Toole County, Montana

Toole County
Toole County Courthouse in Shelby
Toole County Courthouse in Shelby
Map of Montana highlighting Toole County
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Map of the United States highlighting Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 48°39′N 111°41′W / 48.65°N 111.69°W / 48.65; -111.69
Country United States
State Montana
Founded1914
Named forJoseph Toole
SeatShelby
Largest cityShelby
Area
 • Total1,946 sq mi (5,040 km2)
 • Land1,916 sq mi (4,960 km2)
 • Water30 sq mi (80 km2)  1.5%
Population
 • Total4,971
 • Estimate 
(2022)
5,082 Increase
 • Density2.6/sq mi (0.99/km2)
Time zoneUTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district2nd
Websitewww.toolecountymt.gov
  • Montana county number 21

Toole County is a county in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,971. Its county seat is Shelby. The county was established in 1914 from parts of Hill County and Teton County and was named after Joseph Toole, the first and fourth governor of Montana. Its northern boundary is the Canada–United States border south of Alberta.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,946 square miles (5,040 km2), of which 1,916 square miles (4,960 km2) is land and 30 square miles (78 km2) (1.5%) is water.

Its northern boundary is the Canada–United States border. A part of its southern boundary by the southwestern county corner is formed by Marias River, which flows eastward through the southern part of the county. In the eastern part are several creeks, the largest of which is Willow, which rises in the Sweet Grass Hills and follows a southerly course through the county. In the Sweet Grass Hills and elsewhere indications of oil and gas have been found.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
19203,724
19306,71480.3%
19406,7690.8%
19506,8671.4%
19607,90415.1%
19705,839−26.1%
19805,559−4.8%
19905,046−9.2%
20005,2674.4%
20105,3241.1%
20204,971−6.6%
2022 (est.)5,0822.2%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 4,971 people.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,324 people, 2,015 households, and 1,246 families in the county. The population density was 2.8 inhabitants per square mile (1.1/km2). There were 2,336 housing units at an average density of 1.2 units per square mile (0.46 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 92.0% white, 4.5% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 30.8% were German, 17.7% were Irish, 15.8% were English, 10.5% were Norwegian, and 3.6% were American.

Of the 2,015 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.2% were non-families, and 34.3% 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 41.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,949 and the median income for a family was $54,722. Males had a median income of $41,490 versus $32,582 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,464. About 11.3% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Toole County voters have only selected Republican Party candidates in national elections since 1964.

United States presidential election results for Toole County, Montana
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 1,596 75.32% 467 22.04% 56 2.64%
2016 1,497 73.49% 402 19.73% 138 6.77%
2012 1,440 68.51% 582 27.69% 80 3.81%
2008 1,317 62.09% 737 34.75% 67 3.16%
2004 1,583 68.50% 690 29.86% 38 1.64%
2000 1,639 68.92% 630 26.49% 109 4.58%
1996 1,203 48.47% 874 35.21% 405 16.32%
1992 943 34.71% 854 31.43% 920 33.86%
1988 1,505 57.14% 1,070 40.62% 59 2.24%
1984 1,949 70.41% 789 28.50% 30 1.08%
1980 2,000 70.18% 634 22.25% 216 7.58%
1976 1,469 56.43% 1,080 41.49% 54 2.07%
1972 1,679 59.64% 897 31.87% 239 8.49%
1968 1,407 51.96% 1,048 38.70% 253 9.34%
1964 1,223 42.55% 1,649 57.38% 2 0.07%
1960 1,577 47.10% 1,767 52.78% 4 0.12%
1956 1,927 56.89% 1,460 43.11% 0 0.00%
1952 1,853 56.25% 1,426 43.29% 15 0.46%
1948 1,092 37.81% 1,756 60.80% 40 1.39%
1944 1,113 41.72% 1,545 57.91% 10 0.37%
1940 1,218 38.28% 1,954 61.41% 10 0.31%
1936 654 22.68% 2,120 73.51% 110 3.81%
1932 862 29.99% 1,917 66.70% 95 3.31%
1928 1,325 54.71% 1,076 44.43% 21 0.87%
1924 697 37.49% 439 23.61% 723 38.89%
1920 861 61.28% 405 28.83% 139 9.89%
1916 698 35.40% 1,075 54.51% 199 10.09%

Communities

City

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Notable people

  • Earl W. Bascom (1906-1995), "Father of Modern Rodeo" and Hall of Fame cowboy, artist, sculptor, actor, inventor; cowboyed in the 1920s on a ranch on Kicking Horse Creek once owned by his cousin C.M. Russell
  • Charles M. Russell (1864-1926), cowboy artist and sculptor; ranched on Kicking Horse Creek near the Sweetgrass Hills; honored in the Hall of Great Westerners in Oklahoma City

See also

48°39′N 111°41′W / 48.65°N 111.69°W / 48.65; -111.69


This page was last updated at 2023-12-01 20:29 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari