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Deer Lodge County, Montana facts for kids

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Deer Lodge County
Consolidated city-county
Deer Lodge County Courthouse
Deer Lodge County Courthouse
Map of Montana highlighting Deer Lodge County
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Map of the United States highlighting Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Montana
Founded 1865
Seat Anaconda
Largest city Anaconda
Area
 • Total 741 sq mi (1,920 km2)
 • Land 737 sq mi (1,910 km2)
 • Water 4.7 sq mi (12 km2)  0.6%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 9,421
 • Density 12.714/sq mi (4.909/km2)
Time zone UTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district At-large

Deer Lodge County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 9,421. It forms a consolidated city-county government with its county seat of Anaconda. The county was established in 1865.

History

Warm Springs State Hospital 03
Warm Springs State Hospital

Deer Lodge was one of the original 9 Montana counties, as constituted with the establishment of Montana Territory in 1864. The original county included what are now Silver Bow County (separated in 1881), Deer Lodge County, Granite County (separated in 1893) and Powell County (separated in 1901).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 741 square miles (1,920 km2), of which 737 square miles (1,910 km2) is land and 4.7 square miles (12 km2) (0.6%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Montana by area.

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).

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

  • Beaverhead National Forest (part)
  • Deerlodge National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
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%
2020 9,421 1.3%
US Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 9,298 people, 4,018 households, and 2,350 families living in the county. The population density was 12.6 inhabitants per square mile (4.9/km2). There were 5,122 housing units at an average density of 7.0 per square mile (2.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.1% white, 3.1% American Indian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 30.2% were German, 26.2% were Irish, 9.2% were English, 8.5% were Norwegian, 5.9% were Italian, 5.2% were Swedish, and 2.6% were American.

Of the 4,018 households, 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 41.5% were non-families, and 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.73. The median age was 46.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,310 and the median income for a family was $51,076. Males had a median income of $32,477 versus $26,250 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,921. About 9.6% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.6% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Note that the town of Deer Lodge is in neighboring Powell County.

Notable people

  • Lucille Ball – actress and television star, most notably on I Love Lucy
  • John H. Collins – classical scholar.
  • Frank Cope – New York Giants offensive lineman
  • Marcus Daly – founder of Anaconda, and one of the "Copper Kings" of Butte.
  • Wayne Estes – college basketball star
  • Raymond Hunthausen – Archbishop of Seattle
  • Rob Johnson – San Diego Padres catcher
  • Nancy Keenan – politician, NARAL president
  • George A. Lingo – politician in the Alaska Territory
  • Roger Rouse – Professional Boxer
  • George Leo Thomas – Roman Catholic Bishop of Helena
  • Lester Thurow – economist
  • John H. Tolan – later a United States Congressman from California, was an attorney of the county from 1904 through 1906.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Deer Lodge para niños

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