| Official Name: | St. Maries, Idaho |
| Pushpin Map: | USA |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the United States |
| Coordinates: | 47.316°N -116.57°W |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Leader Name: | Tom Carver |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1.19 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1.19 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Elevation Ft: | 2192 |
| Population Total: | 2402 |
| Pop Est Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Est: | 2448 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2019 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 2062.34 |
| Utc Offset: | -8 |
| Timezone Dst: | PDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -7 |
| Postal Code: | 83861 |
| Blank Info: | 16-71470 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0398082 |
| Area Total Km2: | 3.08 |
| Area Land Km2: | 3.08 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Population Density Km2: | 796.01 |
St. Maries is a city in north central Idaho, the largest in rural Benewah County and its county seat. Its population was 2,402 at the 2010 census, down from 2,652 in 2000.
The townsite was selected by Joseph Fisher, just southwest of the confluence of St. Maries River and St. Joe River, to provide a location for a sawmill, first built in 1889. The rivers and lake systems provided rapid transportation systems for floating logs to the mills and utilizing steamboats to transport finished products to market. From the city, the St. Joe River flows west, through several lakes and into the south end of Lake Coeur d'Alene.
The Pacific Extension of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) arrived in 1908.[3] The city was established in 1913 when Benewah County was formed from southern Kootenai County. In 1915 St. Maries was named its county seat.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1sqmi, all of it land.[4] The St. Maries River to the east and the St. Joe River to the north frame the city.
According to the Köppen climate classification system, St. Maries has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb).
As of the census[5] of 2010, there were 2,402 people, 999 households, and 641 families living in the city. The population density was 2183.6PD/sqmi. There were 1,092 housing units at an average density of 992.7/mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 96.0% White, 0.3% African American, 1.1% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.
There were 999 households, of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.8% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.88.
The median age in the city was 40.9 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.7% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 19.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 2,652 people, 1,061 households, and 675 families living in the city. The population density was 2434.8sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 1,132 housing units at an average density of 1039.3/mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 95.93% White, 1.73% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 2.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.66% of the population.
There were 1,061 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,054, and the median income for a family was $37,474. Males had a median income of $35,625 versus $19,509 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,745. About 10.7% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.
The city council of St. Maries consists of six council members. There is also a planning & zoning commission that consists of four members and a chairman. As of January 2020, the current mayor of St. Maries is Tom Carver.[7]
The public schools are operated by St. Maries Joint School District #41.
| Name | Type | Grades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Maries High School | align=center | High | 9 - 12 |
| St. Maries Middle School | 6 - 8 | ||
| Heyburn Elementary | Elementary | K - 5 | |