Cottonwood Idaho Map

About Cottonwood, Idaho

Cottonwood is a locality in Idaho County, Idaho, United States. It is a small community with a population of 822. The population density is 378.3 people per km². Cottonwood is located at 46.0485°N, 116.3496°W. It observes the Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles) timezone. Cottonwood is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 83522.

Cottonwood anchors the expansive high-prairie landscape where the land stretches toward a flat, unending horizon, defined by the steady, persistent flow of Cottonwood Creek as it carves a path through the fields. It lies 40.8 miles southeast of Lewiston, ID (from Lewiston, ID: bearing 128°T), and is situated 13.8 miles northwest of Grangeville. The air here holds a crisp, singular clarity, particularly in the autumn when the light grows thin and sharp, casting long shadows across the wheat stalks and stubble. To the east, the faint, jagged silhouette of the Bitterroot Range occasionally emerges from the haze, a distant reminder of the rugged terrain that separates this plateau from the more volatile reaches of the state. Beyond the immediate town site, the earth drops away into the rugged, broken topography of Hanley Gulch, providing a stark contrast to the cultivated order of the surrounding plains.

Cottonwood emerged as a junction of necessity, serving the agricultural rhythms of settlers who recognized the fertile potential of this high-altitude soil. The economy remains tied to the cycles of grain and harvest, a quiet industry that dictates the pulse of the streets and the collective focus of the day. While the Lower Salmon River Area of Critical Environmental Concern lies a short distance away, preserving the wilder character of the region, the life of Cottonwood stays firmly centered on the maintenance of its fields and the durability of its people. Life here moves with the measured pace of a seasonal rotation, occasionally pausing to acknowledge the nearby waters of Tolo Lake, a quiet basin that mirrors the vast, unclouded skies of the inland West.

About This Cottonwood Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Cottonwood, Idaho. Coordinates: 46.048492, -116.34959. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.

Detailed location data for Cottonwood includes the ZIP code (83522), telephone area code (208), county seat of Idaho County (Grangeville), and school district assignment (Cottonwood Joint School District 242).

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.