Missoula County ( ) is a county located in the state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 117,922, making it Montana's third most populous county. Its county seat and most populous city is Missoula. The county was founded in 1860. Missoula County comprises the Missoula, MT Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is not a consolidated city-county.
History Missoula County was incorporated in 1860, when this area was still part of Washington Territory. Missoula County encompassed present-day Missoula and Deer Lodge Counties, as well as a large area of land north and south of present-day Missoula County. Hell Gate Town, the county seat, was at the confluence of the Clark Fork and Bitterroot Rivers.
The area encompassing today's Missoula County became part of the United States as a result of Oregon Treaty of June 14, 1846. It was part of the Oregon Territory's Clark County, which replaced the District of Vancouver September 3, 1844. The territory was divided on March 2, 1853, with Clark County becoming part of the new Washington Territory. Clark County was divided the next year to create Skamania County, which a month later was divided to create Walla Walla County, which was further divided in 1858 to create Spokane County.Contributions, with transactions, Volume (1895)2. "Sketch by Judge Frank H. Woody". Montana Historical Society. On December 14, 1860, Missoula County was carved out of Spokane County with the first county seat at Hell Gate. The county made up the region between modern-day Idaho and the Continental Divide north of the 46th parallel.Missoula County 1860 When Idaho Territory was created in 1863 it adopted Missoula County as the territory's 3rd county on January 16, 1864, with more or less the same boundaries and Wordensville (present Missoula) established as the county seat."An Act Establishing Counties, County Boundaries, and County Seats East of the Bitter Root Mountains" Idaho Territory Session Laws: 1863-1864 pp. 674-677Washington, Oregon and Idaho Map 1863 This first county consisted of all or part of current Ravalli, Missoula, Granite, Deer Lodge, Silver Bow, Powell, Mineral, Lake, Sanders, Lincoln, Flathead, and Glacier Counties.
Missoula County became a part of Montana Territory when the territory was organized out of the existing Idaho Territory by Act of Congress and signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 26, 1864. At this time Deer Lodge County (today Deer Lodge, Granite, Silver Bow, and Powell Counties) was cut out of Missoula. The creation of Flathead (today Flathead and Lincoln Counties) and Ravalli Counties in 1893, Powell in 1901, Sanders in 1905, Mineral in 1914 and finally Lake County in 1923 gave Missoula its present borders.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.0%) is water. It is the 24th largest county in Montana.
Geographic features Five large valleys and two major rivers wind through this mountainous region.
Flora and fauna Located in the Northern Rockies, Missoula County has a typical Rocky Mountain ecology. Local wildlife includes white-tailed deer, black bears, osprey, and bald eagles. During the winter months, rapid snow melt on Mount Jumbo due to its steep slope leaves grass available for grazing elk and mule deer. The rivers around Missoula provide nesting habitats for bank swallows, northern rough-winged swallows and belted kingfishers. Killdeer and spotted sandpipers can be seen foraging insects along the gravel bars. Other species include song sparrows, catbirds, several species of warblers, and the pileated woodpecker. The rivers also provide cold, clean water for native fish such as westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout. The meandering streams also attract beaver and wood ducks.
Native riparian plant life includes sandbar willows and cottonwoods, and Montana's state tree, the ponderosa pine. Other native plants include wetland species such as cattails and beaked-sedge as well as shrubs and berry plants like Douglas hawthorn, chokecherry, and western snowberries. Missoula is also home to several noxious weeds which multiple programs have tried to eliminate. Notable ones include Dalmatian toadflax, spotted knapweed, leafy spurge, St. John's wort, and sulfur cinquefoil.UM Natural Areas: Integrated Plant Management Program The Norway maples that line many of Missoula's older streets have also been declared an invasive species.
Climate Missoula County has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk), with cold and moderately snowy winters, hot and dry summers, and spring and autumn are short and crisp in between. Winter conditions are usually far milder than much of the rest of the state due to its western position within the state. However, the mildness is also induced by the dampness, as unlike much of the rest of the state, precipitation is not at a strong minimum during winter. Winter snowfall averages , with most years seeing very little of it from April to October. Summers see very sunny conditions, with highs peaking at in July. However, temperature differences between day and night are large during this time and from April to October, due to the relative aridity.
