Ravalli County | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMontana | |
 Montana's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:46°05′N114°07′W / 46.08°N 114.12°W /46.08; -114.12 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Montana |
| Founded | March 3, 1893 |
| Named after | Antonio Ravalli |
| Seat | Hamilton |
| Largest city | Hamilton |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,400 sq mi (6,000 km2) |
| • Land | 2,391 sq mi (6,190 km2) |
| • Water | 9.4 sq mi (24 km2) 0.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 44,174 |
• Estimate (2022) | 47,298 |
| • Density | 18/sq mi (7.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
| |
Ravalli County is acounty in the southwestern part of theU.S. state ofMontana. As of the2020 census, the population was 44,174.[1] Itscounty seat isHamilton.[2]
Ravalli County is part of a north–south mountain valley bordered by theSapphire Mountains on the East and theBitterroot Mountains on the West. It is often referred to as theBitterroot Valley, which is named for theBitterroot Flower. The county is on thePacific Ocean side of theContinental Divide, which follows the Idaho-Montana border fromWyoming until Ravalli County. Here, it turns east into Montana, betweenChief Joseph Pass andLost Trail Pass, and follows the Ravalli County-Beaverhead County border.
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Ravalli County was once home to theBitterroot Salish tribe. The tribe was first encountered in 1805 by theLewis and Clark Expedition, which noted their friendly nature. TheCatholic Church took an interest in creating amission in the area, and in 1841 foundedSt. Mary's Mission, subsequently renamed asFort Owen. In 1864, the settlement's current name,Stevensville, was adopted. In 1891, the Salish tribe was moved to the currentFlathead Reservation under theTreaty of Hellgate.
In 1877,Chief Joseph and his Wallowa band ofNez Perce passed through Ravalli County in their attempt to escape confinement to a reservation; they were captured en route toCanada just south ofHavre.
Ravalli County was created in 1893 by the Montana Legislature, annexing a portion ofMissoula County. It was named after the ItalianJesuit priestAntony Ravalli, who came to the Bitterroot Valley in 1845.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has an area of 2,400 square miles (6,200 km2), of which 2,391 square miles (6,190 km2) is land and 9.4 square miles (24 km2) (0.4%) is water.[3]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 7,822 | — | |
| 1910 | 11,666 | 49.1% | |
| 1920 | 10,098 | −13.4% | |
| 1930 | 10,315 | 2.1% | |
| 1940 | 12,478 | 21.0% | |
| 1950 | 13,101 | 5.0% | |
| 1960 | 12,341 | −5.8% | |
| 1970 | 14,409 | 16.8% | |
| 1980 | 22,493 | 56.1% | |
| 1990 | 25,010 | 11.2% | |
| 2000 | 36,070 | 44.2% | |
| 2010 | 40,212 | 11.5% | |
| 2020 | 44,174 | 9.9% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 47,298 | [4] | 7.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790–1960,[6] 1900–1990,[7] 1990–2000,[8] 2010–2020[1] | |||
As of the2020 census, there were 44,174 people living in the county.[citation needed]
As of the2010 census, there were 40,212 people, 16,933 households, and 11,380 families in the county. The population density was 16.8 inhabitants per square mile (6.5/km2). There were 19,583 housing units at an average density of 8.2 per square mile (3.2/km2). 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% wereGerman, 17.4% wereEnglish, 15.9% wereIrish, 8.3% wereAmerican, 5.7% wereItalian, and 5.5% wereNorwegian.
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 thepoverty line, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Agriculture and timber form the bulk of Ravalli County economic activity.Marcus Daly, one of threeButte 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 theSelway-Bitterroot Wilderness and offers a wide variety of wildlife, including some of the few remainingwolverine andwolf populations in the contiguous states. TheLost Trail Powder Mountainski area is atLost Trail Pass on the Idaho border onUS-93.
Ravalli County voters have been reliably Republican, opting only one time for the Democratic Party candidate in national elections since 1940 (as of 2024).
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 20,617 | 68.66% | 8,485 | 28.26% | 925 | 3.08% |
| 2020 | 19,114 | 66.78% | 8,763 | 30.62% | 745 | 2.60% |
| 2016 | 14,810 | 65.66% | 6,223 | 27.59% | 1,523 | 6.75% |
| 2012 | 14,307 | 64.41% | 7,285 | 32.80% | 620 | 2.79% |
| 2008 | 13,002 | 58.83% | 8,400 | 38.01% | 699 | 3.16% |
| 2004 | 13,279 | 66.84% | 6,144 | 30.93% | 444 | 2.23% |
| 2000 | 11,241 | 65.21% | 4,451 | 25.82% | 1,546 | 8.97% |
| 1996 | 8,138 | 50.11% | 5,200 | 32.02% | 2,902 | 17.87% |
| 1992 | 5,392 | 35.90% | 4,644 | 30.92% | 4,983 | 33.18% |
| 1988 | 7,418 | 59.39% | 4,763 | 38.13% | 309 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | 8,161 | 67.15% | 3,825 | 31.47% | 168 | 1.38% |
| 1980 | 7,268 | 63.73% | 3,063 | 26.86% | 1,073 | 9.41% |
| 1976 | 4,894 | 56.29% | 3,504 | 40.30% | 296 | 3.40% |
| 1972 | 4,611 | 61.83% | 2,480 | 33.25% | 367 | 4.92% |
| 1968 | 3,183 | 53.25% | 2,080 | 34.80% | 714 | 11.95% |
| 1964 | 2,350 | 41.50% | 3,300 | 58.28% | 12 | 0.21% |
| 1960 | 3,121 | 56.46% | 2,381 | 43.07% | 26 | 0.47% |
| 1956 | 3,437 | 61.40% | 2,161 | 38.60% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 3,537 | 66.37% | 1,750 | 32.84% | 42 | 0.79% |
| 1948 | 2,354 | 49.84% | 2,159 | 45.71% | 210 | 4.45% |
| 1944 | 2,342 | 54.33% | 1,926 | 44.68% | 43 | 1.00% |
| 1940 | 2,483 | 46.73% | 2,773 | 52.19% | 57 | 1.07% |
| 1936 | 1,580 | 33.39% | 2,859 | 60.42% | 293 | 6.19% |
| 1932 | 1,714 | 39.76% | 2,292 | 53.17% | 305 | 7.07% |
| 1928 | 2,551 | 68.50% | 1,112 | 29.86% | 61 | 1.64% |
| 1924 | 1,311 | 37.79% | 562 | 16.20% | 1,596 | 46.01% |
| 1920 | 2,110 | 60.49% | 1,224 | 35.09% | 154 | 4.42% |
| 1916 | 1,623 | 42.40% | 1,967 | 51.38% | 238 | 6.22% |
| 1912 | 316 | 13.39% | 858 | 36.36% | 1,186 | 50.25% |
| 1908 | 1,045 | 48.09% | 859 | 39.53% | 269 | 12.38% |
| 1904 | 1,083 | 57.45% | 523 | 27.75% | 279 | 14.80% |
46°05′N114°07′W / 46.08°N 114.12°W /46.08; -114.12
Places adjacent to Ravalli County, Montana | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofRavalli County, Montana,United States | ||
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