| Deer Lodge County, Montana | |
Location in the state of Montana |
|
Montana's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1864 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Anaconda |
| Largest city | Anaconda |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
741 sq mi (1,919 km²) 737 sq mi (1,909 km²) 4 sq mi (10 km²), 0.57% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
9,298 8/sq mi (3/km²) |
| Website | http://www.anacondadeerlodge.mt.gov/ |
Deer Lodge County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. The population was 9,298 at the 2010 census.[1] It forms a consolidated city-county government with its county seat of Anaconda[2].
Contents |
Deer Lodge was one of the original 9 Montana counties.[3]
Deer Lodge County is located at (46.12062, -112.98746)[4].
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 741 square miles (1,919.2 km2), of which 737 square miles (1,908.8 km2) is land and 4 square miles (10.4 km2) (0.57%) is water.
The county has a wealth of natural amenities, such as the Anaconda Mountain Range, Georgetown Lake, and the Mount Haggin wildlife management area (Montana’s largest at 54,000 acres).[5]
| Granite County | Powell County | |||
| Ravalli County | Jefferson County | |||
| Deer Lodge County | ||||
| Beaverhead County | Silver Bow County |
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 4,367 |
|
|
| 1880 | 8,876 | 103.3% | |
| 1890 | 15,155 | 70.7% | |
| 1900 | 17,393 | 14.8% | |
| 1910 | 12,988 | −25.3% | |
| 1920 | 15,323 | 18.0% | |
| 1930 | 16,293 | 6.3% | |
| 1940 | 13,627 | −16.4% | |
| 1950 | 16,553 | 21.5% | |
| 1960 | 18,640 | 12.6% | |
| 1970 | 15,652 | −16.0% | |
| 1980 | 12,518 | −20.0% | |
| 1990 | 10,278 | −17.9% | |
| 2000 | 9,417 | −8.4% | |
| 2010 | 9,298 | −1.3% | |
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 9,417 people, 3,995 households, and 2,524 families residing in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile (5/km²). There were 4,958 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.87% White, 0.17% Black or African American, 1.77% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. 1.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 21.3% were of Irish, 21.2% German, 7.1% English, 6.5% American and 6.4% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000. 96.3% spoke English, 1.4% Spanish and 1.2% German as their first language.
There were 3,995 households out of which 25.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.00% were married couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.80% were non-families. 33.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the county the population was spread out with 22.50% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 24.00% from 25 to 44, 26.80% from 45 to 64, and 18.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 99.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,305, and the median income for a family was $36,158. Males had a median income of $27,230 versus $18,719 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,580. About 11.60% of families and 15.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.40% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.
Note that the town of Deer Lodge is in neighboring Powell County, causing confusion for non-locals.
Deer Lodge County is the most consistently Democratic county in Montana when it comes to Presidential elections. It has not supported a Republican candidate since Calvin Coolidge in 1924.[7] In the last five elections the Democratic candidate has won by 21% to nearly 49% of Deer Lodge County's vote.[8] In gubernatorial elections the only Republican to carry the county in the last twenty years was Marc Racicot in the 1996 election. In that election the original Democratic nominee, Chet Blaylock, died and Marc Racicot carried every county.[9]
It is currently in the 43rd district of the Montana Senate and as such has been represented by Democrat Jesse Laslovich since 2004. In the Montana House of Representatives it is in the 85th district and as such has been represented by Democrat Cynthia Hiner since 2004.[10]