Polson, Montana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Polson, Montana
nčmqnétkʷ
kwataqnuk |
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Polson and Flathead Lake
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Location of Polson, Montana
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| 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)
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| • 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
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| Area code(s) | 406 |
| FIPS code | 30-58750 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0775341 |
Polson is a city in Montana, United States. It is located in Lake County, Montana. The city sits on the southern shore of Flathead Lake. This area is also part of the Flathead Indian Reservation.
In 2020, about 5,148 people lived in Polson. It is the main city, or county seat, of Lake County. The city was named after a pioneer rancher named David Polson in 1898. Polson officially became a city in 1910.
Contents
Polson's Location and Surroundings
Polson is found in a beautiful part of Montana. U.S. Route 93 is a major road that goes right through the city. Just south of Polson, you can find the Pablo National Wildlife Refuge. This is a special place for animals and nature.
The city covers about 4.17 square miles (10.8 square kilometers). Most of this area is land. A small part, about 0.03 square miles (0.08 square kilometers), is water.
How Many People Live in Polson?
The number of people living in Polson has grown over the years. Here is a quick look at the population changes:
| 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 | |||
Polson's Population in 2010
In 2010, there were 4,488 people living in Polson. They lived in 1,991 homes. About 1,150 of these were families. The city had about 1,084 people per square mile.
Most people in Polson were White (74.7%). About 15.7% were Native American. Other groups made up smaller parts of the population. About 3.4% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.
The average age in Polson was 40 years old. About 24.2% of residents were under 18. About 19.7% were 65 or older.
Polson's Weather
Polson has a type of weather called a continental climate. This means it has warm summers and cold winters. However, Polson is special because it is very close to Flathead Lake. This lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States.
The big lake helps to make Polson's weather milder. This means winters are not as cold. Summers are also generally not as hot as other nearby areas.
| 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) | |||||||||||||
Schools and Learning
The Polson School District teaches students from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. In the 2021-2022 school year, there were 1,152 students in grades K-8. Polson High School had 511 students. The high school's sports teams are called the Pirates.
Polson also has a public library. It is called the North Lake County Public Library.
News and Radio in Polson
Polson has several ways for people to get their news and entertainment.
Newspapers
- Flathead Beacon
- Lake County Leader
- Valley Journal
Radio Stations
Polson has both AM and FM radio stations.
- AM stations: KERR, KGEZ, KJJR, KOFI, KQJZ-AM
- FM stations: 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 Channels
You can watch several TV channels in Polson:
- 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
Other channels from Missoula, Montana, also reach Polson:
- K11HO-D (Channel 8)
- K14LT-D (Channel 23)
- K16GJ-D (Channel 13)
Important Structures in Polson
Polson has an important dam that creates electricity from water. This is called a hydro-electric dam. It was built in 1938 on the Flathead River. The dam is now called the Seli’š Ksanka Qlispe’ Dam. It used to be known as the Kerr Dam, but its name was changed in 2015. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes operate this dam.
Polson also has its own airport. It is called Polson Airport. It is used by the public and is located just one mile west of the city.
Images for kids
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Some clouds over Flathead Lake in Polson Montana
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KwaTuqNuk resort in Polson
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Polson, southern end of Flathead Lake
See also
In Spanish: Polson (Montana) para niños
