Broadwater County, Montana

Broadwater County
County
The Broadwater County Courthouse in Townsend
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°20′N111°30′W / 46.33°N 111.5°W / 46.33; -111.5
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	1897
Named for	Charles Arthur Broadwater
Seat	Townsend
Largest city	Townsend
Area
• Total	1,239 sq mi (3,210 km2)
• Land	1,193 sq mi (3,090 km2)
• Water	46 sq mi (120 km2)  3.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,774
• Estimate  (2022)	7,793
• Density	5.5/sq mi (2.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.broadwatercountymt.com
Montana county number 43

Broadwater County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,774. ^[1] Its county seat is Townsend. ^[2] The county was named for Charles Arthur Broadwater, a noted Montana railroad, real estate, and banking magnate. ^[3]

History

"The Silos" are a major Broadwater County landmark

The Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled through what is now Broadwater County as they traced the Missouri River. Gold was discovered in the Big Belt Mountains in 1864 which brought several mining towns. In 1881 the Northern Pacific Railway included a stop in what is now Townsend. ^[4]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,239 square miles (3,210 km²), of which 1,193 square miles (3,090 km²) is land and 46 square miles (120 km²) (3.7%) is water. ^[5]

The boundaries of the county are roughly formed by the Big Belt Mountains to the east and north, the Elkhorn Mountains to the west, and the Horseshoe Hills to the south.

Broadwater County is perhaps best known as the home of Canyon Ferry Lake, the third largest body of water in Montana. The lake provides essential irrigation to local farms, and serves as a recreation destination for the region, with fishing, boating, swimming, camping, and wildlife viewing opportunities. ^[6]

Major highways

• Interstate 90
• U.S. Highway 12
• U.S. Highway 287
• Montana Highway 2

Adjacent counties

• Meagher County - east
• Gallatin County - south
• Jefferson County - west
• Lewis and Clark County - northwest

National protected area

• Helena National Forest (part)

Politics

United States presidential election results for Broadwater County, Montana ^[7]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	3,770	78.38%	885	18.40%	155	3.22%
2020	3,173	77.45%	835	20.38%	89	2.17%
2016	2,348	74.94%	573	18.29%	212	6.77%
2012	2,152	71.47%	764	25.37%	95	3.16%
2008	1,875	66.80%	857	30.53%	75	2.67%
2004	1,778	75.47%	533	22.62%	45	1.91%
2000	1,488	71.75%	462	22.28%	124	5.98%
1996	1,029	52.34%	603	30.67%	334	16.99%
1992	830	45.06%	491	26.66%	521	28.28%
1988	1,054	62.63%	592	35.18%	37	2.20%
1984	1,345	73.50%	458	25.03%	27	1.48%
1980	1,052	67.26%	401	25.64%	111	7.10%
1976	820	59.04%	557	40.10%	12	0.86%
1972	916	66.57%	411	29.87%	49	3.56%
1968	671	54.29%	439	35.52%	126	10.19%
1964	609	50.58%	595	49.42%	0	0.00%
1960	680	51.87%	631	48.13%	0	0.00%
1956	869	65.93%	449	34.07%	0	0.00%
1952	962	68.86%	435	31.14%	0	0.00%
1948	704	55.61%	536	42.34%	26	2.05%
1944	760	57.45%	558	42.18%	5	0.38%
1940	755	46.81%	854	52.94%	4	0.25%
1936	502	31.43%	1,071	67.06%	24	1.50%
1932	512	33.71%	988	65.04%	19	1.25%
1928	743	52.51%	663	46.86%	9	0.64%
1924	531	37.71%	486	34.52%	391	27.77%
1920	723	51.50%	622	44.30%	59	4.20%
1916	584	33.45%	1,100	63.00%	62	3.55%
1912	205	21.97%	451	48.34%	277	29.69%
1908	326	37.86%	495	57.49%	40	4.65%
1904	392	44.90%	403	46.16%	78	8.93%

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	2,641		—
1910	3,491		32.2%
1920	3,239		−7.2%
1930	2,738		−15.5%
1940	3,451		26.0%
1950	2,922		−15.3%
1960	2,804		−4.0%
1970	2,526		−9.9%
1980	3,267		29.3%
1990	3,318		1.6%
2000	4,385		32.2%
2010	5,612		28.0%
2020	6,774		20.7%
2022 (est.)	7,793	[8]	15.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [9] 1790–1960, [10] 1900–1990, [11] 1990–2000, [12] 2010–2020 [1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 6,774 people living in the county.^{[ citation needed ]}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 5,612 people, 2,347 households, and 1,614 families living in the county. The population density was 4.7 inhabitants per square mile (1.8/km²). There were 2,695 housing units at an average density of 2.3 units per square mile (0.89 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.2% white, 1.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 0.2% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 38.7% were German, 16.2% were English, 15.5% were Irish, 7.9% were Norwegian, 6.4% were Scottish, and 2.3% were American.

Of the 2,347 households, 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.2% were non-families, and 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 45.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,667 and the median income for a family was $46,949. Males had a median income of $34,500 versus $32,014 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,606. About 5.8% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Agriculture is one of the primary industries in Broadwater County. RY Timber and Wheat Montana Bakery were the largest private employers according to the 2000 Census. ^[6]

Communities

Canyon Ferry Reservoir and the Big Belt Mountains near Townsend

City

• Townsend (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Radersburg
• Spokane Creek
• The Silos
• Toston
• Wheatland
• Winston

Unincorporated communities

• Canton ^[13]
• Copper City ^[14]
• Diamond City ^[15]
• Eustis ^[16]
• Holker ^[17]
• Lombard

Former communities

• Lombard

Education

There are three school districts: ^[18]

• Townsend K-12 Schools
• Three Forks Elementary School District
• Three Forks High School District

The elementary and high school district are both a part of Three Forks Public Schools. ^[19]

See also

• USS Broadwater (APA-139)
• List of lakes in Broadwater County, Montana
• List of mountains in Broadwater County, Montana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Broadwater County MT
• Yorks Islands

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. Merrill, Andrea; Judy Jacobson (1997). Montana almanac. Helena MT: Falcon Publishing. p. 7. ISBN   1-56044-493-2.
4. Broadwater County Planning Board (July 2003). "Broadwater County Growth Policy Plan". Archived from the original on August 13, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
6. State of Montana (2006). "Demographic & economic information for Broadwater County". Internet Archive. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
7. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
8. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
9. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
11. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
12. "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.
13. Canton, Broadwater County MT Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)
14. Copper City, Broadhead County MT Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)
15. Diamond City, Broadwater County MT Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)
16. Eustis, Broadwater County MT Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)
17. Holker, Broadwater County MT Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)
18. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Broadwater County, MT" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved October 4, 2024. - Text list
19. "Directory of Montana Schools". Montana Office of Public Instruction. March 13, 2024. p. 109/317. Retrieved March 13, 2024.

External links

• TownsendValley.com

46°20′N111°30′W / 46.33°N 111.50°W / 46.33; -111.50