Stevensville, Montana

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Coordinates: 46°30′28″N 114°5′36″W / 46.50778, -114.09333
Stevensville, Montana
Stevensville and the Bitterroot River from Saint Mary's Peak (2005)
Location of Stevensville, Montana
Country	United States
State	Montana
County	Ravalli
Area
- Total	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km²)
- Land	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	3,323 ft (1,013 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,553
- Density	3,008.3/sq mi (1,161.5/km²)
Time zone	Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
- Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code	59870
Area code(s)	406
FIPS code	30-71200
GNIS feature ID	0791505

Stevensville is a town in Ravalli County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,553 at the 2000 census.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Notable residents
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Stevensville was in Missoula County when the post office was established in 1868 and was the first official town in Montana.

Stevensville was named for Isaac Ingle Stevens. Luther E. Stanley says "When Isaac Ingle Stevens was ordered to Fort Owen in 1853, he came to what he supposed would be a military fort but much to his surprise, it was a trading post. General Stevens, for the past year, had been in charge of military operations and Indian affairs in the Northwest Territory...he moved his government and military material to Fort Owen. This fort became the territorial capital in 1853 and served that until 1858, when Stevens was called back to active duty with the Union Army. He was killed in action in 1862 at Chantilly....Stevens laid out a new town near the ruins of St. Mary's Mission and Fort Owen...It was named Stevensville in his honor and authorized by President Lincoln on May 12, 1864."

[edit] Geography

Stevensville is located at 46°30′28″N, 114°5′36″W (46.507836, -114.093214)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), all of it land.

"Flanked by the Bitterroot and Sapphire mountains, the small, historic town in the Bitterroot Valley offers beautiful views, outdoor recreation and watchable wildlife."^[2] The Bitterroot Mountain Range, just west of Stevensville, is the longest single mountain range in the Rocky Mountains.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 1,553 people, 652 households, and 385 families residing in the town. The population density was 3,008.3 people per square mile (1,153.1/km²). There were 711 housing units at an average density of 1,377.3/sq mi (527.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.52% White, 0.26% African American, 1.03% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.00% of the population.

There were 652 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,951, and the median income for a family was $34,583. Males had a median income of $29,327 versus $20,729 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,700. About 10.4% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Notable residents

Janine Benyus, author.
Fr. Edward Catich, author, stone-cutter, calligrapher, photographer, musician, liturgical artist, historian, lecturer and born here.
Washington J. McCormick, United States Representative from Montana, retired to Stevensville.
George McGovern, former United States Senator and Presidential candidate, owned a book store and made his summer home here.
Lee Metcalf, Politician.