Ione is a town in

Pend Oreille County Pend Oreille County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, along the Canada–United States border, Canada–US border. As of the 2020 United States census, 20 ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, United States. The population was 428 at the 2020 census.

History

Ione was first settled in 1894 by homesteader Elmer Hall. Ione was officially incorporated on January 3, 1910. The timber industry played a major role in Ione's history. In the early 1900's, Frederick A. Blackwell's Panhandle Lumber Company opened the inland northwest's first all-electric sawmill in Ione. The timber-based economy persisted for nearly 100 years in Ione, lasting until 1995 when the Vaagen Brothers' sawmill, the last major sawmill in the country, closed down. The railroad reached Ione in 1910 when Blackwell built the Idaho & Washington Northern Railroad, connecting Ione with

Metaline Falls Metaline Falls is a town in Pend Oreille County, Washington, United States. The population was 272 at the 2020 census. History Evidence of early indigenous peoples in the area dates to some 12,000 years ago. By 1810, European fur traders were ...

in the north and Newport in the south. When Pend Oreille County was established in 1911, Ione was one of four towns vying to land the county seat, along with Newport, Cusick, and

Usk Usk ( cy, Brynbuga) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, northeast of Newport. It is located on the River Usk, which is spanned by an arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. Usk Castle, above the town, overlooks th ...

, with the honors being awarded to Newport in 1912.

Geography

Ione is situated on the west bank of the

Pend Oreille River The Pend Oreille River ( ) is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and northeastern Washington in the United States, as well as southeastern British Columbia in Canada. In its passage through British Columbia ...

as it flows north towards Canada. Big Muddy Creek, Little Muddy Creek and Cedar Creek, from south to north, join the river in Ione. State Route 31 passes through town. Ione Bridge, on the southern edge of town, is the only road crossing of the Pend Oreille between

to the north and

to the south. Being located in the

Selkirk Mountains The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia which are part of a larger grouping of mountains, the Columbia Mountains. They begin at Mica Pe ...

, the area immediately surrounding Ione is of high topographic relief. The town itself is on a relatively flat area along the river at an elevation of 2,090 feet above sea level, but the mountains rise dramatically both sides of the Pend Oreille. Cement Mountain, with its peak roughly a mile immediately north of town, rises to 3,003 feet. Molybdenite Mountain, across the river from Ione, rises even higher to 6,788 feet. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 447 people, 195 households, and 112 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 237 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.0%

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 on ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.2%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.2% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 4.3% of the population. There were 195 households, of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.6% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the town was 43.5 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.1% were from 25 to 44; 28.9% were from 45 to 64; and 18.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.9% male and 50.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 479 people, 200 households, and 125 families residing in the town. The

was 881.3 people per square mile (342.5/km²). There were 239 housing units at an average density of 439.7 per square mile (170.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.69%

, 0.21%

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 ...

, 2.09% Native American, 0.21%

, 0.21% from

, and 4.59% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.46% of the population. There were 200 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.08. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.6% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $24,083, and the median income for a family was $30,917. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $17,500 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $12,093. About 17.1% of families and 16.4% 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 15.1% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20110319013813/http://www.pendoreilleco.org/cities/i_details.asp Pend Oreille County Ione webpage {{Authority control Towns in Pend Oreille County, Washington Towns in Washington (state)