – southeast
- Lincoln County – south
- Camas County – west
- Elmore County – northwest
- Custer County – northwest
Major highways
[edit]- File:US 20.svg – US 20
- File:US 26.svg – US 26
- File:US 93.svg – US 93
- Template:Jct – Sawtooth Scenic Byway
National protected areas
[edit]- Craters of the Moon National Monument (part)
- Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge (part)
- Salmon-Challis National Forest (part)
- Sawtooth National Forest (part)
- Sawtooth National Recreation Area (part)
- Hemingway–Boulders Wilderness (part)
- Sawtooth Wilderness (part)
Demographics
[edit]2000 census
[edit]As of the 2000 United States Census,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> there were 18,991 people, 7,780 households, and 4,839 families in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 12,186 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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.
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.
The county population contained 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.
2010 census
[edit]As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 21,376 people, 8,823 households, and 5,575 families in the county.<ref name=DC>Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 15,050 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 84.9% white, 0.9% Asian, 0.6% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 11.8% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 20.0% of the population.<ref name=DC/> In terms of ancestry, 24.1% were German, 18.8% were English, 11.4% were Irish, and 7.9% were American.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Of the 8,823 households, 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.8% were non-families, and 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age was 40.4 years.<ref name=DC/>
The median income for a household in the county was $61,854 and the median income for a family was $73,929. Males had a median income of $48,036 versus $37,603 for females. The per capita income for the county was $32,656. About 4.9% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Education
[edit]All but one public school in the county is administered by the Blaine County School District 61.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The school district covers the entire county.<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref> There are three district-operated public schools in the county that have high school divisions: Wood River High School in Hailey, Carey School in Carey, and Silver Creek High School in Hailey. Syringa Mountain School is the first charter school to be approved in Blaine County; it opened in 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Students living in the rural Yale area in the county's southeastern panhandle are sent to schools in neighboring Minidoka County, operated by the Minidoka County School District.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Blaine district pays money to the Minidoka district to send the Yale students to Minidoka schools.<ref name=JonesQuirk>Template:Cite news</ref>
Private schools include Community School in Sun Valley and The Sage School in Hailey.
The College of Southern Idaho, a community college based in Twin Falls, operates an off-campus outreach center in Hailey.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county is in the catchment area, but not the taxation zone, for College of Southern Idaho.<ref>Template:Cite book - See area 1 in: Template:Cite web</ref>
Communities
[edit]Cities
[edit]Census-designated place
[edit]Unincorporated communities
[edit]- Cathedral Pines<ref>Cathedral Pines ID Google Maps (accessed January 18, 2019)</ref>
- Doniphan<ref>Doniphan ID Google Maps (accessed January 17, 2019)</ref>
- Galena
- Gimlet
- Picabo
- Triumph
- Sawtooth City<ref>Sawtooth City ID Google Maps (accessed January 18, 2019)</ref>
- Stanton Crossing<ref>Stanton Crossing ID Google Maps (accessed January 18, 2019)</ref>
- Tikura<ref>Tikura ID Google Maps (accessed January 18, 2019)</ref>
Ghost towns
[edit]- Boulder<ref>Bounder ID Google Maps (accessed January 18, 2019)</ref>
- Vienna<ref>Vienna Mine Google Maps (accessed January 18, 2019)</ref>
Media
[edit]Template:Expand section In 1993, it was not common for residents of the rural Yale area to read newspapers that are published in the county, and as a consequence many of them were not informed about changes in taxation that affected them.<ref name=JonesQuirk/>
Festivals
[edit]Blaine County hosts Wagon Days, Trailing of the Sheep Festival, Sun Valley Harvest Festival, and the Sun Valley for the Arts Wine Auction, among other events.
The Blaine County Fair is an annual summer event.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
[edit]References
[edit]External links
[edit]Template:Geographic Location Template:Blaine County, Idaho Template:Idaho Template:Authority control Template:Coord