Cassia County, Idaho | |
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 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIdaho | |
 Idaho's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:42°16′N113°37′W / 42.27°N 113.61°W /42.27; -113.61 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Idaho |
| Founded | February 20, 1879 |
| Named after | Cassia Creek |
| Seat | Burley |
| Largest city | Burley |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,580 sq mi (6,700 km2) |
| • Land | 2,565 sq mi (6,640 km2) |
| • Water | 15 sq mi (39 km2) 0.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 24,655 |
| • Density | 9.6/sq mi (3.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
Cassia County is acounty in theU.S. state ofIdaho. As of the2020 Census the county had a population of 24,655.[1] Thecounty seat and largest city isBurley.[2] Cassia County is included in the Burley, IDMicropolitan Statistical Area.
The first Europeans explored the Milner area in Cassia County in 1811. It was trappers who initially developed the Oregon Trail, which ran on the county's northern border. The Raft River's junction with the Oregon Trail marked the split for the California Trail.
While the Oregon and California trails brought hundreds of thousands of emigrants through Cassia County, it also brought settlers. A stage line through the county was established between Kelton, Utah and Boise, Idaho in 1869. A stage station existed at City of Rocks. Additional stations were spaced at increments of 10–12 miles between stations to include one at Oakley Meadows, in the Goose Creek valley two miles west of the present settlement of Oakley.
William Oakley settled at the Oakley Meadows station in 1870. Cattle operations also developed starting in 1872. Settlement began at nearby Albion in 1873 with significant Mormon settlement in 1875. By 1880, Albion had a population of 257. Mormon settlement at Oakley also began on June 1, 1878, when four Mormon men each staked out 160 acres for their settlement. Settlements remained primarily agricultural with more than 38,000 head of cattle in the area by 1885. Settlement at Malta occurred prior to 1890, as the Malta precinct had 172 residents at the 1890 census.
Albion State Normal School was established at Albion in 1893. The school was focused on training Idaho teachers until 1951 when its programs were transferred to Idaho State College (now Idaho State University) in Pocatello.[3][4][5][6]
D.L. Evans Bank was established in Albion, ID in 1094 and continues to serve communities Cassia County today.
Burley was platted and settled in 1905 after a branch of the Oregon Shortline was constructed through the town. Declo was settled under the name of Marshfield by 1909.[7]
Cassia County was created fromOwyhee County on February 20, 1879, with Albion becoming the county seat.[8] A western portion becameTwin Falls County in 1907. The county assumed its present boundaries when an eastern portion becamePower County 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 theMormon Battalion and an emigrant train captain, or for a plant found in the area.
Similar to other Idaho counties, an elected three-membercounty commission heads the county government. Other elected officials includeclerk, treasurer,sheriff,assessor,coroner, andprosecutor.
County Commission
Other Elected Officials
Cassia County is inIdaho's 2nd congressional district and represented by CongressmanMike Simpson. At the state level, Cassia County is inLegislative District 27, represented by SenatorKelly Anthon of Declo,Douglas Pickett of Oakley andClay Handy of Burley.
At every level, Cassia County is aRepublican Party 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 state, and in thegubernatorial election of 2010 RepublicanButch Otter carried Cassia County with 76.54% toDemocratKeith Allred's 16.73%.[9] In thepresidential election of 2012,Mitt Romney, whose father lived for a few years in his youth in Oakley, carried Cassia County with 85.2% whileBarack Obama received 13.1%.[10] The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry Cassia County wasFranklin Roosevelt in theelection of 1940 edging outWendell Willkie by around 100 votes.
State legislators from Cassia County traditionally hold their seats for long periods of time. Two of the longest serving legislators in Idaho history were from Cassia County: Vard Chatburn of Albion who served in the House of Representatives from 1957 to 1986 andDenton Darrington in the Senate who served from 1982 to 2012. Because legislators rarely lose their seats, legislators representing Cassia County are often in leadership or chair committees. From 2012 to 2023, RepresentativeScott Bedke served as Speaker of the House. Bruce Newcomb of Burley also served as Speaker from 1998 to 2006.
