Bear Lake County, Idaho

Infobox U.S. County
county = Bear Lake County
state = Idaho


founded year =1893
founded date =
seat wl = Paris
largest city wl = Montpelier
area_total_sq_mi = 1049
area_total_km2 = 2718
area_land_sq_mi = 971
area_land_km2 = 2516
area_water_sq_mi = 78
area_water_km2 = 202
area percentage = 7.44%
census yr = 2000
pop =6411
density_sq_mi = 7
density_km2 = 3
time zone = Mountain
UTC offset = -7
DST offset = -6
footnotes =
web = http://www.bearlakecounty.info
named for =Bear Lake

Bear Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 6,411 (2005 estimate: 6,176) [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/16/16007.html] . The county seat is ParisGR|6. Montpelier is the county's largest city.

The county is named after Bear Lake, a 20-mile-long lake half in Idaho, and half in Utah.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,049 square miles (2,718 km²), of which, 971 square miles (2,516 km²) of it is land and 78 square miles (202 km²) of it (7.44%) is water. The county is centered around Bear Lake Valley and includes the surrounding mountain ranges. The valley is high in the mountains, with its lowest elevation at about 5900 feet above sea level. The highest point in the county is Meade Peak at 9,957 feet above sea level.

Adjacent counties

*Caribou County, Idaho - north
*Lincoln County, Wyoming - east
*Rich County, Utah - south
*Franklin County, Idaho - west

National protected areas

* Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge
* Cache National Forest (part)
* Caribou National Forest (part)

History

The first settlement in the county, and in Bear Lake Valley was Paris, which was settled by Mormon pioneers on September 26, 1863. 30 families comprised the original settlement. In the spring of 1864, Montpelier was settled on the other side of the valley on the Oregon Trail. The railroad was extended through Montpelier in 1892. Bear Lake County was established in 1893 and was named after a lake in the county.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 6,411 people, 2,259 households, and 1,710 families residing in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 3,268 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.66% White, 0.09% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.08% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races. 2.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.6% were of English, 16.1% American, 9.4% German, 7.1% Danish, 6.2% Swiss and 5.5% Swedish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 2,259 households out of which 38.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.90% were married couples living together, 6.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.30% were non-families. 22.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the county the population was spread out with 33.00% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 22.40% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 15.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,162, and the median income for a family was $38,351. Males had a median income of $33,958 versus $17,829 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,592. About 7.10% of families and 9.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.30% of those under age 18 and 9.20% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

*Bloomington
*Georgetown
*Montpelier
*Paris
*St. Charles

Unincorporated communities

*Bern
*Fish Haven
*Geneva
*Pegram
*Raymond

References

External links

* [http://www.bearlakecounty.info County website]