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About Oneida County
Oneida County covers 1,202 square miles along the southern border of Idaho. It includes Malad Valley, Pocatello Valley and parts of Curlew Valley, Arbon Valley and Rockland Valley. Separating the valleys are mountains which are of lower height than mountains to the east and west, contributing to the arid conditions in the county. Elkhorn Peak is the highest point in the county at 9,095 feet in elevation, being right on the boundary with Bannock County, to the north. The Malad Mountains, Samaria Mountains and North Hansel Mountains reach only to around 7,000 feet. Farmland covers the valleys where irrigation water is available, and grassland covers the hills and foothills. Forest, mostly of junipers, are limited to the highest elevations and a few other isolated pockets. The Curlew National Grassland lies mostly within the county.
Malad is the county seat and home to about half of the county's 4,125 people. Most of the rest live in the surrounding Malad Valley. Interstate 15 passes along the eastern edge of the county, past Malad and following the base of the Malad Mountains. Interstate 84 crosses the southwestern corner of the county. Idaho Highway 38 connects from Malad to Holbrook in the Curlew Valley, and Idaho Highway 36 connects from Malad Valley to Cache Valley to the east.
With a population density of 3 people per square mile, Oneida County is a remote area, full of large open spaces.