Valley County, Montana Explained

County:	Valley County
State:	Montana
Founded Year:	1893
Seat Wl:	Glasgow
Largest City Wl:	Glasgow
Area Total Sq Mi:	5062
Area Land Sq Mi:	4926
Area Water Sq Mi:	136
Area Percentage:	2.7
Population As Of:	2020
Population Total:	7578
Pop Est As Of:	2022
Population Est:	7513
Population Density Sq Mi:	auto
Web:	valleycountymt.net
Ex Image:	Valley County Courthouse.JPG
Ex Image Cap:	Valley County Courthouse in Glasgow
District:	2nd
Time Zone:	Mountain
Footnotes:	Montana county number 20

Valley County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. Valley County was created in 1893 with area partitioned from Dawson County.^[1] As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,578.^[2] Its county seat is Glasgow.^[3] It is located on the Canada–United States border with Saskatchewan.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (2.7%) is water.^[4] It is Montana's fourth-largest county by total area.

Transportation

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 2
• Montana Highway 24
• Montana Highway 42
• Montana Highway 117
• Montana Secondary Highway 248

Bus

Glasgow and the greater Valley County region are served by a non-profit taxi/bus service called Valley Country Transit.^[5]

Rail

• Amtrak Empire Builder (Glasgow station)

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

• Phillips County - west
• Garfield County - south
• McCone County - south
• Roosevelt County - east
• Daniels County - east
• Rural Municipality (RM) of Mankota No. 45, Saskatchewan (SK) - north
• RM of Waverley No. 44, SK - north
• RM of Old Post No. 43, SK - north

National protected area

• Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Economy

Agriculture is the major economic activity of Valley County. The US Air Force operated Glasgow Air Force Base at St. Marie until 1976, which was a strong influence on the local economy until its closure.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 7,578 people living in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 7,369 people, 3,198 households, and 1,997 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 4,879 housing units at an average density of 1adj=preNaNadj=pre. The racial makeup of the county was 87.0% white, 9.8% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.4% were German, 27.9% were Norwegian, 12.4% were Irish, 10.3% were English, and 6.8% were American.

Of the 3,198 households, 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.6% were non-families, and 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 46.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,050 and the median income for a family was $54,096. Males had a median income of $40,802 versus $30,272 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,305. About 5.7% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Valley County voters vote reliably Republican in national elections. Since 1964, they have selected the Democratic Party candidate only once (1992, due to strong showing by third-party candidate Ross Perot, which split the Republican voters).

Communities

City

• Glasgow (county seat)

Towns

• Fort Peck
• Nashua
• Opheim

Census-designated places

• Frazer
• Hinsdale
• St. Marie

Unincorporated communities

• Baylor^[6]
• Glentana
• Larslan
• Lustre
• Miles Crossing^[7]
• Oswego
• Park Grove^[8]
• Richland^[9]
• Roanwood^[10]
• Tampico^[11]
• Vandalia
• Whately^[12]
• Wheeler^[13]

Ghost towns

• Beaverton^[14]
• Genevieve
• Thoeny^[15]

Census Maps

See also

• Fort Peck Dam
• List of lakes in Valley County, Montana (A-L)
• List of lakes in Valley County, Montana (M-Z)
• List of mountains in Valley County, Montana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Valley County, Montana

External links

• Official site
• Glasgow Area Chamber of Commerce

Notes and References

1. Book: Stout, Tom . Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, under the editorial supervision of Tom Stout . 1921 . American Historical Society . Chicago IL . December 7, 2013.
2. Web site: State & County QuickFacts . May 8, 2023 . United States Census Bureau.
3. Web site: Find a County . June 7, 2011 . National Association of Counties.
4. Web site: August 22, 2012 . 2010 Census Gazetteer Files . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141205145322/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_30.txt . December 5, 2014 . November 30, 2014 . United States Census Bureau.
5. Web site: Valley County Transit . March 4, 2023 . Valley County Transit . Glasgow, Montana.
6. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Baylor,+MT+59230/@48.6226164,-106.3985065,12z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x533d6f544efd1367:0x7b22d372f12374de!8m2!3d48.6633585!4d-106.4794775 Baylor MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
7. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Miles+Crossing,+MT+59241/@48.4816729,-107.1604941,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x533d949e48d755e7:0x47543c8f8b2bbc0e!8m2!3d48.4816738!4d-107.1517393 Miles Crossing MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
8. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Park+Grove,+MT+59248/@48.030295,-106.45407,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x533cf809e14211a7:0xdd60bf3fddc1dba4!8m2!3d48.0302959!4d-106.4453151 Park Grove MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
9. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Richland+Post+Office/@48.8426966,-106.1746587,18627m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x533d1f24d35f1d93:0x24e095fe32da2677!2sValley+County,+MT!3b1!8m2!3d48.2855732!4d-106.8304776!3m4!1s0x533d547b35e7082d:0xb5f13aeadfa79b13!8m2!3d48.8204284!4d-106.0524845 Richland Post Office MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
10. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Roanwood,+MT+59250/@48.9414128,-106.5065682,2771m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x5317e76d9f07c8f1:0xf61db9971c25f589!8m2!3d48.9414136!4d-106.4978134 Roanwood MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
11. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tampico,+MT+59230/@48.2839964,-106.7739372,12z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x533da547da6a5d23:0xf95252512c48f89a!8m2!3d48.3047384!4d-106.8270002 Tampico MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
12. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Whately,+MT+59230/@48.1627976,-106.5201832,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x533cfffb3949e829:0xe35c15f14fd0f4cf!8m2!3d48.1627985!4d-106.5114284 Whately MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
13. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wheeler,+MT+59230/@48.0094614,-106.514907,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x533c5762d9ac48cb:0x6d47f34220e65242!8m2!3d48.0094623!4d-106.5061522 Wheeler MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
14. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Beaverton,+MT+59241/@48.4280332,-107.1820016,11.5z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x533dea2d9ef0494f:0x6905ed963b061534!8m2!3d48.4236142!4d-107.25397 Beaverton MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
15. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Thoeny,+MT+59241/@48.8769641,-106.9263084,2774m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x5317d3110553d067:0x5067e94b5a29dd08!8m2!3d48.876965!4d-106.9175536 Thoeny MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)