Ravalli County, Montana

History

Ravalli County was once home to the Bitterroot Salish tribe. The tribe was first encountered in 1805 by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which noted their friendly nature. The Catholic Church took an interest in creating a mission in the area, and in 1841 founded St. Mary's Mission, subsequently renamed as Fort Owen. In 1864, the settlement's current name, Stevensville, was adopted. In 1891, the Salish tribe was moved to the current Flathead Reservation under the Treaty of Hellgate.

In 1877, Chief Joseph and his Wallowa band of Nez Perce passed through Ravalli County in their attempt to escape confinement to a reservation; they were captured en route to Canada just south of Havre.

Ravalli County was created in 1893 by the Montana Legislature, carving off a portion of Missoula County. It was named after the Italian Jesuit priest Antony Ravalli, who came to the Bitterroot Valley in 1845.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of 2400 sqmi, of which 2391 sqmi is land and 9.4 sqmi (0.4%) is water.

Major highways

• [[Image:US 93.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 93
• [[Image:MT-38.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 38

Adjacent counties

• Missoula County - north
• Granite County - northeast
• Deer Lodge County - east
• Beaverhead County - southeast
• Lemhi County, Idaho - south
• Idaho County, Idaho - west/Pacific Time Border

National protected areas

• Bitterroot National Forest (part)
• Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge
• Lolo National Forest (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 44,174. Of the residents, 19.3% were under the age of 18 and 27.9% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 50.2 years. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.3 males. 15.6% of residents lived in urban areas and 84.4% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 91.4% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 1.2% from some other race, and 5.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.6% of the population.

There were 18,750 households in the county, of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 21,062 housing units, of which 11.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.5% were owner-occupied and 23.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.1%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 40,212 people, 16,933 households, and 11,380 families in the county. The population density was 16.8 PD/sqmi. There were 19,583 housing units at an average density of 8.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 95.9% white, 0.9% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.8% were German, 17.4% were English, 15.9% were Irish, 8.3% were American, 5.7% were Italian, and 5.5% were Norwegian.

Of the 16,933 households, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.8% were non-families, and 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age was 46.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,000 and the median income for a family was $53,004. Males had a median income of $42,065 versus $27,629 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,908. About 9.6% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Agriculture and timber form the bulk of Ravalli County economic activity. Marcus Daly, one of three Butte copper kings, funded logging operations in the Bitterroot Valley. The lumber was necessary for the Butte copper operation. Recently, more of Ravalli County's economy stems from tourism. The valley borders the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and offers a wide variety of wildlife, including some of the few remaining wolverine and wolf populations in the contiguous states. The Lost Trail Powder Mountain ski area is at Lost Trail Pass on the Idaho border on US-93.

Politics

Ravalli County voters have been reliably Republican, opting only one time for the Democratic Party candidate in national elections since 1940 (as of 2024).

Communities

City

• Hamilton

Towns

• Darby
• Pinesdale
• Stevensville

Census-designated places

• Charlos Heights
• Conner
• Corvallis
• Florence
• Sula
• Victor

Unincorporated communities

• Alta
• Bell Crossing
• Cinnibar Court
• Como
• Gorus
• Grantsdale
• Medicine Hot Springs
• Riverside

Education

K-12 school districts include:

• Corvallis K-12 Schools
• Darby K-12 Schools
• Florence-Carlton K-12 Schools
• Hamilton K-12 Schools
• Victor K-12 Schools

High school districts include:

• Stevensville High School District

Elementary school districts include:

• Lone Rock Elementary School District
• Stevensville Elementary School District

Notable person

• Henry L. Myers, Ravalli County prosecuting attorney, U.S. Senator from Montana

References

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
4. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
5. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
6. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
7. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
8. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
9. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
10. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
11. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
12. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections".
13. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Alta,+MT+59829/@45.6188053,-114.3085628,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x5358e371e1872521:0x1bc645f6e581e5b1!8m2!3d45.6188062!4d-114.299808 ''Alta MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)]
14. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bell+Crossing,+MT+59875/@46.4432547,-114.1327449,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x535e987d85b2ce71:0x1032331c53e6e170!8m2!3d46.4432556!4d-114.1239901 ''Bell Crossing MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)]
15. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cinnabar+Court,+MT+59870/@46.4821437,-114.0969124,2905m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x535e9f2bcda7c15f:0xfa97700f1715d28a!8m2!3d46.4821446!4d-114.0881576 ''Cinnibar Court MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)]
16. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Como,+MT+59840/@46.0896421,-114.184122,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x53593525f8820ba3:0x2be44f94b6dcba61!8m2!3d46.089643!4d-114.1753672 ''Como TM'' Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)]
17. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gorus,+MT+59829/@46.0626977,-114.1807877,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x535934f9ac91c70d:0xebe076cee2a3246d!8m2!3d46.0626985!4d-114.1720329 ''Gorus MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)]
18. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Medicine+Hot+Springs,+MT+59827/@45.8460302,-114.0441137,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x53593dd47da34ebb:0xbc1aa30594489fd6!8m2!3d45.8460311!4d-114.0353589 ''Medicine Hot Springs MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)]
19. {{cite map. Geography Division. link. "". [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. ()