Location State of Idaho Government County government | Number 44 | |
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Populations 982 (Clark) – 392,365 (Ada) Areas 408 square miles (1,060 km) (Payette) – 8,485 square miles (21,980 km) (Idaho) Subdivisions cities, towns, townships, unincorporated communities, indian reservations, census designated place | ||
This is a list of 44 counties in the U.S. state of Idaho.
Contents
Each county in Idaho has a license plate prefix, according to the first letter of the county name. The first county for a given letter is given #1, the second county #2, etc. For example, Ada and Adams are the only two counties with the letter 'A'. Since Ada comes before Adams alphabetically, Ada is '1A' while Adams is '2A.' There are four counties that start with the letter 'L': Latah, Lemhi, Lewis, and Lincoln; the license plate prefixes for these counties are 1L, 2L, 3L, and 4L, respectively.
Elmore, Idaho, Kootenai, Nez Perce, Shoshone, Valley, and Washington counties are the only ones in the state with those beginning letters. Therefore, the license plate prefix would be the first letter of the county name, without a number. The letter 'B' has ten counties, 'C' has seven, and 'L' has four; the remaining letters have two or fewer.
When the Idaho Territory was created in March 1863, there were five original counties: Shoshone, Nez Perce, Idaho, Boise, and Missoula. Kootenai, Owyhee, and Oneida were created by 1865, Ada was created in 1866, and when the territory reached Idaho's present day dimensions in 1868, Lemhi was formed. By 1880, 13 counties were created. Ten years later, when Idaho became a state, 18 counties were created. In 1893, Fremont and Bannock counties were created. By 1900, Idaho had 21 counties. Ten years later, only two new counties were created. Between 1910 and 1920, 21 new counties were created, bringing the number of counties to 44, where it remains today.
Remember the counties
In some fourth grade classrooms, students memorize the counties with the following poem:
Counties of Idaho Poem
Ada is first with our capital town,
Adams’ Seven Devils go straight up and down.
Then ten counties start with B;
Bannock, Bear Lake, Benewah three;
Bingham, Blaine, Boise, Bonner,
Bonneville, Boundary, Butte make ten.
Then the next seven start with C:
Camas, Canyon, Caribou three.
Cassia, Clark, Clearwater, Custer,
Are the Idaho C’s we can muster.
Elmore, Franklin, Fremont, Gem,
Gooding and Idaho don’t forget them.
Flatlands of Jefferson,
Potatoes of Jerome,
Kootenai, Latah, we’re almost home.
Lemhi and Lewis,
Hurry, hurry, hurry!
Lincoln with its ice caves
Very very burry.
Madison, Minidoka, Nez Perce;
Our Indian accent grows worse and worse.
Oneida, Owyhee, a little faster please
Payette and Power are the only Ps.
Shoshone, Teton, Twin Falls, almost done,
Valley County and Washington.
Author unknown