Choteau, Montana

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Coordinates: 47°48′47″N 112°10′58″W / 47.81306, -112.18278
Choteau, Montana
Location of Choteau, Montana
Country	United States
State	Montana
County	Teton
Area
- Total	1.8 sq mi (4.6 km²)
- Land	1.8 sq mi (4.6 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	3,819 ft (1,164 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,781
- Density	994.3/sq mi (383.9/km²)
Time zone	Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
- Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code	59422
Area code(s)	406
FIPS code	30-14650
GNIS feature ID	0800592

Choteau is the county seat of Teton County, Montana, located on U.S. Highway 89 about 20 miles (32 km) 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. The Montana town is named for French fur-trapper and explorer Pierre Choteau, who is also the namesake of Chouteau County, Montana (county seat: Fort Benton).

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Government
4 Sheriff
5 In the National News
6 Notable residents
7 Dinosaurs
8 Schools
9 References
10 External links

[edit] Geography

Choteau is located at 47°48'47" North, 112°10'58" West (47.812957, -112.182857)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.6 km²), none of which is covered by water. The Teton river runs nearby, although for some distance upstream of Choteau it is dry during much of the year.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there are 1,781 people in the town, organized into 807 households and 464 families. The population density is 994.3 people per square mile (384.2/km²). There are 897 housing units at an average density of 500.8/sq mi (193.5/km²). 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.

[edit] Government

Choteau's mayor is Jay Dunckel.

[edit] Sheriff

Sheriff George Anderson retired after 35 years of service. Keith VanSetten is the new sheriff, taking over on January 1, 2007.

[edit] In the National News

Choteau made national news in the U.S. because it is the town nearest to a 2,700-acre (11 km²) 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.

Following the attacks on September 11, 2001, Letterman gave an impassioned monologue about New York City and the aftermath. He concluded the now-famous 7-minute speech by discussing Choteau, saying that the small town hosted a rally to raise money for victims of the NYC attacks, despite being affected by a long drought. [1]

In 2008, Choteau made national headlines with School authorities’ cancellation of a talk that a Nobel laureate climate researcher was to have given to high school students. [2]

[edit] Notable residents

John Edward Erickson, later Governor of Montana, practiced law here.
J. Frank Glendon, early film actor, was born here. (IMDB lists his birthplace as Buckskin Township, Ohio)
A.B. Guthrie Jr., American novelist

[edit] Dinosaurs

Choteau is near one of the most important paleontology sites in the world, Egg Mountain.

[edit] Schools

Public school grades K-12 Choteau Public Schools website. Home of the Choteau Bulldogs who compete in Class B of the Montana High School Association. The Bulldogs have won State championships in Boys Basketball (1969), Wrestling (1990), and Girls Volleyball (1990, 1991, 1992).