Beaverhead County, Montana

Beaverhead County is the largest county by area in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,371. Its county seat is Dillon. The county was founded in 1865.

Much of the perimeter of the county is the Continental Divide, including its entire border with the state of Idaho. The divide heads east into Montana at the county border with Ravalli County, between Lost Trail Pass and Chief Joseph Pass.

History
The county name is derived from a rock formation, which the Shoshone described as being shaped like a beaver's head.

The original county seat was the gold-mining town of Bannack. In 1881 it was moved to Dillon.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5572 sqmi, of which 5542 sqmi is land and 30 sqmi (0.3%) is water. It is the largest county in Montana by area. Beaverhead impact structure is in the area. The Big Hole River (formerly called Wisdom River) runs through the county.

Adjacent counties

 * Ravalli County - northwest
 * Deer Lodge County - north
 * Silver Bow County - north
 * Madison County - east
 * Fremont County, Idaho - southeast
 * Clark County, Idaho - south
 * Lemhi County, Idaho - west

National protected areas

 * Beaverhead National Forest (part)
 * Big Hole National Battlefield
 * Nez Perce National Historical Park (part)
 * Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge

Politics
Beaverhead is a heavily Republican county. It has not voted for a Democratic Presidential candidate since 1936.

2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 9,371 people living in the county.

2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 9,246 people, 4,014 households, and 2,383 families living in the county. The population density was 1.7 PD/sqmi. There were 5,273 housing units at an average density of 1.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 94.8% white, 1.4% American Indian, 0.4% Pacific islander, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 1.2% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.5% were German, 23.9% were English, 15.4% were Irish, 7.9% were Norwegian, 6.5% were Scottish, and 3.4% were American.

Of the 4,014 households, 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.6% were non-families, and 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age was 42.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,264 and the median income for a family was $53,036. Males had a median income of $35,568 versus $27,314 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,110. About 10.8% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Beaverhead County is one of the largest cattle and hay producing areas of Montana. Barrett's Minerals, one of the world's largest talc mines, calls Beaverhead County home. In 2009, Barrett Hospital and Healthcare was the largest private employer in the county.

Education
The University of Montana Western is in Dillon.

City

 * Dillon (county seat)

Town

 * Lima

Census-designated places

 * Argenta
 * Dell
 * Dewey
 * Glen
 * Grant
 * Jackson
 * Lakeview
 * Maverick Mountain
 * Wisdom
 * Wise River

Other unincorporated communities

 * Apex
 * Barretts
 * Bond
 * Dalys
 * Elkhorn Hot Springs
 * Ford
 * Kidd
 * Monida
 * Polaris
 * Red Rock

Former communities

 * Armstead - flooded by Clark County Reservoir in 1964
 * Bannack (presently a National Historic Monument and site of Bannack State Park)
 * Hecla
 * Lion City

Notable people

 * Joseph Poindexter, later Territorial Governor of Hawaii, served as County Attorney here.
 * Thomas Savage (1915-2003) spent his childhood and teen years on his family's ranch in Beaverhead County. His experiences there informed his best known novels, The Power of the Dog and The Sheep Queen.