Minidoka County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,613. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

and largest city is Rupert. Minidoka County is part of the Burley, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area. The name Minidoka is of Dakota Sioux origin meaning "a fountain or spring of water." Minidoka was first used in 1883 as a name for the

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...

Oregon Short Line The Oregon Short Line Railroad was a railroad in Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Montana and Oregon in the United States. The line was organized as the Oregon Short Line Railway in 1881 as a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railway. The Union Pacific int ...

, a railroad spur in the middle of the Snake River Plain. The spur later became the site of a watering station along the line. The village of Minidoka grew up next to the station. The Minidoka name was then given to a reclamation project under then President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

which included the construction of the

Minidoka Dam The Minidoka Dam is an earthfill dam in the western United States, on the Snake River in south central Idaho. Completed in 1906, the dam is east of Rupert on county highway 400; it is high and nearly a mile (1.6 km) in length, with a wide ov ...

, completed in 1904.

Minidoka National Historic Site Minidoka National Historic Site is a National Historic Site in the western United States. It commemorates the more than 13,000 Japanese Americans who were imprisoned at the Minidoka War Relocation Center during the Second World War.

(in adjacent Jerome County) was part of the original reclamation project and hence shares the name. Minidoka County was created by the Idaho Legislature on January 28, 1913, by a partition of Lincoln County.Idaho.gov - Minidoka County
accessed May 29, 2009

Camp Rupert Camp Rupert was a World War II prisoner of war camp in the western United States, located in Minidoka County, Idaho, west of Paul. It was built for $1.5 million, which was everything needed for a city of 3,000: barracks, water, sewer, and a ...

, west of

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, was a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

(POW) camp during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water. It is part of the

Magic Valley The Magic Valley is a region in south-central Idaho constituting Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Twin Falls counties. It is particularly associated with the agricultural region in the Snake River Plain located ...

region of the Snake River Plain. Irrigated farmland covers the southern part of the county, while

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

beds cover the northern portion. The

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ...

is generally in the range of to . The Snake River forms the county's southern boundary.

Adjacent Counties

* Cassia County - south * Jerome County - west * Lincoln County - west * Blaine County - north, east

National protected area

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is a U.S. national monument and national preserve in the Snake River Plain in central Idaho. It is along US 20 ( concurrent with US 93 and US 26), between the small towns of Arco and Carey, a ...

(part) * Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Highways

* Interstate 84 * US 30 * SH-24 * SH-25 * SH-27

Demographics

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 20,176 people, 6,973 households, and 5,362 families in the county. The population density was . There were 7,498 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the county was 78.07%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.26%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.88% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 17.83% from other races, and 2.52% from two or more races. 25.46%. were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race. 18.1% were of English, 12.9% German and 12.0%

American ancestry American ancestry refers to people in the United States who self-identify their ancestral origin or descent as "American," rather than the more common officially recognized racial and ethnic groups that make up the bulk of the American peo ...

. Of the 6,973 households 38.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.40% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.10% were non-families. 20.00% of households were one person and 9.60% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.32. The age distribution was 31.60% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 20.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.80 males. The median household income was $32,021 and the median family income was $36,500. Males had a median income of $28,977 versus $19,521 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,813. About 11.90% of families and 14.80% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 18.90% of those under age 18 and 9.00% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 20,069 people, 7,170 households, and 5,315 families in the county. The population density was . There were 7,665 housing units at an average density of . The

of the county was 80.2% white, 1.2% American Indian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 15.3% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 32.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 19.9% were German, 16.8% were English, 10.2% were American, and 6.5% were

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

. Of the 7,170 households, 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.9% were non-families, and 22.0% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.27. The median age was 35.3 years. The median household income was $40,350 and the median family income was $47,079. Males had a median income of $32,895 versus $22,271 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,747. About 9.4% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the

, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The only public high school in the county is Minico High School near Rupert.

Cities

* Acequia * Burley (part) * Heyburn * Minidoka *

* Rupert

Ghost Towns

* Alturas, Idaho (Mostly in Blaine County)

Politics

Like all of eastern Idaho, Minidoka County has been overwhelmingly Republican since the 1950s. The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the county was Harry S. Truman in 1948, and the last to win a majority

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

in 1940.

References

External links

County websiteCounty Parcel Maps
{{authority control Idaho counties Idaho placenames of Native American origin 1913 establishments in Idaho Populated places established in 1913 Burley, Idaho micropolitan area