Though born in Burley, Congressman Simpson now lives inIdaho Falls. The only other member of congress with ties to the county isHenry Dworshak who represented Idaho's 2nd congressional district and later served in theSenate. He lived in Burley and was the publisher of theBurley Bulletin. A Burley elementary school is named after him.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 121 | 39.16% | 0 | 0.00% | 188 | 60.84% |
| 1896 | 129 | 18.14% | 579 | 81.43% | 3 | 0.42% |
| 1900 | 674 | 51.93% | 624 | 48.07% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1904 | 1,185 | 73.88% | 346 | 21.57% | 73 | 4.55% |
| 1908 | 1,049 | 58.87% | 600 | 33.67% | 133 | 7.46% |
| 1912 | 1,489 | 46.66% | 846 | 26.51% | 856 | 26.83% |
| 1916 | 1,320 | 40.55% | 1,629 | 50.05% | 306 | 9.40% |
| 1920 | 2,690 | 69.54% | 1,178 | 30.46% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 2,031 | 52.01% | 1,336 | 34.21% | 538 | 13.78% |
| 1928 | 2,388 | 70.19% | 994 | 29.22% | 20 | 0.59% |
| 1932 | 2,032 | 43.48% | 2,598 | 55.60% | 43 | 0.92% |
| 1936 | 1,629 | 33.96% | 3,100 | 64.62% | 68 | 1.42% |
| 1940 | 2,748 | 48.30% | 2,930 | 51.50% | 11 | 0.19% |
| 1944 | 2,563 | 52.35% | 2,325 | 47.49% | 8 | 0.16% |
| 1948 | 2,424 | 51.89% | 2,178 | 46.63% | 69 | 1.48% |
| 1952 | 4,481 | 72.76% | 1,676 | 27.21% | 2 | 0.03% |
| 1956 | 3,944 | 68.79% | 1,789 | 31.21% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 4,297 | 63.73% | 2,445 | 36.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 4,009 | 60.59% | 2,608 | 39.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 4,187 | 64.17% | 1,350 | 20.69% | 988 | 15.14% |
| 1972 | 4,576 | 74.26% | 1,080 | 17.53% | 506 | 8.21% |
| 1976 | 4,575 | 66.38% | 1,881 | 27.29% | 436 | 6.33% |
| 1980 | 6,511 | 78.84% | 1,369 | 16.58% | 379 | 4.59% |
| 1984 | 6,503 | 85.60% | 1,036 | 13.64% | 58 | 0.76% |
| 1988 | 5,345 | 73.34% | 1,833 | 25.15% | 110 | 1.51% |
| 1992 | 4,052 | 53.16% | 1,351 | 17.73% | 2,219 | 29.11% |
| 1996 | 4,663 | 63.65% | 1,596 | 21.79% | 1,067 | 14.56% |
| 2000 | 5,983 | 82.20% | 1,087 | 14.93% | 209 | 2.87% |
| 2004 | 6,562 | 83.90% | 1,153 | 14.74% | 106 | 1.36% |
| 2008 | 6,309 | 79.93% | 1,332 | 16.88% | 252 | 3.19% |
| 2012 | 7,154 | 84.84% | 1,098 | 13.02% | 180 | 2.13% |
| 2016 | 5,949 | 72.74% | 1,036 | 12.67% | 1,193 | 14.59% |
| 2020 | 7,907 | 82.09% | 1,464 | 15.20% | 261 | 2.71% |
| 2024 | 7,959 | 83.27% | 1,359 | 14.22% | 240 | 2.51% |
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,580 square miles (6,700 km2), of which 2,565 square miles (6,640 km2) is land and 15 square miles (39 km2) (0.6%) is water.[12] The county's highest point isCache Peak at anelevation of 10,339 feet (3,151 m)above sea level in theAlbion Mountains, and the lowest isMilner Lake, areservoir on theSnake River, at 4,134 feet (1,260 m).
The northern half of the county is part of theMagic Valley region of theSnake River Plain, and numerous mountain ranges extend north from the southern boundary and diminish as they approach the river, which flows from east to west.
The SilentCity of Rocks National Reserve, containing exposedgraniticbatholith as old as 2.5 billion years, is located in the southern part of the county.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 1,312 | — | |
| 1890 | 3,143 | 139.6% | |
| 1900 | 3,951 | 25.7% | |
| 1910 | 7,197 | 82.2% | |
| 1920 | 15,659 | 117.6% | |
| 1930 | 13,116 | −16.2% | |
| 1940 | 14,430 | 10.0% | |
| 1950 | 14,629 | 1.4% | |
| 1960 | 16,121 | 10.2% | |
| 1970 | 17,017 | 5.6% | |
| 1980 | 19,427 | 14.2% | |
| 1990 | 19,532 | 0.5% | |
| 2000 | 21,416 | 9.6% | |
| 2010 | 22,952 | 7.2% | |
| 2020 | 24,655 | 7.4% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 25,976 | [13] | 5.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[14] 1790–1960,[15] 1900–1990,[16] 1990–2000,[17] 2010–2020[1] 2020[18] | |||
As of the2010 United States census, there were 22,952 people, 7,666 households, and 5,758 families living in the county.[19] The population density was 8.9 inhabitants per square mile (3.4/km2). There were 8,372 housing units at an average density of 3.3 units per square mile (1.3 units/km2).[20] The racial makeup of the county was 81.8% white, 0.8% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 14.2% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 24.9% of the population.[19] In terms of ancestry, 22.3% wereEnglish, 11.8% wereGerman, 10.6% wereAmerican, and 5.1% wereIrish.[21]
Of the 7,666 households, 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.8% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.9% were non-families, and 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.46. The median age was 32.0 years.[19]
The median income for a household in the county was $39,866 and the median income for a family was $47,995. Males had a median income of $36,402 versus $22,156 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,782. About 12.4% of families and 15.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 18.7% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.[22]
Cassia County is served primarily by one school district,Cassia Joint School District #151,[23] which was consolidated in the 1950s.[citation needed] Other portions are in:[23]
The county is in the catchment area, but not the taxation zone, forCollege of Southern Idaho.[24]
High Schools
Jr. High Schools
Elementary Schools
Places adjacent to Cassia County, Idaho | |
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Municipalities and communities ofCassia County, Idaho,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
State ofIdaho | |
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Boise (capital) | |
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