Talk:Absarokee, Montana/sandbox

Absarokee is a census-designated place (CDP) in Stillwater County, Montana, United States, approximately 14 miles south of Columbus on Highway 78. It is named after the Crow Indians who formerly inhabited the land. The population was 1,234 at the 2000 census. The Stillwater Mine, operated by the Stillwater Mining Company, is located near Absarokee.

History
Absarokee was originally located on Indian Reservation land. The first post office was established on December 16, 1892. Sever Simonson served as the postmaster.

Crow Reservation Timeline


 * Sept 17, 1851 - Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851)
 * Nov 8, 1889 - Montana becomes state
 * March 3, 1891 - Agreement to sell Crow Lands: Act of 1891 Crow Reservation map over time
 * October 4, 1892 - Sever Simonson and his family established squatter's rights at the confluence of the Stillwater and East Rosebud rivers eleven days before the territory formally opened. (His twenty-five-year-old nephew, Oliver Hovda, soon joined him. Together they established a trading post which became the Absarokee Cooperative Trading Company. Soon after they built a saloon, livery stable, hotel, and blacksmith shop)
 * October 15, 1892 - Harrison made an additional 1.8 million acres of the Crow Indian reservation in Montana available for general settlement
 * December 16, 1892 - first post office established

Geography
Absarokee is located at 45.52028°N, -109.44389°W (45.520147, -109.443782) in a valley near where the Stillwater River and Rosebud River join.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.0 sqmi, all of it land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,234 people, 499 households, and 343 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 608.1 people per square mile (234.7/km²). There were 550 housing units at an average density of 271.0 per square mile (104.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.24% White, 0.08% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 1.54% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.51% of the population.

There were 499 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $43,676, and the median income for a family was $52,708. Males had a median income of $47,404 versus $19,545 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $20,677. About 4.2% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

The nearby Stillwater Mine has a great effect on the population of the area. Although the population remains relatively constant with a slight increase, mining families are generally more transient than the local farming community so a slight change around town and especially at the schools is ever present.

Education
Absarokee has two school locations. The elementary school is located on the south side of town in the former high school. Two older buildings on the campus are no longer used for educational purposes. The new high school (1989) is shared by both the junior high school and high school students.

Absarokee High School is a class C school (less than 132 students) which helps determine athletic competitions. The most notable difference in class C schools is that they play eight-man football, which is basically eleven-man football with no tackles and one split-end instead of two wide receivers.

Absarokee's sport teams are called the Huskies and the school colors are orange and black.