Bonner

Formed February 21, 1907 (22^nd county)

Bonner County (47,105), Sandpoint (8,662)                

The red brick Federalist style building sits at 1^st Avenue and Lake Street.  United States Highway 95 is 1^st Avenue in the town.  The courthouse was constructed in 1908.  George William is the designer.  An Administration Center was added in 1974.  The county was established on February 21, 1907 from Kootenai County as the 22^nd county with Sandpoint as the only county seat.  Edwin L. Bonner, a famed ferry operator, is the source name for the county.  He is also the namesake for the county seat of Boundary County.  Sandpoint is named for the point on Lake Pend Oreille. 

Bonneville County government consists of a sheriff, a prosecuter, a coroner, a clerk, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Five Circuit Court Judges and Three Magistrate Court Judges serve Bonneville, Bingham, Butte, Clark, Custer, Fremont, Jefferson, Lemhi, Madison, and Teton counties (judicial.) The county is in the northern Idaho panhandle.  It borders both Montana and Washington states.  Spokane, Washington is southwest of the county.  The county center is 2.1 miles West of Sandpoint.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Boundary County and Montana and Shoshone and Kootenai counties and Washington. 

The area of the county is 1738 square miles.  It is 19 out of 44 in the state.  It ranks 9 out of 44 in population in the state.  It has a density of 27.1 persons per square mile making it 15 out of 44 in the state.  Bonner County has 30.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 2 enters the county from the north, Boundary County, and exits to the west, Washington.  United States Highway 95 is joined with United States Highway 2 from Boundary County, splits, and goes south into Kootenai County.  The Pend Oreille River flows through the county and forms the large Lake Pend Oreille.  The county is shaped like a chair with an extra leg in the middle.  Sandpoint is near the center of the county.  Sandpoint is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 18.4% of the county population.