e-ReferenceDesk's College and 50 State Learning Resource Guide

Find Online Colleges

Find Campus Colleges

Idaho State...

Idaho

Choose a County

Ada, Adams, Bannock, Bear Lake, Benewah, Bingham, Blaine, Boise, Bonner, Bonneville, Boundary, Butte, Camas, Canyon, Caribou, Cassia, Clark, Clearwater, Custer, Elmore, Franklin, Fremont, Gem, Gooding, Idaho, Jefferson, Jerome, Kootenai, Latah, Lemhi, Lewis, Lincoln, Madison, Minidoka, Nez Perce, Oneida, Owyhee, Payette, Power, Shoshone, Teton, Twin Falls, Valley, Washington

Idaho Counties

Click Image to Enlarge

Idaho Counties

There are44 Counties in Idaho.
Counties are the largest political divisions within the state.

When Idaho became a territory in March, 1863, there were four Counties in existence: Boise, Idaho, Nez Perce and Shoshone. By the time Idaho became a state 27 years later, there were 15 counties. The rest of the 44 Counties came into existence during the 30 years after Idaho became a state. Two of the former Counties disappeared during this time. Alturas, which was created in 1864, was later divided into the many Counties now found in central Idaho. Logan County was only in existence for six years, from 1889 to 1895. It was combined with Alturas to form Blaine County and Lincoln County, which was formed just two weeks after Logan lost its identity.

Payette County, Idaho

Payette County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Payette
Year Organized: 1917
Square Miles: 408

Court House:

1130 3rd Ave. North # 104
County Courthouse
Payette, ID 83661-2400

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Payette County is named for the Payette River, which, in turn, is named for explorer Francois Payette.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Established February 28, 1917, with its county seat at Payette. Payette was originally settled as a railroad camp in the 1860s and called Boomerang for the log boom on the Payette River. The site, and the community which grew around it, was later named in honor of the area's first white settler, Francois Payette, a Canadian fur trapper and explorer with the North West Company who arrived in 1818.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Washington County
East: Gem County
South: Canyon County
Southwest: Malheur County, Ore.

Cities and Towns:

- Fruitland	city	Incorporated Area
- New Plymouth	city	Incorporated Area
- Payette (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."