Blaine County, Idaho

Blaine County is a located in the  of. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 18,991 ( estimate: 21,166). The is.

Blaine County was created by the Idaho Legislature on, by combining  and  Counties. Its present boundaries were set on, when a western portion became.

Named after former and   presidential nominee, Blaine County has established a history of liberal politics. The county has been carried by the in every presidential election since 1988, and was the only Idaho county carried by the Democrats in the 2000 and 2004 elections, with approximately three fifths of its vote going of  in 2004.

Blaine County's reputation as a resort and celebrity attraction has created a situation where the cost of living, particularly in housing, is significantly higher than the rest of the state. As a result many people who work in Blaine County live in outlying areas, particularly in neighboring. It is estimated that 2,600 people from outside the county commute to work in Blaine County.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 6,892 (2,661 ). 6,850 km² (2,645 sq mi) of it is land and 42 km² (16 sq mi) of it (0.61%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

 * - northeast
 * - east
 * - southeast
 * - south
 * - southwest
 * - south
 * - west
 * - northwest
 * - northwest

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 18,991 people, 7,780 households, and 4,839 families residing in the county. The was 3/km² (7/sq mi). There were 12,186 housing units at an average density of 2/km² (5/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 90.73%, 0.13% or , 0.33% , 0.73% , 0.07% , 6.43% from , and 1.57% from two or more races. 10.69% of the population were or  of any race. 17.0% were of, 14.6% , 10.8% and 6.2%  ancestry according to.

There were 7,780 households out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.20% were living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.80% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 32.60% from 25 to 44, 27.90% from 45 to 64, and 7.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 107.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,496, and the median income for a family was $60,037. Males had a median income of $35,949 versus $27,487 for females. The for the county was $31,346. About 4.90% of families and 7.80% of the population were below the, including 7.80% of those under age 18 and 5.30% of those age 65 or over.