Fremont County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census the county had a population of 13,388. The county seat and largest city is St. Anthony. The county was established in 1893, and was named for the explorer John C. Frémont. Fremont County is part of the Rexburg, Idaho micropolitan area, which is also included in the Idaho Falls metropolitan area.
History
Fremont County was established in 1893 when Bingham County was partitioned. It is named for John C. Frémont.
The county initially contained all of the northern portion of eastern Idaho north of Bonneville County. The counties of Jefferson and Madison were created from Fremont in 1913. Teton County was later created from Madison in 1915 and a portion of Butte was created from Jefferson in 1917. Clark County was also created from Fremont in 1919.
The first fur trapping operation by a United States fur company west of the Rocky Mountains occurred in 1810 when Andrew Henry established a fort in the fall of 1810 on Conant Creek in southern Fremont County. Henry later moved the fort to the south bank of the Henry's Fork of the Snake River between present-day settlements of Salem and Parker. The fort was abandoned some time after 1811.
At the time of early settlement, Fremont County was located on the northern edge of Oneida County. Mining, timber, and ranching operations commenced in the Island Park area prior to 1870. The establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872 also contributed to the eventual development of the Island Park area as a popular recreation area. Construction of the Egin Canal commenced in 1879 and farming settlement of the Egin area followed. In 1883, Parker was established and settlement commenced at Teton. These settlements became part of Bingham County when it was created in 1885. Settlement at St. Anthony started in 1888 while the Ashton area settlement of Marysville commenced settlement in 1889. At the 1890 Census, Bingham County enumerated 301 residents in the precincts of Teton and Henry's Lake.
Additional settlement occurred at Warm River in 1896, the Drummond area in 1900, and Newdale in 1914.
The Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.7%) is water. The southern part of the county covers the northeastern tip of the Snake River Basin, with the mountains of the continental divide forming its northern boundary. Montana lies to the north, and Wyoming to the east. A portion of Yellowstone National Park reaches into the county.
Adjacent Counties
Clark County - west
Jefferson County - southwest
Madison County - south
Teton County - south
Teton County, Wyoming - east
Gallatin County, Montana - north
Madison County, Montana - north
Beaverhead County, Montana - northwest
Fremont County is one of the few US counties to border two counties of the same name in different states. Fremont County borders two such pairs of counties-- Madison County, Idaho and Madison County, Montana and Teton County, Idaho and Teton County, Wyoming.
Major highways
US 20
SH-47
SH-87
National protected areas
Caribou-Targhee National Forest (part) Yellowstone National Park (part)
Demographics
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,819 people, 3,885 households, and 3,030 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 6,890 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.41% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 5.94% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. 10.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.1% were of English, 15.1% German and 14.8% American ancestry. Those citing "American" ancestry in Fremont County are of overwhelmingly English extraction, however most English Americans identify simply as having American ancestry because their roots have been in North America for so long, in some cases since the 1600s.
There were 3,885 households, out of which 39.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.90% were married couples living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.00% were non-families. 19.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.43.