Valley County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the U.S. state of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

. Valley County was created in 1893 with area partitioned from Dawson County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,578. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

. It is located on the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: ...

with

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.7%) is water. It is Montana's fourth-largest county by total area.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, wh ...

* Montana Highway 24 * Montana Highway 42 * Montana Highway 117 * Montana Secondary Highway 248

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 The Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (abbreviated as the CMR NWR) is a National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Montana on the Missouri River. The refuge surrounds Fort Peck Reservoir and is in size.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servi ...

(part)

Economy

Agriculture is the major economic activity of Valley County. The US Air Force operated

Glasgow Air Force Base Glasgow Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base near Glasgow, Montana. It operated from 1957 to 1968 and again from 1971 through 1976. Major commands to which assigned * Air Defense Command, 8 February 1957 – 1 Apr ...

at St. Marie until 1976, which was a strong influence on the local economy until its closure.

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

2000 United States census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 c ...

, there were 7,675 people, 3,150 households, and 2,129 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 4,847 housing units at an average density of 1.0/square mile (0.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.14%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.13%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 9.42% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.26% from other races, and 1.79% from two or more races. 0.78% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. 28.2% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 24.0% Norwegian, 6.4%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, 6.0%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and 5.5% Irish ancestry. There were 3,150 households, out of which 29.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 29.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.93. The county population contained 25.10% under the age of 18, 6.00% from 18 to 24, 24.30% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 19.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,979, and the median income for a family was $39,044. Males had a median income of $27,233 versus $17,686 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $16,246. About 9.50% of families and 13.50% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.40% of those under age 18 and 14.40% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

2010 United States census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

, 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 1.0/square mile (0.4/km²). 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

, 27.9% were Norwegian, 12.4% were Irish, 10.3% were

, and 6.8% were

. 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

, 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

(county seat)

Towns

* Fort Peck * Nashua * Opheim

Census-designated places

* Frazer * Hinsdale * St. Marie

Unincorporated communities

* Baylor * Glentana * Larslan * Lustre * Miles Crossing * Oswego * Park Grove * Richland * Roanwood * Tampico * Vandalia * Whately * Wheeler

Ghost towns

* Beaverton * Genevieve * Thoeny''Thoeny MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
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Census Maps

References

External links

Official site
{{Coord, 48.36, -106.66, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MT_source:UScensus1990 Montana counties on the Missouri River 1893 establishments in Montana Populated places established in 1893