Gallatin County, Montana

History

During the territorial era, a small patch of land known as "Lost Dakota" existed as a remote exclave of Dakota Territory until it was transferred to Gallatin County, Montana Territory, in 1873.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2632 sqmi, of which 2603 sqmi is land and 29 sqmi (1.1%) is water. The county attained its present boundaries in 1978, when the former Yellowstone National Park (part) county-equivalent was dissolved and apportioned between Gallatin County and Park County. Gallatin County received 99.155 sqmi of land area and 0.119 sqmi of water area, whereas Park County received 146.229 sqmi of land area and 0.608 sqmi of water area. The geographies transferred are known now as Census Tract 14 in Gallatin County, and as Census Tract 6 in Park County.

Major highways

• [[Image:I-90.svg|20px]] Interstate 90
• [[Image:US 20.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 20
• [[Image:US 191.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 191
• [[Image:US 287.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 287
• [[Image:MT-2.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 2
• [[Image:MT-64.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 64
• [[Image:MT-84.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 84
• [[Image:MT-85.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 85
• [[Image:MT-86.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 86
• [[Image:MT-sec-205.svg|20px]] Montana Secondary Highway 205

Transit

• Jefferson Lines

Adjacent counties

• Madison County - west
• Jefferson County - northwest
• Broadwater County - north
• Meagher County - northeast
• Park County - east
• Park County, Wyoming - southeast
• Teton County, Wyoming - southeast
• Fremont County, Idaho - southwest

National protected areas

• Gallatin National Forest (part)
• Yellowstone National Park (part)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960, 1900–1990, 1990–2000, 2010–2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 118,960 and 47,117 households; 19.8% of residents were under the age of 18, 13.2% were 65 years of age or older, there were 107.4 males for every 100 females (108.8 for every 100 females age 18 and over), and 65.2% of residents lived in urban areas while 34.8% lived in rural areas. The median age was 33.4 years, compared with 40.1 years in Montana.

In terms of ancestry, 25.4% were German, 14.8% were Irish, 12.4% were English, 8.8% were Norwegian, 4.6% were Italian, 4.0% were French, 3.5% were Scottish, 2.2% were Polish and 0.3% were Subsaharan African.

The population density was 45.2 PD/sqmi. There were 52,835 housing units in the county at an average density of 20.1 /sqmi.

The racial makeup of the county was 89.0% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% Asian, 1.8% from some other race, and 6.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.0% of the population.

Of the 47,117 households in the county, 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 21.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, about 25.9% were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 48.2% were married-couple family households, 23.9% were male householders with no spouse present, 20.4% were female householders with no spouse present, and the average family size was 2.96.

Among occupied housing units, 59.9% were owner-occupied and 40.1% were renter-occupied; the homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%.

The median household income was $75,418, significantly higher than the $57,153 median household income in Montana; 11.9% of the population was below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those 65 or older.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 89,513 people, 36,550 households, and 21,263 families living in the county. The population density was 34.4 PD/sqmi. There were 42,289 housing units at an average density of 16.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 95.1% White, 1.1% Asian, 0.9% American Indian, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 32.2% were German, 18.1% were Irish, 14.7% were English, 9.4% were Norwegian, and 3.5% were American.

Of the 36,550 households, 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 41.8% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 32.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,136 and the median income for a family was $65,029. Males had a median income of $42,245 versus $31,349 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,423. About 7.4% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Gallatin County has traditionally favored Republican presidential candidates, often by large margins. Recent changes to Gallatin County's demographics (including migration from Democratic-leaning areas, and younger voters adopting more liberal political positions) have made the county more competitive.

Gallatin County is home to the flagship campus of Montana State University, which contributes to its Democratic lean.

Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton narrowly won Gallatin County in 2008 and 2016 respectively, with Republican Mitt Romney winning the county in 2012.

2020 Democratic candidate Joe Biden won Gallatin County by the largest margin for a Democrat since Franklin Delano Roosevelt's victory in 1940. Democrat Kamala Harris won the county in 2024, marking the first time the county voted for a Democrat who lost the popular vote since 1900.

Communities

Cities

• Belgrade
• Bozeman (county seat)
• Three Forks

Towns

• Manhattan
• West Yellowstone

Census-designated places

• Amsterdam (formerly Amsterdam-Churchill)
• Big Sky
• Bridger
• Churchill (formerly Amsterdam-Churchill)
• Four Corners
• Gallatin Gateway
• Gallatin River Ranch
• Hebgen Lake Estates
• King Arthur Park
• Logan
• Ponderosa Pines
• Sedan
• Springhill
• Willow Creek

Unincorporated communities

• Hillman
• Maudlow

Education

Unified (K-12) districts include:

• Big Sky School K-12
• West Yellowstone K-12

The Belgrade elementary and high school districts are both a part of Belgrade Public Schools. The Bozeman elementary and high school districts are both a part of Bozeman Public Schools. The Manhattan elementary and high school districts are both a part of Manhattan Public Schools. The Three Forks elementary and high school districts are both a part of Three Forks Public Schools. The Willow Creek elementary and high school districts are both a part of Willow Creek Public Schools.

High school districts include:

• Belgrade High School District
• Bozeman High School District
• Manhattan High School District
• Three Forks High School District
• Willow Creek High School District

Elementary school districts include:

• Amsterdam Elementary School District
• Anderson Elementary School District
• Belgrade Elementary School District
• Bozeman Elementary School District
• Cottonwood Elementary School District
• Gallatin Gateway Elementary School District
• LaMotte Elementary School District
• Malmborg Elementary School District
• Manhattan School
• Monforton Elementary School District
• Pass Creek Elementary School District
• Shields Valley Elementary School District
• Springhill Elementary School District
• Three Forks Elementary School District
• Willow Creek Elementary School District

Notable people

• Zales Ecton, a U.S. Senator from Montana, lived in Gallatin County.
• Stan Jones lives and works in Gallatin County.

References

References

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2. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
3. [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125142955 Beyond 50: American States That Might Have Been : NPR]
4. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
5. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
10. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Explore Census Data".
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau.
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau.
14. Cohen, Micah. (June 21, 2012). "Presidential Geography: Montana". FiveThirtyEight.
15. (March 20, 2017). "A wider partisan and ideological gap between younger, older generations". Pew Research Center.
16. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections".
17. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Gallatin County, MT". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
18. (2024-03-13). "Directory of Montana Schools". [[Montana Office of Public Instruction]].
19. (2024-03-13). "Directory of Montana Schools". [[Montana Office of Public Instruction]].
20. (2024-03-13). "Directory of Montana Schools". [[Montana Office of Public Instruction]].
21. (2024-03-13). "Directory of Montana Schools". [[Montana Office of Public Instruction]].
22. (2024-03-13). "Directory of Montana Schools". [[Montana Office of Public Instruction]].