Twin Falls 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 ...
in the south central part of 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 ...
of
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 county had a population of 90,046, making it the fifth-most populous county in Idaho. 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
Twin Falls.
Twin Falls County is part of the Twin Falls, ID
Twin Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Prior to the 1860s, the Twin Falls County area was an unorganized part of
Shoshone lands, then as part of the
Oregon Country. The area was first organized as part of the original
Owyhee County
Owyhee County ( ) is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,133. The county seat is Murphy, and its largest city is Homedale. In area it is the second-largest county in Ida ...
in 1864 as part of
Idaho Territory. In 1879 it was partitioned away from Owyhee County to form part of
Cassia County. The county is named for a split
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...
on the
Snake River of the
same name. The Snake River is the county's northern boundary.
Even after Idaho became a state in 1890, the Twin Falls area was very sparsely populated and without significant settlements. That changed after the city of Twin Falls was founded in 1904,
and
Milner Dam was completed in 1905. Most of the county's other towns were established during this period as well. In response to local government needs for these new communities, which were as much as away from Cassia County's seat at
Albion, Twin Falls County was created by the Idaho Legislature on February 21, 1907.
Idaho.gov - Twin Falls County
accessed May 29, 2009
Geography
According to the U.S. 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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.
Adjacent counties
* Gooding County - north
* Jerome County - northeast
* Cassia County - east
* Elko County, Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
- south/Pacific Time Border
*Owyhee County
Owyhee County ( ) is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,133. The county seat is Murphy, and its largest city is Homedale. In area it is the second-largest county in Ida ...
- west
* Elmore County - northwest
Major highways
* US 30
U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...
* US 93
U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major north–south numbered highway in the western United States. The southern terminus is at US 60 in Wickenburg, Arizona. The northern terminus is at the Canadian border north of Eureka in Lincoln Coun ...
* SH-50
* SH-74
National protected areas
* Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument near Hagerman, Idaho, contains the largest concentration of Hagerman horse fossils in North America. The fossil horses for which the monument is famous have been found in only one locale in the northern por ...
* Sawtooth National Forest
Sawtooth National Forest is a National Forest that covers 2,110,408 acres (854,052 ha) in the U.S. states of Idaho (~96 percent) and Utah (~4 percent). Managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it was originally ...
(part)
Demographics
2000 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 in ...
of 2000, there were 64,284 people, 23,853 households, and 16,959 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 25,595 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 92.47% 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 ...
, 0.19% 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 ...
or 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 ...
, 0.71% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.08% 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 ...
, 3.77% 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 2.02% from two or more races. 9.37% of the population 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
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. 17.9% were of German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, 17.7% English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, 10.9% American and 7.3% 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 ...
ancestry.
There were 23,853 households, out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 23.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.90% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,506, and the median income for a family was $39,886. Males had a median income of $30,058 versus $20,825 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 county was $16,678. About 9.10% of families and 12.70% 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 16.00% of those under age 18 and 9.30% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...
, there were 77,230 people, 28,760 households, and 19,954 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 31,072 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.9% white, 1.2% Asian, 0.8% American Indian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 6.3% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 13.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.2% were German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, 14.5% were English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, 10.8% 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 ...
, and 7.0% were American.
Of the 28,760 households, 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.16. The median age was 34.4 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,455 and the median income for a family was $49,188. Males had a median income of $35,777 versus $26,257 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,892. About 10.6% of families and 13.0% 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 16.9% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
* Buhl
*Castleford
Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins th ...
*Filer
Filer may refer to:
Places
* Filer, Idaho
* Filer, Missouri
* Filer Charter Township, Michigan
** Filer City, Michigan
* Filer Haven, a cove on Signy Island, Antarctica
* Filer Hill, a mountain near east of Rootville, New York
Other
* File ...
* Hansen
* Hollister
* Kimberly
* Twin Falls
Towns
* Murtaugh
Unincorporated communities
* Rogerson
Politics
Twin Falls County leans heavily Republican; it has not voted for a Democratic presidential nominee since 1936, and even in the Democratic landslide of 1964 Barry Goldwater still carried Twin Falls by 20 percentage points.
See also
*
Notes
References
External links
County website
County Parcel Map
{{authority control
Idaho counties
1907 establishments in Idaho
Populated places established in 1907
Twin Falls, Idaho metropolitan area