Superior, Montana

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Coordinates: 47°11′36″N 114°53′25″W / 47.19333, -114.89028
Superior, Montana

Country	United States
State	Montana
County	Mineral
Area
- Total	1.2 sq mi (3.1 km²)
- Land	1.1 sq mi (2.8 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
Elevation	2,762 ft (842 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	893
- Density	823.3/sq mi (319.2/km²)
Time zone	Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
- Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code	59872
Area code(s)	406
FIPS code	30-72625
GNIS feature ID	0791730
Website: http://co.mineral.mt.us/

Superior is a town in Mineral County, Montana, United States. The population was 893 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mineral County^[1]. Superior was named after its founders' hometown of Superior, Wisconsin in 1869. The post office was established in 1871 after Mineral County became the site of one of the largest gold strikes that helped settle the West.

Mullan Road West in Superior.

In the 1860s and 70s, several thousand miners converged on Cedar Creek to earn their fortunes. Long after that strike played out, mining remained a mainstay of the economy. Mining, along with the development of logging and United States Forest Service activities contribute to the area's interesting history. This small town offers a break from interstate travel and an introduction to area history in the Mineral County Museum. Display subjects explore local history and industry, including John Mullan and the Mullan Road.

A ranch near Superior, MT.

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

[edit] Geography

Superior is located at 47°11′36″N, 114°53′25″W (47.193305, -114.890379)^[2], 57 miles northwest of Missoula, MT on Interstate 90. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), of which, 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (8.47%) is water.

Diamond Lake, near the Montana/Idaho border.

Superior's elevation is 2,744 feet (836 meters) above sea level. Superior is surrounded by mountains, right in the middle of the Bitterroot Range. The Clark Fork (river) flows through downtown, heading north towards St. Regis, Montana and ultimately emptying into Lake Pend Oreille near Cabinet, Idaho. The mountains to the west of Superior along the Montana/Idaho border receive a large amount of precipitation annually, mostly due to the amount of snow in the winter months. Nearby Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area receives 400 inches on average each winter. The snow pack melts throughout the spring and summer months, feeding the many mountain streams and creeks with water. All of the water eventually reaches the Clark Fork in the valley below, where Superior is located.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 893 people, 358 households, and 218 families residing in the town. The population density was 823.3 people per square mile (319.2/km²). There were 410 housing units at an average density of 378.0/sq mi (146.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.83% White, 0.11% African American, 2.91% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 3.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.90% of the population.

There were 358 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,333, and the median income for a family was $31,650. Males had a median income of $24,688 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,154. About 10.4% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.