Seeley Lake, Montana

Seeley Lake, Montana
CDP
Location of Seeley Lake, Montana
Coordinates: 47°10′1″N113°28′1″W / 47.16694°N 113.46694°W / 47.16694; -113.46694
Country	United States
State	Montana
County	Missoula
Area [1]
• Total	13.13 sq mi (34.00 km2)
• Land	12.26 sq mi (31.75 km2)
• Water	0.87 sq mi (2.25 km2)
Elevation	4,019 ft (1,225 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,682
• Density	137.21/sq mi (52.97/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code	59868
Area code	406
FIPS code	30-67150
GNIS feature ID	0799011

Seeley Lake Historical Society

Seeley Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is part of the 'Missoula, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The town sits beside the 1,031.5 acres lake Seeley Lake. ^[2] The population was 1,682 at the 2020 census.

The community of Seeley Lake is named for Jasper B. Seely who built a cabin on what was in 1881 known as Clearwater Lake. ^[3] Seely served as the first ranger on the Lewis and Clarke Forest Reserve. The first road to Seeley Lake came in 1895.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 11.0 square miles (28 km²), of which 10.9 square miles (28 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (1.36%) is water.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Seeley Lake has a warm-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Seeley Lake was 102 °F (38.9 °C) on July 7, 2007, while the coldest temperature recorded was −53 °F (−47.2 °C) on January 7, 1937. ^[4]

Climate data for Seeley Lake, Montana, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1936–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	55 (13)	62 (17)	73 (23)	86 (30)	93 (34)	98 (37)	102 (39)	101 (38)	96 (36)	86 (30)	66 (19)	61 (16)	102 (39)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	44.5 (6.9)	49.8 (9.9)	59.3 (15.2)	69.4 (20.8)	80.4 (26.9)	87.1 (30.6)	93.6 (34.2)	93.4 (34.1)	88.3 (31.3)	75.3 (24.1)	54.5 (12.5)	43.1 (6.2)	95.2 (35.1)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	32.0 (0.0)	36.5 (2.5)	45.1 (7.3)	53.6 (12.0)	64.5 (18.1)	72.2 (22.3)	83.2 (28.4)	82.9 (28.3)	72.8 (22.7)	56.0 (13.3)	39.6 (4.2)	30.6 (−0.8)	55.8 (13.2)
Daily mean °F (°C)	22.0 (−5.6)	24.7 (−4.1)	32.5 (0.3)	40.2 (4.6)	49.4 (9.7)	56.4 (13.6)	63.7 (17.6)	62.8 (17.1)	54.6 (12.6)	42.4 (5.8)	30.5 (−0.8)	21.8 (−5.7)	41.8 (5.4)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	12.1 (−11.1)	12.8 (−10.7)	19.9 (−6.7)	26.8 (−2.9)	34.2 (1.2)	40.5 (4.7)	44.3 (6.8)	42.6 (5.9)	36.5 (2.5)	28.7 (−1.8)	21.3 (−5.9)	13.0 (−10.6)	27.7 (−2.4)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	−18.2 (−27.9)	−14.9 (−26.1)	−0.5 (−18.1)	15.3 (−9.3)	23.1 (−4.9)	30.3 (−0.9)	35.3 (1.8)	33.3 (0.7)	26.1 (−3.3)	13.3 (−10.4)	1.6 (−16.9)	−10.4 (−23.6)	−27.1 (−32.8)
Record low °F (°C)	−53 (−47)	−45 (−43)	−42 (−41)	−4 (−20)	13 (−11)	23 (−5)	28 (−2)	24 (−4)	15 (−9)	−10 (−23)	−31 (−35)	−44 (−42)	−53 (−47)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	2.63 (67)	1.92 (49)	1.44 (37)	1.37 (35)	1.88 (48)	2.31 (59)	1.07 (27)	0.96 (24)	1.19 (30)	1.96 (50)	2.52 (64)	2.35 (60)	21.60 (549)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	30.4 (77)	18.5 (47)	15.2 (39)	4.5 (11)	0.7 (1.8)	0.4 (1.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	2.3 (5.8)	18.0 (46)	28.9 (73)	118.9 (301.6)
Average extreme snow depth inches (cm)	24.0 (61)	26.0 (66)	23.3 (59)	7.9 (20)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	1.3 (3.3)	7.1 (18)	15.7 (40)	29.1 (74)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	15.8	11.3	11.9	11.5	11.7	13.7	7.0	7.3	8.9	11.6	13.6	15.6	139.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	13.8	9.6	7.9	3.5	0.5	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3	8.5	14.0	59.2
Source 1: NOAA [5]
Source 2: National Weather Service [4]

Aftermath of Rice Ridge Fire

In late summer 2017, Seeley Lake suffered an extended period of hazardous air quality as a result of the Rice Ridge Fire, prompting local officials to urge all residents to evacuate their homes. ^[6] Scooper aircraft were used to fetch water from Seeley Lake to fight the fire. ^[7] A followup study will measure the health impacts of the smoke. ^[8]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	1,682		—
U.S. Decennial Census [9]

As of the census ^[10] of 2010, there were 1,659 people, 589 households, and 411 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 131.9 inhabitants per square mile (50.9/km²). There were 938 housing units at an average density of 86.2 per square mile (33.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.94% White, 0.07% African American, 1.46% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.46% of the population.

There were 589 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $35,101, and the median income for a family was $38,188. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $18,269 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,825. About 7.0% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is in the Seeley Lake Elementary School District and the Missoula High School District. ^[11]

Seeley-Swan High School provides education for 9th through 12th grade. ^[12] Their mascot is the Blackhawks. ^[13]

The Missoula Public Library has a branch location in Seeley Lake. ^[14]

Media

The Seeley-Swan Pathfinder is the newspaper for Seeley Lake. ^[15] It is published weekly.

See also

• Camp Paxson Boy Scout Camp
• Larch ball

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
2. "FISHMT :: Waterbody Details". myfwp.mt.gov. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
3. "Seeley Lake". Montana Place Names Companion. Montana Historical Society. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
4. "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Missoula". National Weather Service. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
5. "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Seeley Lake RS, MT". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
6. Volz, Matt (August 10, 2017). "Residents of Smoke-Choked Montana Town Advised to Leave". U.S. News & World Report - AP. Archived from the original on September 26, 2017.
7. Randy Teague (August 4, 2017), Scoop Planes Fire Bombers 2 Seeley Lake, Mont. 8-1-2017, archived from the original on December 11, 2021, retrieved September 25, 2017
8. Associated Press (September 22, 2017). "Researchers launch study to learn effects of wildfire smoke". Missoulian . Retrieved September 25, 2017.
9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
10. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
11. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Missoula County, MT" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved March 13, 2024.
12. "Seeley-Swan High School". Seeley-Swan High School. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
13. "Member Schools". Montana High School Association. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
14. "Hours & Locations". Missoula Public Library. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
15. "News". Seeley-Swan Pathfinder. Retrieved August 31, 2023.

External links

• Seeley Lake Chamber of Commerce