kids encyclopedia robot

Polson, Montana facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Polson, Montana

nčmqnétkʷ
kwataqnuk
Town
Polson and Flathead Lake
Polson and Flathead Lake
Location of Polson, Montana
Location of Polson, Montana
Country United States
State Montana
County Lake
Area
 • Total 4.66 sq mi (12.07 km2)
 • Land 4.49 sq mi (11.63 km2)
 • Water 0.17 sq mi (0.44 km2)
Elevation
2,927 ft (892 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 5,148
 • Density 1,146.04/sq mi (442.53/km2)
Time zone UTC−7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−6 (MDT)
ZIP code
59860
Area code(s) 406
FIPS code 30-58750
GNIS feature ID 0775341

Polson (Montana Salish: nčmqnétkʷ, Kutenai: kwataqnuk) is a city in , United States, on the southern shore of Flathead Lake and within the Flathead Indian Reservation. The population was 5,148 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lake County. In 1898 the city was named after pioneer rancher David Polson. It was incorporated in 1910.

Geography

U.S. Route 93 passes through town. Pablo National Wildlife Refuge is just to the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.17 square miles (10.80 km2), of which 4.14 square miles (10.72 km2) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1920 1,132 —
1930 1,455 28.5%
1940 2,156 48.2%
1950 2,280 5.8%
1960 2,314 1.5%
1970 2,464 6.5%
1980 2,798 13.6%
1990 3,291 17.6%
2000 4,041 22.8%
2010 4,488 11.1%
2020 5,148 14.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,488 people, 1,991 households, and 1,150 families living in the city. The population density was 1,084.1 inhabitants per square mile (418.6/km2). There were 2,506 housing units at an average density of 605.3 per square mile (233.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 74.7% White, 0.2% African American, 15.7% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 8.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.4% of the population.

There were 1,991 households, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.6% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.2% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.86.

The median age in the city was 40 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.5% were from 45 to 64; and 19.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.

Climate

Polson has a continental climate (Köppen Dfb). However, its proximity to Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater body of water in the western United States, moderates its weather, meaning its winters are less cold and its summers generally less hot than adjacent areas of the same continental type.

Climate data for Polson, Montana
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 58
(14)		 66
(19)		 74
(23)		 84
(29)		 91
(33)		 98
(37)		 104
(40)		 101
(38)		 93
(34)		 83
(28)		 71
(22)		 62
(17)		 104
(40)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 32.6
(0.3)		 38.2
(3.4)		 46.7
(8.2)		 57.2
(14.0)		 65.8
(18.8)		 73.5
(23.1)		 81.5
(27.5)		 81.2
(27.3)		 70.0
(21.1)		 56.6
(13.7)		 41.1
(5.1)		 33.1
(0.6)		 56.5
(13.6)
Daily mean °F (°C) 26.6
(−3.0)		 30.9
(−0.6)		 37.7
(3.2)		 46.1
(7.8)		 53.9
(12.2)		 61.1
(16.2)		 67.5
(19.7)		 67.4
(19.7)		 57.6
(14.2)		 46.6
(8.1)		 34.6
(1.4)		 27.4
(−2.6)		 46.5
(8.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 20.5
(−6.4)		 23.5
(−4.7)		 28.7
(−1.8)		 34.9
(1.6)		 41.9
(5.5)		 48.6
(9.2)		 53.5
(11.9)		 53.5
(11.9)		 45.2
(7.3)		 36.5
(2.5)		 28.1
(−2.2)		 21.6
(−5.8)		 36.4
(2.4)
Record low °F (°C) −30
(−34)		 −27
(−33)		 −10
(−23)		 −1
(−18)		 17
(−8)		 26
(−3)		 37
(3)		 31
(−1)		 16
(−9)		 1
(−17)		 −21
(−29)		 −25
(−32)		 −30
(−34)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.11
(28)		 0.88
(22)		 1.04
(26)		 1.33
(34)		 2.32
(59)		 2.14
(54)		 1.31
(33)		 1.32
(34)		 1.30
(33)		 1.07
(27)		 1.15
(29)		 1.18
(30)		 16.15
(409)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 8.2
(21)		 5.8
(15)		 2.8
(7.1)		 0.7
(1.8)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.2
(0.51)		 2.7
(6.9)		 7.4
(19)		 27.8
(71.31)
Source 1: NOAA (normals, 1971–2000)
Source 2: The Weather Channel (Records)

Education

Polson School District educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. In the 2021-2022 school year, Polson had 1,152 students in grades kindergarten to 8th grade. Polson High School had 511 students. The school's team name is the Pirates.

North Lake County Public Library is located in Polson.

Media

Newspapers

  • Flathead Beacon
  • Lake County Leader
  • Valley Journal

AM radio

  • KERR
  • KGEZ
  • KJJR
  • KOFI
  • KQJZ-AM

FM radio

  • KALS
  • KANB-LP
  • KBBZ
  • KDBR
  • KHNK
  • KIBG The Big 100
  • KKMT Star 99
  • KQJZ-FM
  • KQRK
  • KRVO
  • KUKL-FM
  • KWOL-FM
  • KXZI-LP
  • KZMN

Television

Digital stations:

  • KCFW (NBC), Channel 9
  • KEXI-LD (Montana PBS), Channel 35
  • K26DD-D (TBN), Channel 26
  • KAJJ-CD (CBS), Channel 39
  • KEXI-LD (Montana PBS), Channel 35
  • KTMF-LD (ABC), Channel 36

KPAX Missoula, Montana

  • K11HO-D Physical Channel 11, Display Channel 8, Polson

KTMF Missoula, Montana

  • K14LT-D Physical Channel 14, Display Channel 23, Polson

KECI Missoula, Montana

  • K16GJ-D Physical Channel 16, Display Channel 13, Polson

Infrastructure

A hydro-electric concrete gravity-arch dam was built in 1938 in Polson at river mile 72 of the Flathead River. The Seli’š Ksanka Qlispe’ Dam is operated by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Formerly known as the Kerr Dam, it was renamed in 2015.

Polson Airport is a public use airport located one mile west of town.

Gallery

  • CloudsAndLakeInMontana

    Some clouds over Flathead Lake in Polson Montana

  • Polson3

    KwaTuqNuk resort in Polson

  • Polson4

    Polson, southern end of Flathead Lake

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Polson (Montana) para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Polson, Montana Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.