Valley County, Montana

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5062 sqmi, of which 4926 sqmi is land and 136 sqmi (2.7%) is water. It is Montana's fourth-largest county by total area.

Transportation

Major highways

• [[Image:US 2.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 2
• [[Image:MT-24.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 24
• [[Image:MT-42.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 42
• [[Image:MT-117.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 117
• [[Image:MT-sec-248.svg|20px]] Montana Secondary Highway 248

Bus

Glasgow and the greater Valley County region are served by a non-profit taxi/bus service called Valley Country Transit.

Rail

• Amtrak Empire Builder (Glasgow station)

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

• Phillips County - west
• Garfield County - south
• McCone County - south
• Roosevelt County - east
• Daniels County - east
• Rural Municipality (RM) of Mankota No. 45, Saskatchewan (SK) - north
• RM of Waverley No. 44, SK - north
• RM of Old Post No. 43, SK - north

National protected area

• Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Economy

Agriculture is the major economic activity of Valley County. The US Air Force operated Glasgow Air Force Base at St. Marie until 1976, which was a strong influence on the local economy until its closure.

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 7,578. Of the residents, 23.2% were under the age of 18 and 22.9% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 44.1 years. For every 100 females there were 105.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.5 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 84.3% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 9.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.9% from some other race, and 5.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.3% of the population.

There were 3,221 households in the county, of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 4,229 housing units, of which 23.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.0% were owner-occupied and 28.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.1%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 7,369 people, 3,198 households, and 1,997 families living in the county. The population density was 1.5 PD/sqmi. There were 4,879 housing units at an average density of 1.0 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 87.0% white, 9.8% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.4% were German, 27.9% were Norwegian, 12.4% were Irish, 10.3% were English, and 6.8% were American.

Of the 3,198 households, 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.6% were non-families, and 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 46.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,050 and the median income for a family was $54,096. Males had a median income of $40,802 versus $30,272 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,305. About 5.7% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Valley County voters vote reliably Republican in national elections. Since 1964, they have selected the Democratic Party candidate only once (1992, due to strong showing by third-party candidate Ross Perot, which split the Republican voters).

Communities

City

• Glasgow (county seat)

Towns

• Fort Peck
• Nashua
• Opheim

Census-designated places

• Frazer
• Hinsdale
• St. Marie

Unincorporated communities

• Baylor
• Glentana
• Larslan
• Lustre
• Miles Crossing
• Oswego
• Park Grove
• Richland
• Roanwood
• Tampico
• Vandalia
• Whately
• Wheeler

Ghost towns

• Beaverton
• Genevieve
• Thoeny

Census Maps

References

References

1. Stout, Tom. (1921). "Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, under the editorial supervision of Tom Stout". American Historical Society.
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
5. "Valley County Transit". Valley County Transit.
6. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
11. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau.
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau.
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau.
14. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections".
15. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Baylor,+MT+59230/@48.6226164,-106.3985065,12z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x533d6f544efd1367:0x7b22d372f12374de!8m2!3d48.6633585!4d-106.4794775 ''Baylor MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)]
16. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Miles+Crossing,+MT+59241/@48.4816729,-107.1604941,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x533d949e48d755e7:0x47543c8f8b2bbc0e!8m2!3d48.4816738!4d-107.1517393 ''Miles Crossing MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)]
17. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Park+Grove,+MT+59248/@48.030295,-106.45407,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x533cf809e14211a7:0xdd60bf3fddc1dba4!8m2!3d48.0302959!4d-106.4453151 ''Park Grove MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)]
18. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Richland+Post+Office/@48.8426966,-106.1746587,18627m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x533d1f24d35f1d93:0x24e095fe32da2677!2sValley+County,+MT!3b1!8m2!3d48.2855732!4d-106.8304776!3m4!1s0x533d547b35e7082d:0xb5f13aeadfa79b13!8m2!3d48.8204284!4d-106.0524845 ''Richland Post Office MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)]
19. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Roanwood,+MT+59250/@48.9414128,-106.5065682,2771m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x5317e76d9f07c8f1:0xf61db9971c25f589!8m2!3d48.9414136!4d-106.4978134 ''Roanwood MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)]
20. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tampico,+MT+59230/@48.2839964,-106.7739372,12z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x533da547da6a5d23:0xf95252512c48f89a!8m2!3d48.3047384!4d-106.8270002 ''Tampico MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)]
21. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Whately,+MT+59230/@48.1627976,-106.5201832,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x533cfffb3949e829:0xe35c15f14fd0f4cf!8m2!3d48.1627985!4d-106.5114284 ''Whately MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)]
22. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wheeler,+MT+59230/@48.0094614,-106.514907,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x533c5762d9ac48cb:0x6d47f34220e65242!8m2!3d48.0094623!4d-106.5061522 ''Wheeler MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)]
23. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Beaverton,+MT+59241/@48.4280332,-107.1820016,11.5z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x533dea2d9ef0494f:0x6905ed963b061534!8m2!3d48.4236142!4d-107.25397 ''Beaverton MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)]
24. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Thoeny,+MT+59241/@48.8769641,-106.9263084,2774m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x5317d3110553d067:0x5067e94b5a29dd08!8m2!3d48.876965!4d-106.9175536 ''Thoeny MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)]