Big Horn County, Montana

Big Horn County, Montana

Location in the state of Montana

Montana's location in the U.S.
Founded 1864
Seat Hardin
Largest city Hardin
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

5,015 sq mi (12,989 km²)
4,995 sq mi (12,937 km²)
20 sq mi (52 km²), 0.40%
Population
 - (2010)
 - Density

12,865
3/sq mi (1/km²)
Website bighorn.mt.gov

Big Horn County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of 2010, the population was 12,865.[1] The county seat is Hardin.[2]

Contents

History

The county, like the river and mountain range, were named for the bighorn sheep in the Rocky Mountains.[3]

Law and Government

The county has several jurisdictions, each with its own regulations and law enforcement agencies. The Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian Nations are administered by the tribes. Little Bighorn Battlefield and the Big Horn Canyon National Recreation Area are regulated by the National Park Service. The remainder of the county falls under the State of Montana.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,015 square miles (12,988.8 km2), of which 4,995 square miles (12,937.0 km2) is land and 20 square miles (51.8 km2) (0.40%) is water. Most of the county's land area comprises Indian reservations: The Crow Indian Reservation covers 64.2 percent of its area, while the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation covers another 6.37 percent.

The county is home to the Big Horn, Pryor and Wolf Mountain ranges.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Economy

Coal Mining and Agriculture both play major roles in Big Horn County’s economy. Farms and ranches in the county produce mainly beef cattle, sugar beets, alfalfa, and small grains.[4]

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1920 7,015
1930 8,543 21.8%
1940 10,419 22.0%
1950 9,824 −5.7%
1960 10,007 1.9%
1970 10,057 0.5%
1980 11,096 10.3%
1990 11,337 2.2%
2000 12,671 11.8%
2010 12,865 1.5%

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 12,671 people, 3,924 households, and 3,033 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 4,655 housing units at an average density of <1/km² (1/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 36.60% White, 0.04% Black or African American, 59.66% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 2.79% from two or more races. 3.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.9% were of German ancestry according to Census 2000. 67.1% spoke English, 27.9% Crow, 2.5% Cheyenne and 1.3% Spanish as their first language.

There were 3,924 households out of which 42.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.00% were married couples living together, 17.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.70% were non-families. 19.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.17 and the average family size was 3.66.

In the county the population was spread out with 35.80% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 20.50% from 45 to 64, and 8.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,684, and the median income for a family was $31,095. Males had a median income of $23,814 versus $18,884 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,792. About 23.70% of families and 29.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.00% of those under age 18 and 20.10% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Town

Census-designated places

Other community

See also

References

  1. ^ "Big Horn County, Montana". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&geo_id=05000US30009&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US30%7C05000US30009&_street=&_county=Big+Horn&_cityTown=Big+Horn&_state=04000US30&_zip. Retrieved October 9, 2011. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  3. ^ Merrill, Andrea; Judy Jacobson (1997). Montana almanac. Helena, Montana: Falcon Publishing. p. 7. ISBN 1-56044-493-2. 
  4. ^ State of Montana. "Big Horn County". http://www.ourfactsyourfuture.org/admin/uploadedPublications/3473_CF09_Bighorn.pdf. Retrieved 31 May 2011. 
  5. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links