Athol ( ; is a city in

Kootenai County Kootenai County ( ) is located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 171,362, making it the third-most populous county in Idaho and the largest in Idaho Panhandle, North Idaho, the cou ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

, United States. The population was 709 at the 2020 census, up from 692 in the 2010 census.Spokesman-Review
- 2010 census - Athol, Idaho - accessed 2011-12-26 It is part of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the entire county. Its main attraction is

Silverwood Theme Park Silverwood Theme Park is an amusement park located near the city of Athol in northern Idaho, United States, near the town of Coeur d'Alene, approximately from Spokane, Washington on US 95. Gary Norton opened the park on June 20, 1988. ...

Description

Athol contains the

. Several miles east of the city is the historic Farragut State Park, located at the southern end of Lake Pend Oreille. In March 2022,

Dollar General Dollar General Corporation is an American chain of discount stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 8, 2024, Dollar General operated 19,643 stores in the contiguous United States and Mexico. The company began in 1939 in ...

opened its first storefront in the state of Idaho in Athol.

History

A post office called the Athol Post Office has been in operation since 1895. The city may be named after the

Duke of Atholl Duke of Atholl, named after Atholl in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray. It was created by Queen Anne in 1703 for John Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl, with a special remainder to the heir male ...

. Th
City of Athol website
details a brief history as follows: Until the early 1800s when explorers/trappers began coming into the area, Native American tribes, primarily of the Coeur d’Alene and

Spokane Tribe The Spokan or Spokane people are a Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Plateau, Native American Plateau tribe who inhabit the eastern portion of present-day Washington (state), Washington state and parts of northern Idaho in the United States o ...

s, had exclusive use of the land as they migrated through the region en route to their encampments near the area's many lakes and streams. All this changed when the Northern Pacific Railroad station was built in Athol in 1882, and settlers hoped for a vast agricultural paradise. The depot was established in Athol on its line between Hauser Junction and Sandpoint. In 1895, town residents consisting of mostly railroad employees and homesteaders successfully petitioned postal authorities for a post office. The white pine forest first attracted early settlers to Athol, and logging, milling, and agriculture created prosperity. However, the location of the new community was on state lands. In 1903, lots in Athol were auctioned by the state. State surveyors platted the new township but, apparently, did not record the change in ownership. For many years, the town's residents did not have title to their land. Eventually the state corrected the problem. Athol was first known as Colton, the town was renamed Athol by a settler who came from Athol, Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Athol was named after a town in Scotland named for the Duke of Atholl. No one knows for sure if Athol, Idaho was named by a descendent of the same family or if the name was just brought west during the 19th century. In 1900, the Methodist congregation built a church that also served as a school until 1902, when school patrons built their first school building. In December 1902 Hackett & Wilson opened a sawmill near the city. The mill became the city's largest employer and had the capacity of producing 25,000 board feet of lumber per day. By 1903, there were many businesses opened, including the Pacific Hotel, a drugstore, a smithy, a jewelry store, restaurants, a mercantile company, and a saloon. Athol's first water well was dug by hand by Joe Pricsha and his crew. It was over 350 feet deep. They dug into a large boulder, so they had to dig around it, which made a curve in the shaft. A 5 hp pump motor was installed, which supplied the town with water. Later, another shaft with a larger pump was installed in the same hand-dug hole.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it being land.

Demographics

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $30,595, and the median income for a family was $31,875. Males had a median income of $28,438 versus $17,813 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $13,632. About 11.0% of families and 14.5% 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 ...

, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 23.7% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 692 people, 282 households, and 176 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 305 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.9% Native American, and 2.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.3% of the population. There were 282 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.6% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age in the city was 41.8 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 30.8% were from 45 to 64; and 15.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.2% male and 47.8% female.

Notable person

Hattie Johnson Hattie Johnson (née Ponti; born September 18, 1981) is a former Olympic athlete. The Athol, Idaho, resident competed in the Women's 10-metre Air Rifle at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, finishing in 14th place. At the 2003 Pan A ...

, Olympic shooter, resident of Athol

References

External links

Kootenai-Shoshone Area Libraries
- Athol {{authority control Cities in Idaho Cities in Kootenai County, Idaho