Cassia County, Idaho
Encyclopedia
Cassia County is a county located in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of 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....

. As of the 2010 Census the county had a population of 22,952. The county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 and largest city is Burley
Burley, Idaho
Burley is a city in Cassia and Minidoka counties in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 10,345 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Cassia County....

.

History

Cassia County was created by the Idaho Territorial
Idaho Territory
The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 4, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Idaho.-1860s:...

 Legislature on February 20, 1879, by a partition of Owyhee County
Owyhee County, Idaho
Owyhee County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Idaho. In area it is the second largest county in Idaho, behind Idaho County. As of the 2000 Census, Owyhee County had a population of 10,644...

, with the county seat at Albion
Albion, Idaho
Albion is a city in Cassia County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Burley, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 267 at the 2010 census. Albion was the county seat of Cassia County from 1879 to 1918....

. A western portion became Twin Falls County
Twin Falls County, Idaho
Twin Falls County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census, the county had a population of 64,284 . The county seat and largest city is Twin Falls....

 in 1907. The county assumed its present boundaries when an eastern portion became Power County
Power County, Idaho
Power County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 7,538 ....

 on January 30, 1913. The county seat was moved to Burley in 1918. The county was named for Cassia Creek, which in turn was named either for John Cazier, a member of the Mormon Battalion
Mormon Battalion
The Mormon Battalion was the only religiously based unit in United States military history, and it served from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican-American War. The battalion was a volunteer unit of between 534 and 559 Latter-day Saints men led by Mormon company officers, commanded by regular...

 and an emigrant train captain, or for a plant found in the area.

Elected Officials

Similar to other Idaho counties, an elected three-member county commission
County commission
A county commission is a group of elected officials charged with administering the county government in local government in some states of the United States. County commissions are usually made up of three or more individuals...

 heads the county government. Other elected officials include clerk, treasurer, sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....

, assessor
Assessor (property)
An assessor is a specialist who calculates the value of property. The value calculated by the assessor is then used as the basis for determining the amounts to be paid or assessed for tax or insurance purposes....

, coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...

, and prosecutor.

County Commission
  • District 1: Paul Christensen
  • District 2: Robert Kunau
  • District 3: Dennis Crane (chair)

Other Elected Officials
  • Clerk: Joseph Larsen
  • Treasurer: Patty Justesen
  • Sheriff: Randy Kidd
  • Assessor: Dwight Davis
  • Coroner: Craig Rinehart
  • Prosecuting Attorney: Al Barrus


At the state level Cassia County is located entirely in Legislative District 27. All of the District 27 delegation resides in Cassia County the district also includes Power
Power County, Idaho
Power County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 7,538 ....

, Oneida
Oneida County, Idaho
Oneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 4,125 . The county seat and largest city is Malad City. The Oneida County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Most of the county's population lives in...

 and part of Bingham
Bingham County, Idaho
Bingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 41,735 . The county seat and largest city is Blackfoot. Bingham County comprises the Blackfoot, ID, Micropolitan Statistical Area.Bingham County was created January 13, 1885, and...

 Counties. The delegation includes Senator Denton Darrington
Denton Darrington
Denton Darrington is a Republican member of the Idaho State Senate since 1982. He has been representing the 27th District which includes all of Cassia County.- Early Life and Career :...

 of Declo, in Seat A Representative Scott Bedke
Scott Bedke
Scott Bedke is a member of the Idaho House of Representatives. He has served in this position since 2000.Bedke is a Latter-day Saint. He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1977-1979 in Italy....

 of Oakley and in Seat B Representative Fred Wood of Burley. State legislators from the Magic Valley
Magic Valley
The Magic Valley is a region in south-central Idaho consisting of 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 in the area...

 traditionally hold their seats for long periods of time, subsequently the delegation representing Cassia County is often in leadership or chairs important committees. From 1998 to 2006 Bruce Newcomb of Burley was the Speaker of the House. Currently, Representative Bedke is House Assistant Majority Leader, Senator Darrington, the Dean of the Senate, is chairman of the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee and Fred Wood sits on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee.

