Superior, Montana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Superior, Montana
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Location of Superior in Mineral County and the state of Montana
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| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Mineral |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.07 sq mi (2.77 km2) |
| • Land | 0.95 sq mi (2.47 km2) |
| • Water | 0.12 sq mi (0.30 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,720 ft (830 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 830 |
| • Density | 869.11/sq mi (335.59/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
59872
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| Area code(s) | 406 |
| FIPS code | 30-72625 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2413356 |
Superior is a town in Montana, United States. It is the main town, or county seat, of Mineral County, Montana. In 2020, about 830 people lived there.
Contents
History of Superior
Superior got its name from Superior, Wisconsin, which was the hometown of its founders. This happened in 1869. A post office was set up in 1871. This was after Mineral County became famous for one of the biggest gold discoveries that helped settle the western United States.
In the 1860s and 1870s, thousands of miners came to an area called Cedar Creek. Mining has always been important to the town's economy. Logging and activities by the United States Forest Service also became important.
In 1908, the Superior Hotel was the first hotel to receive Bibles for its rooms from The Gideons International. You can find a historic marker about this on Mullan Road. The Mineral County Museum is also located in Superior.
Geography and Climate
Superior is located on the northeast side of the Bitterroot Range of mountains in western Montana. If you travel on Interstate 90, it's about 57 miles (92 km) northwest of Missoula. It's also about 60 miles (97 km) southeast of Wallace, Idaho.
The Clark Fork flows right through the center of town. It then heads northwest towards St. Regis. Eventually, it empties into Lake Pend Oreille near Cabinet, Idaho.
Mountains and Water
The Bitterroot Mountains, west of Superior, get a lot of rain and snow each year. This is especially true in winter, with lots of snow. For example, nearby Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area gets about 400 inches (1,000 cm) of snow every winter.
This snow melts during spring and summer. It fills many mountain streams and creeks with water. All this water eventually flows into the Clark Fork River in the valley where Superior is located.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town covers a total area of about 1.07 square miles (2.77 km²). Of this, 0.96 square miles (2.49 km²) is land, and 0.12 square miles (0.31 km²), or about 10.75%, is water.
Weather Patterns
| Climate data for Superior, Montana (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 35.9 (2.2) |
42.7 (5.9) |
51.6 (10.9) |
61.0 (16.1) |
69.4 (20.8) |
76.9 (24.9) |
86.7 (30.4) |
86.6 (30.3) |
75.6 (24.2) |
60.2 (15.7) |
42.8 (6.0) |
33.0 (0.6) |
60.2 (15.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 21.3 (−5.9) |
22.5 (−5.3) |
27.8 (−2.3) |
32.7 (0.4) |
39.4 (4.1) |
45.9 (7.7) |
50.4 (10.2) |
49.3 (9.6) |
41.8 (5.4) |
33.7 (0.9) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
20.2 (−6.6) |
34.4 (1.3) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.57 (40) |
1.13 (29) |
1.42 (36) |
1.29 (33) |
1.87 (47) |
2.06 (52) |
0.88 (22) |
1.23 (31) |
1.19 (30) |
1.29 (33) |
1.81 (46) |
1.65 (42) |
17.39 (441) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 10.0 (25) |
4.6 (12) |
3.3 (8.4) |
0.3 (0.76) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
5.0 (13) |
9.3 (24) |
32.5 (83.16) |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1950 | 626 | — | |
| 1960 | 1,242 | 98.4% | |
| 1970 | 993 | −20.0% | |
| 1980 | 1,054 | 6.1% | |
| 1990 | 881 | −16.4% | |
| 2000 | 893 | 1.4% | |
| 2010 | 812 | −9.1% | |
| 2020 | 830 | 2.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 Census Information
In 2010, the census counted 812 people living in Superior. There were 386 households, and 220 of these were families. The town had about 773 people per square mile (298 per km²).
Most of the people living in Superior were White (93.8%). A small number were African American (0.7%), Native American (1.2%), or Asian (1.6%). About 2.3% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
About 15.9% of the people were under 18 years old. The average age in the town was 52.1 years. Slightly more than half of the residents (51.5%) were female, and 48.5% were male.
Education in Superior
The Superior School District teaches students from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. There are three schools in the district. These include an Elementary school (for grades K-6), a Middle school (for grades 7-8), and Superior High School (for grades 9-12). In the 2021-2022 school year, Superior High School had 110 students.
The Mineral County Public Library is also located in Superior. It has other branches in nearby towns like Alberton and St. Regis.
Local Media
The Mineral Independent is the newspaper that serves Mineral County. It is printed once a week and also has an online version. The FM radio station KENR is licensed in Superior.
Transportation and Roads
Interstate 90 runs along the southern edge of the town. You can get to Superior by taking exit 47 from the interstate.
The Mineral County Airport is a public airport owned by the county. It is located about two miles (3.7 km) southeast of the town.
Famous People from Superior
- Pokey Allen was a professional and college football player and coach. He was born in Superior.
See also
In Spanish: Superior (Montana) para niños
