Kamiah is home to 1,400 people in the city limits and a large population living in the outskirts of town totaling 3, 740. The city has experienced population growth during the past decade of of a low of 12% and a high of 21%. The city sits at the junctions of US Highway 12 and Idaho State Highways 162 and 64. The part of the dividing line between Idaho and Lewis Counties is Lawyers Creek that runs through parts of Kamiah, splitting it between the two counties.
The city is home to the Kamiah Joint School District with an elementary, middle school and high school. St. Mary’s Hospital has a clinic in Kamiah providing extensive medical care with a wide variety of service. The city has a municipal airport and sits along US Highway 12 connecting the port of Lewiston, Idaho to Montana via Lolo Pass.
Kamiah is centrally and closely located to many different recreational opportunties. The Nezperce and Clearwater National Forests are within a short drive from Kamiah, offering access to many hunting, fishing, hiking and outdoor activities. The city lies along the Clearwater River and is close to the convergence of the Clearwater, Lochsa and Selway Rivers. Highway 12 that runs through Kamiah, is a scenic byway, part of the Lewis-Clark trail and traversed by many including motorcyclists and RV drivers.
The Kamiah area has rich cultural signficance including the Heart of the Monster, the legendary birthplace of the Nez Perce Tribe. The Nez Perce Tribe has invested in Kamiah in many ways including supporting the local school, providing the Wa-a’yas Community Center, Nimiipuu Health Clinic and It’se Ye-Ye Casino.
Kamiah’s major employers include the US Forest Service, Kamiah Mills, Blue North Forest Products, Alternative Nursing Services, It’se Ye-Ye Casino, Cloningers Harvest Foods and Flying B Ranch.
According to the Census Bureau’s On the Map program ~ In 2011, there were about 586 people who were employed in the Kamiah zip code (and of course most of those would be in the city limits or very close to the city limits) who lived outside the zip code area, so were commuting from other cities.
There is always a time lag with the On the Map data, but given that Kamiah’s employment has increased since then, if commuters increased proportionately, there probably are about 620 people now commuting. Overall employment is estimated to have increased by 55 jobs to 2,319 in 2013.
Check out Kamiah’s website.