Pend Oreille County, Washington

Pend Oreille County is a county in Washington, United States, tucked into the state’s far northeast corner along the Canadian border. It had a population of 13,401 at the 2020 census and covers 1,425 square miles (3,690 km2) centred near 48°32′N 117°14′W.

Newport is the county seat, and its postal code is 99156. The county has one city, three towns, and a handful of unincorporated communities, no civil townships, and sits in the Pacific time zone. It is the newest of Washington’s 39 counties, organised in 1911.

Towns & Villages in Pend Oreille County

Pend Oreille County has one incorporated city and three incorporated towns, plus a scatter of unincorporated communities strung along the Pend Oreille River and U.S. Route 2. The table below marks incorporated places with their type; everything else is listed as Unincorp.

Metaline and Metaline Falls sit a mile apart on State Route 31 near the county’s northern tip and are often confused with each other; Metaline is the incorporated town, Metaline Falls the neighboring unincorporated community that grew up around the old cement plant. A cluster of older place names on historic maps — Camden, Delkena, Diamond City, Furport, Grahams, Locke, Lost Creek, Pend Oreille Village, Scotia, Tweedie, and Wolfred — are former sidings, mill sites, or homestead post offices with no current population and are omitted from the table above.

ZIP Codes

• 99156 — Newport (also serves Blueslide, Dalkena, Diamond Lake)
• 99119 — Cusick
• 99139 — Ione
• 99152 — Metaline
• 99153 — Metaline Falls
• 99180 — Usk

Smaller unincorporated spots such as Jared, Penrith, Ruby, Tiger, and Calispell share a ZIP code with the nearest post-office town rather than carrying their own.

Geography

The county straddles the Selkirk Mountains and the Pend Oreille River valley, with the river running north to south through the middle of the county on its way to Lake Roosevelt and, eventually, the Columbia. Elevation ranges from river-bottom farmland near Cusick and Usk to peaks over 7,000 feet along the Idaho and British Columbia lines. Sullivan Lake and Diamond Lake are the two largest bodies of water outside the river itself, and much of the county’s land base is national forest.

Pend Oreille County borders Stevens County to the west, Spokane County to the south, Bonner County and Boundary County in Idaho to the east, and the Central Kootenay Regional District of British Columbia, Canada, to the north.

Demographics

The county’s 2020 population of 13,401 works out to roughly 9.6 people per square mile of land, one of the lowest densities in Washington. Newport, the county seat, is the largest community, followed by Ione and Cusick along the river corridor. Household income here runs well below the Washington median of $94,605, reflecting the county’s rural, resource-based economy; the county has no large urban tax base to draw on.

Economy & Local Life

Timber and wood-products milling have long anchored the local economy, alongside hay and cattle ranching along the river bottoms. The Kalispel Tribe of Indians, headquartered at Usk, is a major employer and landowner in the county, running the Camas Center for Community Wellness and tribal natural-resources programs. Recreation and tourism — fishing, boating, and snowmobiling around Sullivan Lake and the Selkirk Crest — bring seasonal visitors, and the county is one leg of the International Selkirk Loop scenic driving route shared with Idaho and British Columbia.

History

Pend Oreille County was carved out of Stevens County on March 1, 1911, making it the last of Washington’s 39 counties to be organized. Its name comes from the Pend d’Oreille people, whose French-derived name is usually translated as “hangs from the ear,” a reference to the shell earrings early French traders observed them wearing. Mining and timber drove early settlement around Metaline and Ione; the Metaline Falls area later grew around a cement plant that operated for most of the 20th century.

Getting There

U.S. Route 2 runs the length of the county along the Pend Oreille River, with State Routes 20, 31, 41, and 211 branching off to Ione, Metaline Falls, and the Idaho line.

• Spokane, Washington — 45 miles south
• Sandpoint, Idaho — 40 miles east
• Colville, Washington — 35 miles west
• Nelson, British Columbia — 75 miles north

Spokane International Airport, roughly an hour’s drive south, is the nearest commercial airport.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Pend Oreille County?
It is in the far northeast corner of Washington state, on the Canadian border, east of Stevens County and west of Idaho’s Bonner and Boundary counties.

What is the population of Pend Oreille County?
13,401 people, per the 2020 census.

How big is Pend Oreille County?
1,425 square miles (3,690 km2), including about 25 square miles of water.

What is the county seat of Pend Oreille County?
Newport is the county seat and largest city.

How many towns are in Pend Oreille County?
One city (Newport) and three incorporated towns — Cusick, Ione, and Metaline — plus several unincorporated communities such as Metaline Falls and Usk.

What ZIP codes are in Pend Oreille County?
99156 (Newport), 99119 (Cusick), 99139 (Ione), 99152 (Metaline), 99153 (Metaline Falls), and 99180 (Usk).

Is Pend Oreille County on the Canadian border?
Yes — its northern edge is the international line with British Columbia’s Central Kootenay Regional District.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Washington.