Gooding

Formed January 28, 1913 (29^th county)

Gooding County (15,599), Gooding (3,706)

The tan brick Modern style building was built in 1970.  It is located on Main Street between 6^th and 7^th avenues.  Watson and Leatham are the designers.  It replaced a 1908 courthouse in Gooding, the only county seat.  Idaho State Highway 46 is Main Street in the town.  The courthouse is under renovation in 2023.  The county is cut from Lincoln County on January 28, 1913 as the 29^th county.  Governor Frank R. Gooding is the namesake for the county and county seat. 

Gooding 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 a Magistrate Court Judge serve Gooding, Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Twin Falls counties (judicial.) The county is in southern Idaho.  Twin Falls, Idaho is southeast and Boise, Idaho is west of the county.  The Snake River forms its southwest border.  The county center is 2.9 miles Southwest of Gooding.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Camas, Lincoln, Jerome, Twin Falls, and Elmore counties. 

The area of the county is 731 square miles.  It is 36 out of 44 in the state.  It ranks 21 out of 44 in population in the state.  It has a density of 21.3 persons per square mile making it 18 out of 44 in the state.  Gooding County has 50.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 84 enters the county from the southeast, Jerome County, and exits to the northwest, Elmore County.  United States Highway 26 crosses east to west from Lincoln County to Elmore County.  United States Highway 30 enters the county from the south, Twin Falls County, and goes west, Elmore County.  The county is shaped like a fat headed number 7.  The City of Gooding is in the eastern quarter of the county.  Gooding is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 23.8% of the county population.

Wendell