Jerome

Formed February 8, 1919 (43^rd county)

Jerome County (24,241), Jerome (12,356)

Another red brick Neo-Classical style building serves Jerome County.  It is located on Lincoln Avenue at 2^nd Avenue.  Lincoln Avenue is Idaho State Highway 79.  The building was constructed in 1939 using the designs of Sundberg and Sundberg.  The courthouse was enlarged in 1974.  The county was taken from Lincoln County on February 8, 1919 as the 43^rd county with Jerome as the only county seat.  The county’s name came from developer Jerome Hill, his son-in-law (Jerome Kuhn) or his grandson (Jerome Kuhn, Jr.)  The county seat has the same source. 

Jerome 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 Jerome, Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Twin Falls counties (judicial.) The county is in south central Idaho.  The Snake River is its southern border.  The county center is 9.9 miles East of Jerome.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Lincoln, Minidoka, Cassia, Twin Falls, and Gooding counties. 

The area of the county is 600 square miles.  It is 38 out of 44 in the state.  It ranks 17 out of 44 in population in the state.  It has a density of 40.4 persons per square mile making it 10 out of 44 in the state.  Jerome County has 55.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 84 comes from Minidoka County, east, and goes to Gooding County, west.  United States Highway 93 enters from the north and exits to the south from Lincoln County to Twin Falls County.  The overall county shape is rectangular except for the wandering southern border.  The City of Jerome is located in the western quarter of the county.  Jerome is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 51.0% of the county population.  The county and county seat are pronounced JER-OEM.  This county is in the Twin Falls Micropolitan Statistical Area.