Valley County, Idaho

Valley County is a county in Idaho, United States, a mountain-and-forest county in the west-central part of the state centred on the Long Valley of the North Fork Payette River. It had a population of 11,746 at the 2020 census and covers 3,733 square miles (9,670 km2) centred near 44°44′N 115°34′W, the fifth-largest county by area in Idaho.

Cascade is the county seat and its postal code is 83611. The county holds 3 incorporated cities, 2 census-designated places and several unincorporated communities; McCall, not the county seat, is the largest city. Valley County sits in the Mountain time zone.

Towns & Villages in Valley County

Valley County lists 30 named places on record, split between 3 incorporated cities, 2 census-designated places (CDPs), and a long tail of unincorporated communities and seasonal summer-home areas scattered through the Payette National Forest and the Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness. Population figures below are 2020 census counts for the cities and CDPs; most of the unincorporated places have no separate census count.

Several of the “summer home area” names are seasonal cabin tracts on Payette Lake and Warm Lake platted by the U.S. Forest Service rather than towns in the ordinary sense; they are kept here because they carry recorded place names in county and postal records.

ZIP Codes

• 83611 — Cascade (also serves Smiths Ferry, Warm Lake, Old Fort, Belvidere, Spink, Archabal, Arling, Paradise Valley and Williams Creek Summit summer-home areas)
• 83638 — McCall (also serves Abstein Place, Kinney Point, Lakeshore Drive and Shoreline Drive summer-home areas)
• 83615 — Donnelly (also serves Roseberry, Cabarton, Norwood and High Valley)
• 83677 — Yellow Pine (also serves Stibnite; PO Box service only)
• 83635 — Lake Fork

Places without a listed ZIP above (Big Creek, Landmark, Alpha, Midnight, Edwardsburg, Fritser Ford, Lawman Ford) are remote backcountry sites without their own postal delivery.

Geography

Valley County occupies the Long Valley, a broad glacial trough carved by the North Fork Payette River, flanked by the Salmon River Mountains to the east and the West Mountains to the west. Payette Lake sits at the valley’s north end at McCall; the Cascade Reservoir, formed when the Cascade Dam was completed in 1948, covers most of the valley floor north of Cascade. The county’s eastern two-thirds lie within the Payette and Boise national forests and the Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness, and the county is home to the Idaho ground squirrel, found nowhere else in the state.

Valley County borders Idaho County to the north, Adams County to the west, Gem County to the southwest, Boise County to the south, Custer County to the east, and Lemhi County to the northeast.

Demographics

Valley County had 11,746 residents at the 2020 census, up from earlier decades as second-home and retiree growth around McCall and Cascade Reservoir continued. McCall, with about 3,700 residents, and Cascade, with about 1,097, are the two largest communities and together hold more than 40% of the county’s population. Median household income runs well below the Idaho median of $74,942; Valley County’s own median has historically sat in the low $50,000s, reflecting a seasonal, tourism- and forestry-dependent economy. Population density is roughly 3.2 people per square mile, one of the lowest in the state.

Economy & Local Life

Tourism and recreation drive the county’s economy: Brundage Mountain Resort and Little Ski Hill near McCall and Tamarack Resort on the county’s west side anchor a ski, boating and fishing economy built around Payette Lake and Cascade Reservoir. Forestry and the historic Stibnite Mining District, a source of antimony and tungsten during World War II and the subject of an active 2020s mine-reclamation and reopening project, remain part of the local economy. McCall hosts the annual Winter Carnival each January/February, a signature local event with ice sculptures on the lakefront.

History

Valley County was organized on February 26, 1917, carved from parts of Boise and Idaho counties. It takes its name from the Long Valley of the North Fork Payette River, a valley that once served as summer range for livestock driven up from the Boise Valley. The Stibnite Mining District, in the county’s remote east, was one of the United States’ most important sources of antimony and tungsten during World War II. The 1948 completion of Cascade Dam created Cascade Reservoir, permanently changing the northern valley’s landscape and giving the county a second recreational economy alongside McCall’s.

Getting There

Idaho State Highway 55, the Payette River Scenic Byway, runs the length of the county and is the main road link, connecting to Boise in the south and to US Route 95 near New Meadows in the north.

• Boise — about 100 miles south
• Grangeville — about 90 miles north
• Weiser — about 75 miles west
• Salmon — about 110 miles northeast

McCall Municipal Airport offers general-aviation service; the nearest commercial airport is Boise Airport (BOI), roughly two hours south by car.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Valley County?
It is in west-central Idaho, along the Long Valley of the North Fork Payette River, between Boise and the Salmon River Mountains.

What is the population of Valley County?
11,746 people at the 2020 census.

How big is Valley County?
3,733 square miles (9,670 km2), the fifth-largest county in Idaho.

What is the county seat of Valley County?
Cascade, though McCall is the county’s largest city.

How many towns are in Valley County?
Three incorporated cities (Cascade, McCall and Donnelly), two census-designated places, and a scattering of unincorporated and backcountry communities.

What ZIP codes are in Valley County?
83611 (Cascade), 83638 (McCall), 83615 (Donnelly), 83677 (Yellow Pine) and 83635 (Lake Fork).

What is Valley County known for?
Payette Lake, Cascade Reservoir, McCall’s Winter Carnival, and the historic Stibnite Mining District.

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