Avery is a small unincorporated town

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 nestled in the St. Joe River Valley in Shoshone County

Shoshone County, Idaho

Shoshone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. The county was established in 1864, named for the Native American Shoshone tribe. The population was 12,765 at the 2010 census. Shoshone County is commonly referred to as the Silver Valley, due to its century-old mining history...

, Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Avery is located in the middle of the St. Joe District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forest

Idaho Panhandle National Forest

Idaho Panhandle National Forest is a national forest located in the U.S. state of Idaho. Approximately 22.4% of the forest extends into the states of Montana and Washington . The forest was combined in 2000 from three previous separate National Forests which continue to manage themselves somewhat...

. Avery is a popular tourist attraction in northern Idaho

Idaho Panhandle

The Idaho Panhandle is the northern region of the U.S. State of Idaho that encompasses the ten northernmost counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, Shoshone. Residents of the panhandle refer to the region as North Idaho...

  for its beautiful wilderness and outdoor recreation.

Geography

• Latitude 47.25 (ºN)
• Longitude -115.80 (ºW)
• Elevation: 2486 feet (757 m) above sea level

Demographics

Avery has a population of 57 permanent residents. The temporary population is much higher in the summer though due to seasonal workers for the United States Forest Service

United States Forest Service

The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...

 and the many summer homes in Avery and along the St. Joe River.

History

The town was from the years 1909 to 1980 a division point on the Milwaukee Road railroad's "Pacific Extension". It was also once the western terminus for electric operations (1914-74) on this route all the way to Harlowton%2C Montana. Here, steam or diesel locomotives were changed or hooked up to electric locomotives. The town was nearly destroyed during the Great Fire of 1910

Great Fire of 1910

The Great Fire of 1910 was a wildfire which burned about three million acres in northeast Washington, northern Idaho , and western Montana...

.

Recreation

Common activities include camping

Camping

Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...

, hunting

Hunting

Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...

, ATV riding, snowmobiling, hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

, horseback riding, mountain biking

Mountain biking

Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...

, fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

, and rafting

Rafting

Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...

.

Attractions

The main attraction in Avery is the Fish Pond. All year long, tourists can purchase a handful of fish food for twenty-five cents and watch as the massive rainbow trout

Rainbow trout

The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....

 leap out of the water to get a bite to eat.

External links

• Argonaut - University of Idaho
  University of Idaho
  The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
  
   student newspaper
• MSRmaps.com - USGS topo map and aerial photo