Choteau, Montana

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Choteau is the county seat of Teton County, Montana, located on U.S. Highway 89 about 20 miles east of the Rocky Mountains, near Flathead National Forest, the Rocky Mountain Division of Lewis and Clark National Forest, and Glacier National Park. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 1781.

Choteau's mayor is Dan Clark. His wife Jennifer runs the local Head Start program.

Dan began serving as mayor shortly after moving into town from Arizona. He ran unopposed with the campaign slogan of “Vote for Dan… he’s better than nothing.” He has run unopposed ever since.

One reason Choteau makes national news in the U.S. is because it is the town nearest to a 2700-acre ranch that David Letterman purchased in 1999 for use as a vacation home. Letterman has talked about the ranch on his late night show; he showed photos when a black bear invaded his Montana home in September 2003.

[edit] Geography

Choteau is located at 47°48'47" North, 112°10'58" West (47.812957, -112.182857)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.6 km² (1.8 mi²), none of which is covered by water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there are 1,781 people in the town, organized into 807 households and 464 families. The population density is 384.2/km² (994.3/mi²). There are 897 housing units at an average density of 193.5/km² (500.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 93.94% White, 2.92% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.06% African American, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 2.75% from two or more races. 1.18% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 807 households out of which 24.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% are married couples living together, 8.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 42.4% are non-families. 39.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 21.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.13 and the average family size is 2.82.

In the city the population is spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 25.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 46 years. For every 100 females there are 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $25,708, and the median income for a family is $35,655. Males have a median income of $22,429 versus $17,098 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,999. 17.6% of the population and 12.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 30.2% of those under the age of 18 and 12.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.