National protected areas
Bitterroot National Forest (part) Flathead National Forest (part) Lolo National Forest (part) Rattlesnake National Recreation Area
Major highways
Interstate 90 U.S. Highway 12 U.S. Highway 93 Montana Highway 83 Montana Highway 200
Transit Jefferson Lines Mountain Line
Adjacent counties
Mineral County - west Sanders County - northwest Lake County - north Flathead County - northeast Powell County - east Granite County - southeast Ravalli County - south Idaho County, Idaho - southwest/Pacific Time Border Clearwater County, Idaho - southwest/Pacific Time Border
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 117,922. Of the residents, 19.4% were under the age of 18 and 17.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 37.7 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.6 males. 74.7% of residents lived in urban areas and 25.3% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 86.1% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 2.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% Asian, 2.2% from some other race, and 6.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.1% of the population.
There were 50,645 households in the county, of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 54,542 housing units, of which 7.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 58.5% were owner-occupied and 41.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.6%.
2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 109,299 people, 45,926 households, and 25,931 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 50,106 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.7% white, 2.6% American Indian, 1.1% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.4% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.1% were German, 17.8% were Irish, 12.3% were English, 7.3% were Norwegian, and 5.4% were American.
Of the 45,926 households, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 43.5% were non-families, and 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 34.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,887 and the median income for a family was $58,302. Males had a median income of $39,603 versus $30,069 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,343. About 8.8% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over. Economy Missoula County has a diverse economy as a growing regional trade center with several major employers such as the University of Montana, regional hospitals, and the U.S. Forest Service each employing thousands. However, 90% of wage and salary workers work for small businesses with under 20 workers with a quarter of them self-employed.The People, Economy, Land, and Resources of Missoula County and Potential Vulnerabilities to Climate Change
Government Missoula County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners of three members, each serving six-year terms staggered so as to have one election every two years. The commission has authority over all legislative, executive, and administrative issues throughout the county not specifically reserved by law or ordinance to other elected officials.Missoula County Board of County Commissioners
Politics Originally a swing county, Missoula County has voted reliably Democratic since 2004, and has voted Republican only once since 1988. In 2000, Republican George W. Bush won the county by a 9% margin while Green Party candidate Ralph Nader received over 16% of the vote in the county. This is most likely due to the city of Missoula being home to the University of Montana.
Education
School districts Missoula County is home to 18 school districts (13 Elementary, 2 Secondary, and 3 Unified). - See also: Text list - School District Reference Maps (2010 Census) - Montana
K-12 (Unified) districts include: Alberton K-12 Schools Florence-Carlton K-12 Schools Frenchtown K-12 Schools
High school districts include: Arlee High School District Missoula High School District
Elementary school districts include: Arlee Bonner Clinton DeSmet Hellgate Lolo Missoula Potomac Seeley Lake Sunset Swan Valley Target Range Woodman
Colleges and universities Missoula County is home to the University of Montana and the Missoula College - University of Montana.
Communities City Missoula (county seat)
Census-designated places
Bonner-West Riverside Carlton Clinton Condon East Missoula Evaro Frenchtown Huson Lolo Orchard Homes Piltzville Potomac Seeley Lake Turah Twin Creeks Wye
Other unincorporated communities
ClearwaterClearwater MT Google Maps (accessed January 3, 2019) Coloma GreenoughGreenough MT Google Maps (accessed January 3, 2019) Hell Gate Lolo Hot Springs Lothrop Milltown NagosNagos MT Google MT (accessed January 3, 2019) NinemileNinemile MT Google Maps (accessed January 3, 2019) SunsetSunset MT Google Maps (accessed January 3, 2019) Westview ParkWestview Park MT Google Maps (accessed January 3, 2019) YrekaYreka MT Google Maps (accessed January 3, 2019)
See also List of lakes in Missoula County, Montana List of mountains in Missoula County, Montana Milltown State Park National Register of Historic Places listings in Missoula County, Montana
References
External links
Missoula County official website Missoula County (Mont.) Records, 1888-1963 (University of Montana Archives)