Ravalli County, Montana

Ravalli County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,174. Its county seat is Hamilton.

Ravalli County is part of a north–south mountain valley bordered by the Sapphire Mountains on the East and the Bitterroot Mountains on the West. It is often referred to as the Bitterroot Valley, which is named for the Bitterroot Flower. The county is on the Pacific Ocean side of the Continental Divide, which follows the Idaho-Montana border from Wyoming until Ravalli County. Here, it turns east into Montana, between Chief Joseph Pass and Lost Trail Pass, and follows the Ravalli County-Beaverhead County border.

History
Ravalli County was once home to the Bitterroot Salish tribe. The tribe was first encountered in 1805 by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which noted their friendly nature. The Catholic Church took an interest in creating a mission in the area, and in 1841 founded St. Mary's Mission, subsequently renamed as Fort Owen. In 1864, the settlement's current name, Stevensville, was adopted. In 1891, the Salish tribe moved to the current Flathead Reservation under the Treaty of Hellgate.

In 1877, Chief Joseph and his Wallowa band of Nez Perce passed through Ravalli County in their attempt to escape confinement to a reservation; they were captured en route to Canada just south of Havre.

Ravalli County was created in 1893 by the Montana Legislature, annexing a portion of Missoula County. It was named after the Italian Jesuit priest Antony Ravalli, who came to the Bitterroot Valley in 1845.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of 2400 sqmi, of which 2391 sqmi is land and 9.4 sqmi (0.4%) is water.

Major highways

 * [[Image:US 93.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 93
 * [[Image:MT-38.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 38

Adjacent counties

 * Missoula County - north
 * Granite County - northeast
 * Deer Lodge County - east
 * Beaverhead County - southeast
 * Lemhi County, Idaho - south
 * Idaho County, Idaho - west/Pacific Time Border

National protected areas

 * Bitterroot National Forest (part)
 * Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge
 * Lolo National Forest (part)

2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 44,174 people living in the county.

2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 40,212 people, 16,933 households, and 11,380 families in the county. The population density was 16.8 PD/sqmi. There were 19,583 housing units at an average density of 8.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 95.9% white, 0.9% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.8% were German, 17.4% were English, 15.9% were Irish, 8.3% were American, 5.7% were Italian, and 5.5% were Norwegian.

Of the 16,933 households, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.8% were non-families, and 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age was 46.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,000 and the median income for a family was $53,004. Males had a median income of $42,065 versus $27,629 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,908. About 9.6% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Agriculture and timber form the bulk of Ravalli County economic activity. Marcus Daly, one of three Butte copper kings, funded logging operations in the Bitterroot Valley. The lumber was necessary for the Butte copper operation. Recently, more of Ravalli County's economy stems from tourism. The valley borders the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and offers a wide variety of wildlife, including some of the few remaining wolverine and wolf populations in the contiguous states. The Lost Trail Powder Mountain ski area is at Lost Trail Pass on the Idaho border on US-93.

Politics
Ravalli County voters have been reliably Republican, opting only one time for the Democratic Party candidate in national elections since 1940 (as of 2020).

City

 * Hamilton

Towns

 * Darby
 * Pinesdale
 * Stevensville

Census-designated places

 * Charlos Heights
 * Conner
 * Corvallis
 * Florence
 * Sula
 * Victor

Unincorporated communities

 * Alta
 * Bell Crossing
 * Cinnibar Court
 * Como
 * Gorus
 * Grantsdale
 * Medicine Hot Springs
 * Riverside

Notable person

 * Henry L. Myers, Ravalli County prosecuting attorney, U.S. Senator from Montana