Cassia County is located in Idaho's 2nd congressional district
Idaho's 2nd congressional district
Idaho's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Idaho. The district encompasses Eastern Idaho and the Magic Valley region of the state and other outlying areas, as well as a small portion of the Boise Metropolitan Area, including two-thirds of the city of Boise...

 and represented by Mike Simpson
Mike Simpson
Michael Keith "Mike" Simpson, D.M.D. , is the member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served in the Idaho House of Representatives....

.

Politics

At every level Cassia County is a Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 stronghold. All county-level offices are held by Republicans and have been for decades. Republican primaries are tantamount to election to office as Democrats rarely field challenges for county or state legislative office. Cassia County is one of the most consistently Republican counties in the states and in the 2010 gubernatorial election
Idaho gubernatorial election, 2010
The 2010 Idaho gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 to elect the Governor of Idaho. Incumbent Republican Governor Butch Otter won re-election, defeating his Democratic opponent Keith G. Allred.A former Lieutenant Governor and U.S...

 Republican Butch Otter carried Cassia County with 76.54% to Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 Kieth Allred's
Keith G. Allred
Keith G. Allred, Ph.D. is the 2010 Democratic nominee for Governor of Idaho.Born in Redondo Beach, California, Allred grew up near Twin Falls, Idaho. He graduated from Twin Falls High School in 1983.After earning a Ph.D...

 16.73%. In the presidential election of 2008 John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....

 carried Cassia County with 80.4% while Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 received 16.9%. The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry Cassia County was Franklin Roosevelt in the election of 1940 edging out Wendell Wilkie by around 100 votes.

Education

Cassia County is served primarily by one school district, Cassia Joint School District #151, which was consolidated in the 1950s.

Public High Schools
  • Burley High School
    Burley High School
    Burley High School is a high school in Burley, Idaho, part of Cassia County School District #151. Its official title is Burley Senior High School and it has only had its 2100 Park Ave. address since the doors opened for the Spring Semester of 1999...

     - Burley
  • Cassia Alternative High School - Burley
  • Declo High School
    Declo High School
    Declo High School is a public high school located in Declo, Idaho. It is the second largest high school operated by the Cassia County Joint School District...

     - Declo
  • Oakley High School - Oakley
  • Raft River High School - Malta

Geography

Cassia County is part of the Burley, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area
Burley micropolitan area
The Burley Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in the Magic Valley region of Idaho, anchored by the city of Burley...

. According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 2580.31 square miles (6,683 km²), of which 2566.45 square miles (6,647.1 km²) (or 99.46%) is land and 13.86 square miles (35.9 km²) (or 0.54%) is water. The county's highest point is Cache Peak at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....

 of 10339 feet (3,151.3 m) above sea level, and the lowest is Milner Lake
Milner Dam
Milner Dam is a rockfill dam near Burley in south central Idaho. It impounds the Snake River in a reservoir named Milner Lake. The dam spans the river across two islands, with three embankments....

, a reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 on the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...

, at 4134 feet (1,260 m).

The northern half of the county is part of the Magic Valley
Magic Valley
The Magic Valley is a region in south-central Idaho consisting of 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 in the area...

 region of the Snake River Plain
Snake River Plain
The Snake River Plain is a geologic feature located primarily within the state of Idaho in the United States of America. It stretches about westward from northwest of the state of Wyoming to the Idaho-Oregon border. The plain is a wide flat bow-shaped depression, and covers about a quarter of Idaho...

, and numerous mountain ranges extend north from the southern boundary and diminish as they approach the river, which flows from east to west.

The Silent City of Rocks National Reserve, containing exposed granitic
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...

 batholith
Batholith
A batholith is a large emplacement of igneous intrusive rock that forms from cooled magma deep in the Earth's crust...

 as old as 2.5 billion years, is located in the southern part of the county.

Adjacent Counties

  • Minidoka County
    Minidoka County, Idaho
    Minidoka County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. The county seat and largest city is Rupert. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 20,174 ....

     - north
  • Blaine County
    Blaine County, Idaho
    Blaine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2010 Census the county had a population of 21,376. The county seat and largest city is Hailey. The county is home to the Sun Valley ski resort....

