Welcome to Ponderay ...
The city of Ponderay is located in the Idaho Panhandle.
Ponderay is located in Bonner County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Ponderay, you might consider that their post office opened in 1905.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Ponderay has a population of 1,157 people<2> (see below for details).
The community of Ponderay is 2,120 feet [646 m] above sea level.<3> In other words, the altitude of Ponderay is about ½ mile above sea level.
Time Zone: Ponderay lies in the Pacific Time Zone (PST/PDT) and observes daylight saving time
Note: If you travel east from Ponderay (for example, toward Libby (MT)), you will leave Pacific Time and cross into the Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT).
Telephone area codes for Ponderay: (208) and (986)<4>
The ZIP code for Ponderay: 83852<5>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Ponderay had an population of 1,157 people. This is an increase of 1.76% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 81.35% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Ponderay had a population of 1,137 people. This makes Ponderay the county's 3rd most populous community.
The population of Ponderay represents 0.07% of the population of Idaho (which has 1,567,582 people), making it the state's 76th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 1,137 people, the population of Ponderay increased 78.21% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 638 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Ponderay.
Communities near Ponderay ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Ponderay.
- Priest River
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priest River
- Priest River is located in Bonner County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,930 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Priest River <6>
- Dover
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dover have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Dover is located in Bonner County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 968 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dover <6>
- Clark Fork
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clark Fork have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark Fork
- Clark Fork is located in Bonner County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 589 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clark Fork <6>
- East Hope
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east) - Hope
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
- Hope is located in Bonner County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hope <6>
- Boyer
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyer
- Boyer is located in Bonner County
- Colburn
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colburn
- Colburn is located in Bonner County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colburn <6>
- Algoma
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Algoma
- Algoma is located in Bonner County
- Sagle
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagle
- Sagle is located in Bonner County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sagle <6>
- Samuels
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Ponderay. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Ponderay.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Ponderay. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ponderay.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Ponderay. See our Newspapers Page for Ponderay.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Ponderay ...
Looking for more information about Ponderay? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Ponderay, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Ponderay.
Adding Ponderay to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Ponderay in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Ponderay was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the Ponderay post office opened in 1905.
For more details, see References and Mentions for Ponderay.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ponderay. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Bonner County: www.co.bonner.id.us/
The official website for State of Idaho: www.state.id.us/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Idaho's counties, including Bonner, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Ponderay. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Ponderay - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | Area code (986) is an overlay for area code (208). |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Ponderay). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Ponderay or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |