Boise

Formed February 4, 1864 (3rd county)

Boise County (7,613), Idaho City (467), Horseshoe Bend (719)

A small red brick building houses the Boise County courthouse.  It is on Main Street between Wall and Commercial streets.  Idaho State Highway 21 is three blocks south of the site.  The 1871 Federalist type courthouse is a store converted in 1909.  C. S. Kingsley and E. A. Kingsley are the architects.  Boise County was created on February 4, 1864 as the 3rd county with Idaho City is the only county seat.  Its name comes from the French for “woods”.  It is the same name source as the county seat of Ada County.  The county seat is named for the territory. 

Boise County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Nine Circuit Court Judges and a Magistrate Court Judge serve Boise, Ada, Elmore, and Valley counties.  The county is in southwest Idaho immediately north of Boise City, Idaho.  The county center is 13.7 miles North of Idaho City nearer Pioneerville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Valley, Custer, Elmore, Ada, and Gem counties. 

The area of the county is 1902 square miles.  It is 14 out of 44 in the state.  It ranks 34 out of 44 in population in the state.  It has a density of 4.0 persons per square mile making it 32 out of 44 in the state.  Boise County has 18.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county.  Idaho City is located in the southwest quarter of the county.  The largest city is in the extreme west of the county near the county border.  Idaho City is the county seat and Horseshoe Bend is the largest city.  Idaho City is 6.1% of the county population while Horseshoe Bend is 9.4% of the county population.  The county is pronounced BOY-SEE.  This county is in the Boise City-Nampa Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Placerville