Bear Lake County is a county in Idaho, United States, in the southeast corner of the state, bordering both Wyoming and Utah. It had a population of 6,372 at the 2020 census and covers 1,049 square miles (2,720 km2) — 975 square miles (2,530 km2) of land and 75 square miles (190 km2) of water — centred near 42°17′N 111°20′W.<\/p>\n
Paris is the county seat, and its postal code is 83261. The county has five incorporated cities, one census-designated place and roughly two dozen smaller unincorporated communities. Idaho has no civil townships, so the county is not subdivided that way. Bear Lake County observes Mountain time.<\/p>\n
Bear Lake County has 32 named places on record, from the five incorporated cities strung along US-89 to small ranching hamlets tucked against the Bear Lake and Caribou-Targhee National Forest boundaries. “CDP” marks a Census-Designated Place (unincorporated but tracked separately by the Census Bureau); “Unincorp.” marks a place with no municipal government at all.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 83261<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Montpelier<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 83254<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Georgetown<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 83239<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bloomington<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 83223<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| St. Charles<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 83272<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bennington<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 83254<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Alton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bear Lake Hot Springs<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bear Lake Sands<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bern<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 83220<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Border<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Chausse<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Dingle<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 83233<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Fish Haven<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 83287<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Geneva<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 83238<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Giveout<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Glencoe<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Harer<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lanark<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Liberty<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lifton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lindsayville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Manson<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Nounan<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Novene<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ovid<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pegram<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Raymond<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sharon<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Turnpike<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wardboro<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wooleys<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Montpelier is the county’s largest community, though Paris has held the county seat since the county organised. Fish Haven, Bear Lake Sands and Bear Lake Hot Springs all sit along the Idaho shore of Bear Lake itself, a resort strip distinct from the farm towns further up the valley.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nThe smaller unincorporated places on the county’s list — Alton, Border, Chausse, Giveout, Glencoe, Harer, Lanark, Liberty, Lifton, Lindsayville, Manson, Nounan, Novene, Ovid, Pegram, Raymond, Sharon, Turnpike, Wardboro and Wooleys — use the ZIP code of their nearest post-office town rather than one of their own.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nBear Lake County sits in Idaho’s southeast corner, where the Bear River valley runs between the Bear River Range to the west and the Preuss Range and Caribou-Targhee National Forest to the east. The northern third of Bear Lake itself, a 20-mile-long alpine lake known for its turquoise color, lies inside the county before the shoreline crosses into Utah. Water covers about 7 percent of the county’s total area, almost all of it the lake.<\/p>\n The county borders Caribou County<\/a> to the north, Lincoln County, Wyoming to the east, Rich County, Utah to the south, and Franklin County<\/a>, Idaho to the west.<\/p>\n Bear Lake County had 6,372 residents at the 2020 census, spread across a county with a population density of roughly 6.5 people per square mile — well below Idaho’s statewide average. Montpelier and Paris are the two largest communities. Household income in the county runs below the Idaho median of $74,942, typical for a farm-and-ranch county with few large employers.<\/p>\n Agriculture drives the county’s economy — cattle ranching and grain and hay farming dominate the valley floor. Tourism tied to Bear Lake has grown steadily, with boating, fishing and the Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge drawing summer visitors to Fish Haven and the lakeshore communities. Montpelier, the county’s commercial center, hosts the Bear Lake Valley’s main grocery, medical and school facilities.<\/p>\n Bear Lake County was organized January 5, 1875, in Idaho Territory, named for Bear Lake on its southern border. Mormon pioneers founded Paris on September 26, 1863, the county’s first permanent settlement, and Montpelier followed in the spring of 1864. The Oregon Short Line Railroad reached Montpelier in 1892, turning it into the county’s commercial hub and eclipsing Paris in size even though Paris kept the county seat.<\/p>\n US Highway 89 runs the length of the county through Montpelier and Paris; State Highway 36 crosses west to Franklin County. Nearby towns:<\/p>\n The nearest commercial airport is Yellowstone Regional Airport in Cody, Wyoming, or Salt Lake City International Airport, roughly 130 miles to the southwest; there is no Amtrak service in the county.<\/p>\n Where is Bear Lake County?<\/strong> What is the population of Bear Lake County?<\/strong> How big is Bear Lake County?<\/strong> What is the county seat of Bear Lake County?<\/strong> How many towns are in Bear Lake County?<\/strong> |