Kootenai

Formed December 22, 1864 (8^th county)

Kootenai County (171,374), Coeur d’Alene (54,640)                

The tan brick Georgia Revival courthouse is sited on Government Way at Garden Avenue.  Interstate Highway 90 Business is one block west of the courthouse.  The courthouse was built in 1926 replacing a 1906 structure.  Julius Zittel is the designer.  A Justice Center was added in 1986 and an Administration Center in 1997.  The county was created on December 22, 1864 from Nez Perce County as the 8^th county with Coeur d’Alene as the only county seat.  It is named for a Native American tribe.  The county seat’s name is also from a Native American tribe. 

Kootenai County government consists of a sheriff, a prosecuter, a coroner, a clerk, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Nine Circuit Court Judges and Six Magistrate Court Judges serve Kootenai, Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, and Shoshone counties (judicial.) The county is in northern Idaho on the border with Washington.  Spokane, Washington is immediately west of the county.  The county center is 15.7 miles Northeast of Coeur d’Alene nearer Dalton Gardens.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Bonner, Shoshone, and Benewah counties and Washington. 

The area of the county is 1245 square miles.  It is 24 out of 44 in the state.  It ranks 3 out of 44 in population in the state.  It has a density of 137.7 persons per square mile making it 3 out of 44 in the state.  Kootenai County has 73.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 90 crosses the county from east to west from Shoshone County to Washington.  United States Highway 95 goes north to south in the county from Bonner County to Benewah County.  The county is rectangular with its northeast corner removed.  Coeur d’Alene is located slightly west of center in the county.  Coeur d’Alene is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 31.9% of the county population.  The county is pronounced KOOT-NAE.  The county seat is pronounced KOER-DA-LANE.  This county is in the Coeur d’Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area.