b'E C O N O M YMining is and almost always has been the countys best known industry. The countys Silver Valley is one of the nations greatest mining regions. Shoshone County is also forest country. Until recently, timber has been a mainstay of the countys natural resources economy.13The economy of Shoshone County employs about 4,500 people. The majority of residents work in these industries: Trade, Utilities, Transportation (27.9%) Education and Healthcare (20.3%) Tourism and Hospitality (15.4%) Mining (9.4%) Government (7.7%)13Shoshone County is a spacious 2,636 square miles of mountainous terrain. Almost all that land is classied as forest uplands while less than 1% is urban or developed. Outdoor opportunities are unlimited and range from mountain biking, riding ATVs on miles of public roads and trails, skiing at one of two ski resorts located within 25 miles of each other, partaking in world-class shing and hunting, to simply enjoying the peace and quiet of the thousands of acres of public lands out our backdoor. The Silver Valley surrounds 40 miles of Interstate 90 (I-90), an east-west transcontinental freeway and the longest interstate in the US. This interstate connects Seattle to Boston and provides a transportation benet to any business established here. Even during severe winter weather, the interstate is the top priority road to clear, which is benecial when it comes to organizing logistics like importing or exporting supplies. The Silver Valley is also located in the Coeur dAlene River Basin, one of the largest mining districts in the world. Past mining practices led to the area being designated a Superfund Site in 1983. The area is now home to one of the largest vegetation and ecological restoration projects in US history. The major transportation, regional, environmental, and human capital benets are not the only benets to doing business in Shoshone county, but they are the most notable.14AgricultureTotal and Per Farm Overview, 2017 and change since 20122017 % change since 2012Number of farms 48 +33Land in farms (acres) 2,435 (D)Average size of farm (acres) 51 (D)Percent of county land in farms 0.1%(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.FIGURE 6. Shoshone County Total Farm Overview 152017 Market Value of Agricultural Products SoldCounties Sales ($1,000) Rank in State Producing ItemTotal215 44 44Crops65 44 44Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, dry peas- - 42586 I D A H O I N F R A S T R U C T U R E G U I D E B O O K'