Rathdrum is situated at the base of Rathdrum Mountain, which is part of the Selkirk Mountain Range.
History
In the 1800s the town was initially called Westwood in honor of one of the founders of the town, a Pony Express rider and rancher, Charles Wesley Wood, also known as "Wes." But in 1881 the postmaster in the town was informed by the federal government that the town would need to change its name since it was already taken by another town in the territory. A local businessman, Michael M. Cowley, recommended the name "Rathdrum" from County Wicklow in Ireland, his place of birth.[6]
Near the end of the 19th century, the Northern Pacific Railway built its line westwards to Spokane and Rathdrum started to grow slowly. Until today, Rathdrum remains on the only regular railway line in Idaho, now owned by BNSF Railway; the Empire Builder of Amtrak travels through Rathdrum without stopping there.
Demographics
The intermediate grade wing of Rathdrum's elementary school, John Brown
As of the census[9] of 2010, there were 6,826 people, 2,427 households, and 1,852 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,380.38 inhabitants per square mile (532.97/km2). There were 2,561 housing units at an average density of 517.90 per square mile (199.96/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.0% White, 0.2% African American, 1.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.6% of the population.
There were 2,427 households, of which 42.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 18.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.7% under the age of 20, 57.4% from 20 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.3 years. Females represented the majority of the population at 51.6%, with males in the minority at 48.4%.
