Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Orofino, Idaho

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Country
  
United States

County
  
Clearwater

FIPS code
  
16-59320

Elevation
  
314 m

Population
  
3,087 (2013)

Area code
  
208

State
  
Idaho

Time zone
  
Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)

GNIS feature ID
  
0396986

Zip code
  
83544

Local time
  
Sunday 6:58 PM


Weather
  
9°C, Wind E at 5 km/h, 84% Humidity

Area
  
6.397 km² (6.035 km² Land / 36 ha Water)

Three days on the road to orofino idaho 2014


Orofino ("fine gold" [ore] in Spanish) is a city in Clearwater County, Idaho, along Orofino Creek and the north bank of the Clearwater River. The population was 3,142 at the 2010 census, and the city is the county seat of Clearwater County. It is the major city within the Nez Perce Indian Reservation.

Contents

Map of Orofino, ID 83544, USA

Nearby is the historical "Canoe Camp," where the Lewis and Clark expedition built five new dugout canoes and embarked on October 7, 1805, downstream to the Pacific Ocean. Some 4 miles (6.4 km) north of town is the Dworshak Dam, third-highest dam in the United States, completed in the early 1970s. Nearby is the Dworshak National Fish Hatchery, started to try to compensate for the loss of migratory fish upstream after the dam was constructed.

Originally the name was two words, Oro Fino, applied to a gold mining camp established in 1861 two miles (3 km) south of Pierce; it is now a ghost town. When the United States government opened up the Nez Percé reservation to non-tribal settlers in 1895, thousands of European Americans rushed to lay claims to land. Clifford Fuller set up a trading post on his new homestead. The town (Orofino-on-the-Clearwater) was established the next year. The railroad, later part of the Camas Prairie Railroad, was constructed from Lewiston in 1899.

Orofino is home to state institutions: Idaho State Hospital North and the Idaho Correctional Institution - Orofino. These two facilities are located adjacent to Orofino High School, which includes the junior high or middle school grades. The school mascot is a "Maniac." This is one of only two high schools in the country with that nickname.

Orofino hosts the annual July 4 celebration, as well as the Clearwater County Fair and Lumberjack Days in late summer. Each spring, the annual Boomershoot is held nearby.

Geography

Orofino is located at 46°29′8″N 116°15′32″W (46.485485, -116.258847).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.47 square miles (6.40 km2), of which 2.33 square miles (6.03 km2) is land and 0.14 square miles (0.36 km2) is water.

Due to the area’s relatively low elevation, the climate is ranked as among the hottest in the summer and the mildest in the winter throughout the entire state. The moderate winters are also influenced by the city’s northwestern location, which places it closer to the Pacific Ocean than many other parts of Idaho. Idaho’s all-time highest temperature of 118 °F or 47.8 °C was recorded at Orofino on July 28, 1934.

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Orofino has a dry-summer continental climate (Köppen Dsb). Due to the warm summers, it nearly qualifies as a continental Mediterranean climate Köppen Dsa).

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,142 people, 1,167 households, and 698 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,348.5 inhabitants per square mile (520.7/km2). There were 1,285 housing units at an average density of 551.5 per square mile (212.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.7% White, 0.5% African American, 2.5% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.3% of the population.

There were 1,167 households of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.2% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.77.

The median age in the city was 43.7 years. 17% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.3% were from 25 to 44; 28.3% were from 45 to 64; and 20.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 58.3% male and 41.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,247 people, 1,137 households, and 767 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,349.0 people per square mile (520.2/km²). There were 1,279 housing units at an average density of 531.4 per square mile (204.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.93% White, 0.37% African American, 2.13% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.99% from other races, and 1.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.25% of the population.

There were 1,137 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city, the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 132.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 143.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,580, and the median income for a family was $36,908. Males had a median income of $30,386 versus $20,968 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,563. About 7.6% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The city government is small due to the limited number of residents.

Major facilities are run by the state, which operates the Idaho State Hospital North here. In addition, the Idaho Department of Correction operates the Idaho Correctional Institution-Orofino here.

The United States Postal Service operates the Orofino Post Office.

Transportation

The city is served by US 12, a two-lane undivided highway on the south bank of the Clearwater River, connected to Orofino by a bridge. The highway connects to Lewiston to the west and Missoula, Montana (over Lolo Pass) to the east. The route is known as the "Northwest Passage Scenic Byway," a National Scenic Byway. The population is dependent on cars. Most areas have few or no sidewalks.

Notable residents

  • Ben English, novelist. Graduate of Orofino High School, class of 1990
  • Cecil Andrus, politician, was born and raised here. He was Governor of Idaho for 14 years and U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1977−1981)
  • Helen Chenoweth, politician, U.S. Representative (1995−2001)
  • Faith Petric, folk singer and activist
  • James Wesley Rawles, writer
  • References

    Orofino, Idaho Wikipedia