     - north
  • Power County
    Power County, Idaho
    Power County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 7,538 ....

     - northeast
  • Oneida County
    Oneida County, Idaho
    Oneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 4,125 . The county seat and largest city is Malad City. The Oneida County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Most of the county's population lives in...

     - east
  • Box Elder County
    Box Elder County, Utah
    Box Elder County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It lies on the north end of the Great Salt Lake, covering a large area north to the Idaho border and west to the Nevada border. Included in this area are large tracts of barren desert, contrasted by high, forested mountains. The...

    , Utah
    Utah
    Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

     - southeast
  • Elko County
    Elko County, Nevada
    -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 45,291 people, 15,638 households, and 11,493 families residing in the county. The population density was 3/sq mi . There were 18,456 housing units at an average density of 1/sq mi...

    , Nevada
    Nevada
    Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

     - southwest
  • Twin Falls County
    Twin Falls County, Idaho
    Twin Falls County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census, the county had a population of 64,284 . The county seat and largest city is Twin Falls....

     - west
  • Jerome County
    Jerome County, Idaho
    Jerome County is a county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 18,342 . The county seat and largest city is Jerome....

     - northwest

See also: List of counties bordering eight counties

National protected areas

  • City of Rocks National Reserve
  • Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge
    Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge
    Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Snake River Plain in south-central Idaho, northeast of Rupert. It includes about of shoreline around Lake Walcott, from Minidoka Dam upstream about ....

     (part)
  • Sawtooth National Forest
    Sawtooth National Forest
    Sawtooth National Forest is in Idaho and Utah was protected in 1905 by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt as the Sawtooth Forest Reserve. Today the forest administers over 2.1 million acres of some of the most remote forestland in the lower 48 states, and there are over 1,000 lakes and 3,000...

     (part)

Highways

  • - Interstate 84
    Interstate 84 in Idaho
    In the U.S. state of Idaho, Interstate 84 heads southeast from the Oregon state line, it spurs to Interstate 184 in Boise. Eventually I-84 spurs Interstate 86 and mainline I-84 heads southeast towards Utah and I-86 is continues due east and heads to Pocatello, meeting with Interstate 15.-Future:...

  • - Interstate 86
  • - US 30
  • - SH-27
  • - SH-77
  • - SH-81

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 21,416 people, 7,060 households, and 5,485 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 8 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 7,862 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.69% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.17% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.80% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.37% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.05% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 12.06% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.87% from two or more races. 18.74% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race. 23.1% were of English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

, 13.8% American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and 12.9% German ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 7,060 households out of which 42.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.20% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.30% were non-families. 19.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.46.

In the county the population was spread out with 34.10% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 19.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 101.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,322, and the median income for a family was $38,162. Males had a median income of $29,132 versus $19,851 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the county was $14,087. About 11.10% of families and 13.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.60% of those under age 18 and 8.00% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

  • Albion
    Albion, Idaho
    Albion is a city in Cassia County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Burley, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 267 at the 2010 census. Albion was the county seat of Cassia County from 1879 to 1918....

  • Burley
    Burley, Idaho
    Burley is a city in Cassia and Minidoka counties in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 10,345 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Cassia County....

  • Declo
    Declo, Idaho
    Declo is a city in Cassia County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Burley, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 343 at the 2010 census. The world's largest potato processing company was founded in 1923 near Declo by a 14-year-old entrepreneur named J.R. Simplot. The...

  • Malta
    Malta, Idaho
    Malta is a city in Cassia County, Idaho, United States. The population was 193 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Burley, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area.- Name :...

  • Oakley
    Oakley, Idaho
    Oakley is a city in Cassia County, Idaho, United States. The population was 763 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Burley, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Oakley is located at , at 4,560 feet in elevation...


See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Cassia County, Idaho
    National Register of Historic Places listings in Cassia County, Idaho
    This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Cassia County, Idaho.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Cassia County, Idaho, United States...

  • USS Cassia County (LST-527)
    USS Cassia County (LST-527)
    USS Cassia County was an built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Cassia County, Idaho she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name....

     - U.S. Navy ship - 1944-56

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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