The only thing more exciting than visiting Orofino and it's surrounding area's....is moving here!
Full-time, part-time or fractional ownership, Orofino can accommodate your dream of living in paradise.
Our valley is one of Idaho’s premier settings to establish your residence, purchase a secluded vacation home or relocate your business venture. Good schools, safe communities, caring neighbors, and the most beautiful scenery in the country await your arrival!
One way to find out more about the area is to contact the Orofino Chamber of Commerce e-mail at director@orofino.com or by calling 1-208-476-4335 and requesting a “Relocation Package”. Please include some info. about yourself, why you are interested in Orofino and what type of inf. you would like to receive. They aim to please, so you should have a great packet in your hands within a week!
A little history/information (Sourced From Wikipedia.org):
The Clearwater River and
Lolo Pass, in the southeast corner of the county, were made famous by the exploration of
Lewis and Clark in the early 19th century. Following an arduous trek through the Bitterroot Mountains, suffering through a mid-September snowstorm and near starvation, the
Corps of Discovery expedition camped with the
Nez Perce tribe on the
Weippe Prairie outside of present-day
Weippe in 1805. With the assistance of the Nez Perce, the expedition recuperated and constructed burned-out canoes at Canoe Camp in October 1805 and then paddled down the Clearwater,
Snake, and
Columbia rivers and met the
Pacific Ocean a month later at present-day
Astoria,
Oregon.
Elias D. Pierce and Wilbur F. Bassett made the first discovery of
gold in Idaho, on Orofino Creek (Canal Gulch) in 1860, 1 mile (2 km) north of present-day
Pierce.
Until 1904, Clearwater County was part of
Shoshone County to the north. It was annexed by
Nez Perce County for several years and then was established as a new county in 1911.
[3] The original county seat of Shoshone County was
Pierce, in today's Clearwater County. It was the first gold rush area of present-day Idaho (then
Washington Territory) in 1860 and was made the county seat of a vast Shoshone County in 1861, two years prior to the establishment of the Idaho Territory. When the
Silver Valley population rose dramatically in the 1880s, the seat was moved to
Murray in 1884 (and to
Wallace in 1898) to better serve the majority of the county's population. The population of the southern area increased with homesteading in the
Weippe area in the late 1890s. The vast distance and time required for travel to Wallace from the
Clearwater River area prompted the move of the southern portion to Nez Perce County.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,488 square miles (6,440 km2), of which 2,457 square miles (6,360 km2) is land and 31 square miles (80 km2) (1.2%) is water.[4] It is part of the Palouse, a wide and rolling prairie-like region of the middle Columbia basin.
Adjacent counties
Major highways
National protected areas
Ski area
Government and infrastructure
The Idaho Department of Correction operates the Idaho Correctional Institution-Orofino in Orofino.[5][6]
Demographics
| Historical population |
|---|
| Census | Pop. | | %± |
|---|
| 1920 |
4,993 |
|
— |
| 1930 |
6,599 |
|
32.2% |
| 1940 |
8,243 |
|
24.9% |
| 1950 |
8,217 |
|
−0.3% |
| 1960 |
8,548 |
|
4.0% |
| 1970 |
10,871 |
|
27.2% |
| 1980 |
10,390 |
|
−4.4% |
| 1990 |
8,505 |
|
−18.1% |
| 2000 |
8,930 |
|
5.0% |
| 2010 |
8,761 |
|
−1.9% |
| Est. 2017 |
8,546 |
[7] |
−2.5% |
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10]
1990–2000[11] 2010–2013[1] |
2010 census
As of the
2010 United States Census, there were 8,761 people, 3,660 households, and 2,397 families residing in the county.
[13] The population density was 3.6 inhabitants per square mile (1.4/km
2). There were 4,453 housing units at an average density of 1.8 per square mile (0.69/km
2).
[14] The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% white, 2.2% American Indian, 0.7% Asian, 0.2%
black or African American, 0.1% Pacific
islander, 0.8% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.1% of the population.
[13] In terms of ancestry, 29.3% were
German, 17.8% were
Irish, 13.8% were
English, 6.7% were
American, and 6.2% were
Norwegian.
[15]Of the 3,660 households, 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.5% were non-families, and 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.71. The median age was 49.0 years.
[13]The median income for a household in the county was $41,835 and the median income for a family was $46,415. Males had a median income of $42,568 versus $30,048 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,507. About 9.0% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 14.7% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
[16]
Communities
Cities
Unincorporated communities
