Canyon

Formed March 7, 1892 (17^th county)

Canyon County (231,106), Caldwell (60,077), Nampa (100,310)

The light tan brick and concrete courthouse for Canyon County was built in 1975 to replace the 1907 classic courthouse.  Bricks from the earlier courthouse form a wall inside the portico of the courthouse.  The building is on Albany Avenue between 11^th and 12^th Streets.  The county seal is fixed to the front of the structure.  Keys, Olson and Easley were the architects of this Modern style building.  Interstate Highway 84 is six blocks to the northeast of the site.  The county was established on March 7, 1892 from Ada County as the 17^th county with Caldwell as the only county seat.  It is named for the nearby Snake River canyon.  Senator C. A. Caldwell is the source name for the county seat.  Canyon County was the birthplace of 3 Idaho Governors, C. Benjamin Ross, Philip E. Batt, and Clement L. Otter. 

Canyon County government consists of a sheriff, a prosecuter, a coroner, a clerk, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Six Circuit Court Judges and Six Magistrate Court Judges serve Canyon, Adams, Gem, Owyhee, Payette, and Washington counties (judicial.) The county is in the southwest part of the state.  Oregon is on its western border.  The Snake River flows through the middle of the county.  Boise, Idaho is directly east of the county.  The county center is in Caldwell 3.3 miles South-Southwest of the center of the city.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Payette, Gem, Ada, and Owyhee counties and Oregon. 

The area of the county is 590 square miles.  It is 39 out of 44 in the state.  It ranks 2 out of 44 in population in the state.  It has a density of 391.7 persons per square mile making it 2 out of 44 in the state.  Canyon County has 76.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 84 crosses the county east to northwest from Ada County to Payette County.  United States Highways 20/26 enter from Ada County, east, and exit into Payette County, northwest.  United States Highway 30 is joined with Interstate Highway 84 from Ada County to Payette County.  United States Highway 95 is joined with United States Highways 20/26 from the north, Payette County, splits, and travels south into Owyhee County.  The county is shaped like a plow.  Caldwell is in the northeast.  Nampa is in the eastern quarter of the county.  Caldwell is county seat and Nampa is the largest city.  Caldwell is 26.0% of the county population while Nampa is 43.4% of the county population.  This county is in the Boise City-Nampa Metropolitan Statistical Area.