Clark Fork is a small town in Bonner County,

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), ...

. The population was 536 at the time of the 2010 census.

Geography

Clark Fork is situated on the Clark Fork River, on the eastern shores of Lake Pend Oreille. in the northern panhandle of the state. 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 land. The Lightning Creek passes just north and west of the town.

History

The Kutenai Indians have lived in the area around Lake Pend Oreille for centuries, well before the first Europeans explored the North American wilderness. The town of Clark Fork was named in honor of William Clark, who along with Meriwether Lewis, headed the expedition through the western American wilderness in 1804. It is believed the Lewis and Clark party encountered the Clark Fork River near present-day

Missoula Missoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot River, Bitterroot and Blackfoot River (Montana), ...

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

, in October 1805. After the Lewis and Clark Expedition, fur traders would pass through the area. The origins of an actual town date back to when the

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...

constructed a line adjacent to the Clark Fork River, near the eastern shore of Lake Pend Oreille in the early 1880s. By the 1890s a ferry boat service was used to cross the river or to travel as far as Heron, Montana, about 12 miles (20 km) upriver. Clark Fork is a small town that focuses on agriculture, forestry, small businesses and tourism (camping, hunting and fishing).

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Clark Fork has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Demographics

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 536 people, 260 households, and 138 families living 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 308 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.5%

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 ...

, 0.7% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 2.6% 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 0.9% of the population. There were 260 households, of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% 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, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.9% were non-families. 41.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age in the city was 45.5 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.8% were from 25 to 44; 32.5% were from 45 to 64; and 18.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.6% male and 49.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 530 people, 238 households, and 138 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 286 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.96%

, 0.57%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.32% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 1.70% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.02% of the population. There were 238 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were

living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.0% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,031, and the median income for a family was $28,472. Males had a median income of $28,036 versus $21,042 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 $13,979. About 15.3% of families and 20.8% 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 19.0% of those under age 18 and 20.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Ron Heller (born 1963), former NFL tight end * Compton I. White (1877–1956), eight-term congressman from

* Compton I. White, Jr., (1920–1998), two-term congressman from Idaho

References

External links

{{authority control Cities in Bonner County, Idaho Cities in Idaho