Blaine County, Montana

Blaine County
County
Blaine County Courthouse in Chinook
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 48°26′N108°58′W / 48.44°N 108.96°W / 48.44; -108.96
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	1912
Named for	James G. Blaine
Seat	Chinook
Largest city	Chinook
Area
• Total	4,239 sq mi (10,980 km2)
• Land	4,228 sq mi (10,950 km2)
• Water	11 sq mi (30 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,044
• Estimate  (2022)	6,936
• Density	1.7/sq mi (0.64/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	blainecounty-mt.gov
Montana county number 24

Blaine County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,044. ^[1] Its county seat is Chinook. ^[2] The county was named for James G. Blaine, former United States Secretary of State. It is on the north line of the state, and thus shares the southern border of Canada opposite Saskatchewan.

History

In 1912 Blaine, Phillips and Hill counties were formed from the area of Chouteau County. The original boundary of Blaine County included a portion of land in the west that is now included in Phillips County.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,239 square miles (10,980 km²), of which 4,228 square miles (10,950 km²) is land and 11 square miles (28 km²) (0.3%) is water. ^[3]

The majority of Fort Belknap Indian Reservation is located in the southeastern part of the county. ^[4]

Features of the area include the Milk River, Bears Paw Mountains, and the Little Rocky Mountains.

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

• Hill County - west
• Chouteau County - southwest
• Fergus County - south
• Phillips County - east
• Rural Municipality (RM) of Reno No. 51, Saskatchewan (SK) - northwest
• RM of Frontier No. 19, Saskatchewan, SK - north
• RM of Lone Tree No. 18, Saskatchewan, SK - northeast

National protected areas

• Black Coulee National Wildlife Refuge
• Nez Perce National Historical Park (part)
• Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	9,057		—
1930	9,006		−0.6%
1940	9,566		6.2%
1950	8,516		−11.0%
1960	8,091		−5.0%
1970	6,727		−16.9%
1980	6,999		4.0%
1990	6,728		−3.9%
2000	7,009		4.2%
2010	6,491		−7.4%
2020	7,044		8.5%
2022 (est.)	6,936	[5]	−1.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [6] 1790–1960, [7] 1900–1990, [8] 1990–2000, [9] 2010–2020 [1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 7,044 people living in the county.^{[ citation needed ]}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 6,491 people, 2,357 households, and 1,604 families living in the county. The population density was 1.5 inhabitants per square mile (0.58 inhabitants/km²). There were 2,843 housing units at an average density of 0.7 units per square mile (0.27 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 49.4% American Indian, 48.2% white, 0.1% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.0% were German, 9.2% were Norwegian, 6.6% were Irish, 5.7% were English, and 2.0% were American.

Of the 2,357 households, 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.9% were non-families, and 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.28. The median age was 35.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,034 and the median income for a family was $40,890. Males had a median income of $32,320 versus $28,986 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,813. About 23.6% of families and 29.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.6% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Blaine County is one of the nation's most consistent long-term bellwether counties. Since 1916, the county has been won by the winner of the presidential election in every election except that of 1988, held during the aftermath of a major drought and farm crisis, when Michael Dukakis won the county by fifty-eight votes. During two other drought years on the Great Plains, Adlai Stevenson II in 1956 and Gerald Ford in 1976 also came close to breaking the county's streak, losing by even smaller vote margins than George H. W. Bush.

United States presidential election results for Blaine County, Montana ^[10]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	1,469	47.11%	1,589	50.96%	60	1.92%
2016	1,268	47.24%	1,202	44.78%	214	7.97%
2012	1,178	41.20%	1,616	56.52%	65	2.27%
2008	1,139	38.93%	1,702	58.17%	85	2.90%
2004	1,424	51.45%	1,300	46.97%	44	1.59%
2000	1,410	51.11%	1,246	45.16%	103	3.73%
1996	1,127	38.96%	1,316	45.49%	450	15.55%
1992	971	31.88%	1,355	44.48%	720	23.64%
1988	1,402	48.15%	1,460	50.14%	50	1.72%
1984	1,736	57.92%	1,229	41.01%	32	1.07%
1980	1,686	56.29%	1,107	36.96%	202	6.74%
1976	1,349	49.25%	1,356	49.51%	34	1.24%
1972	1,513	54.44%	1,151	41.42%	115	4.14%
1968	1,291	48.63%	1,198	45.12%	166	6.25%
1964	961	35.55%	1,742	64.45%	0	0.00%
1960	1,290	44.85%	1,569	54.55%	17	0.59%
1956	1,460	50.38%	1,438	49.62%	0	0.00%
1952	1,890	60.85%	1,207	38.86%	9	0.29%
1948	997	36.28%	1,669	60.74%	82	2.98%
1944	990	39.94%	1,469	59.26%	20	0.81%
1940	1,165	35.02%	2,129	63.99%	33	0.99%
1936	851	27.68%	2,166	70.46%	57	1.85%
1932	1,063	33.64%	1,977	62.56%	120	3.80%
1928	1,537	56.63%	1,160	42.74%	17	0.63%
1924	827	45.74%	337	18.64%	644	35.62%
1920	1,720	62.48%	848	30.80%	185	6.72%
1916	857	39.13%	1,261	57.58%	72	3.29%
1912	204	17.94%	318	27.97%	615	54.09%

Economy

The main industry in Blaine County is agriculture. ^[11] The main employers on the Reservation are the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine tribes. ^[12]

Education

Fort Belknap College is located on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. Public high schools in the county include Harlem High School in Harlem, Chinook High School in Chinook, and Turner High School in Turner.

Communities

Cities

• Chinook (county seat)
• Harlem

Census-designated places

• Fort Belknap Agency
• Hartland Colony
• Hays
• Hogeland
• Lodge Pole
• North Harlem Colony
• Turner
• Turner Colony
• Zurich

Unincorporated communities

• Cleveland ^[13]
• Lloyd
• Lohman ^[14]
• North Fork ^[15]
• Rattlesnake ^[16]
• Savoy ^[17]

See also

• List of lakes of Blaine County, Montana
• List of mountains in Blaine County, Montana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Blaine County, MT

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
4. Merrill, Andrea; Judy Jacobson (1997). Montana almanac. Helena MT: Falcon Publishing. p. 7. ISBN   1-56044-493-2.
5. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
10. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
11. Maxim Technologies. "Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 14, 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
12. State of Montana, DLI. "Demographic & Economic Information for Fort Belknap Reservation" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
13. Cleveland, Blaine County MT Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)
14. Lohman, Blaine County MT Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)
15. North Fork, Blaine County MT Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)
16. Rattlesnake, Blaine County MT Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)
17. Savoy, Blaine County MT Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)

Further reading

• Noyes, Al. J. (1917). In the land of Chinook; or, The story of Blaine County. Helena MT: State Publishing Co. Retrieved May 21, 2014.

External links

• Blaine County MT - Official Website
• Blaine County MT - Photography

48°26′N108°58′W / 48.44°N 108.96°W / 48.44; -108.96