Broadwater County, Montana

{{Short description|County in Montana, United States}} {{Use American English|date=June 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}} {{Infobox U.S. county | county = Broadwater County | state = Montana | seal = | founded date = | founded year = 1897 | seat wl = Townsend | largest city wl = Townsend | area_total_sq_mi = 1239 | area_land_sq_mi = 1193 | area_water_sq_mi = 46 | area percentage = 3.7 | population_as_of = 2020 | population_total = 6774 | pop_est_as_of = 2025 | population_est = 8493 {{increase}} | population_density_sq_mi = auto | web = https://www.broadwatercountymt.com/ | ex image = Broadwater county courthouse.jpg | ex image cap = The Broadwater County Courthouse in Townsend | district = 2nd | time zone = Mountain | named for = Charles Arthur Broadwater | footnotes = * Montana county number 43 }}

'''Broadwater County''' is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,774.<ref name="QF">{{Cite web |title=State & County QuickFacts |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/broadwatercountymontana/PST045222 |access-date=May 8, 2023 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> Its county seat is Townsend.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Find a County |url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 |access-date=June 7, 2011 |publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> The county was named for Charles Arthur Broadwater, a noted Montana railroad, real estate, and banking magnate.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Merrill |first=Andrea |title=Montana almanac |last2=Judy Jacobson |publisher=Falcon Publishing |year=1997 |isbn=1-56044-493-2 |location=Helena MT |page=7}}</ref>

==History== thumb|upright|"The Silos" are a major Broadwater County landmark The Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled through what is now Broadwater County as they traced the Missouri River. Gold was discovered in the Big Belt Mountains in 1864 which brought several mining towns. In 1881 the Northern Pacific Railway included a stop in what is now Townsend.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Broadwater County Planning Board |date=July 2003 |title=Broadwater County Growth Policy Plan |url=http://comdev.mt.gov/content/CTAP/docs/GrowthPolicies/BroadwaterCountyGrowthPolicy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813210716/http://comdev.mt.gov/content/CTAP/docs/GrowthPolicies/BroadwaterCountyGrowthPolicy |archive-date=August 13, 2011 |access-date=June 1, 2011}}</ref>

==Geography== According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of {{convert|1239|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|1193|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|46|sqmi}} (3.7%) is water.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_30.txt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205145322/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_30.txt |archive-date=December 5, 2014 |access-date=November 27, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>

The boundaries of the county are roughly formed by the Big Belt Mountains to the east and north, the Elkhorn Mountains to the west, and the Horseshoe Hills to the south.

Broadwater County is perhaps best known as the home of Canyon Ferry Lake, the third largest body of water in Montana. The lake provides essential irrigation to local farms, and serves as a recreation destination for the region, with fishing, boating, swimming, camping, and wildlife viewing opportunities.<ref name="SM">{{Cite web |last=State of Montana |year=2006 |title=Demographic & economic information for Broadwater County |url=https://archive.org/details/EAC30517-A799-4D6E-906C-257ABC4C19CE |access-date=June 1, 2011 |website=Internet Archive}}</ref>

===Major highways=== {{div col}} * 20px Interstate 90 * 20px U.S. Highway 12 * 20px U.S. Highway 287 * 20px Montana Highway 2 {{div col end}}

===Adjacent counties=== {{div col}} * Meagher County - east * Gallatin County - south * Jefferson County - west * Lewis and Clark County - northwest {{div col end}}

===National protected area=== * Helena National Forest (part)

==Politics== {{PresHead|place=Broadwater County, Montana|whig=no|source1=<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leip |first=David |title=Atlas of US Presidential Elections |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS |access-date=April 2, 2018 |website=uselectionatlas.org}}</ref>}}  {{PresRow|1904|Democratic|392|403|78|Montana}} {{PresRow|1908|Democratic|326|495|40|Montana}} {{PresRow|1912|Democratic|205|451|277|Montana}} {{PresRow|1916|Democratic|584|1,100|62|Montana}} {{PresRow|1920|Republican|723|622|59|Montana}} {{PresRow|1924|Republican|531|486|391|Montana}} {{PresRow|1928|Republican|743|663|9|Montana}} {{PresRow|1932|Democratic|512|988|19|Montana}} {{PresRow|1936|Democratic|502|1,071|24|Montana}} {{PresRow|1940|Democratic|755|854|4|Montana}} {{PresRow|1944|Republican|760|558|5|Montana}} {{PresRow|1948|Republican|704|536|26|Montana}} {{PresRow|1952|Republican|962|435|0|Montana}} {{PresRow|1956|Republican|869|449|0|Montana}} {{PresRow|1960|Republican|680|631|0|Montana}} {{PresRow|1964|Republican|609|595|0|Montana}} {{PresRow|1968|Republican|671|439|126|Montana}} {{PresRow|1972|Republican|916|411|49|Montana}} {{PresRow|1976|Republican|820|557|12|Montana}} {{PresRow|1980|Republican|1,052|401|111|Montana}} {{PresRow|1984|Republican|1,345|458|27|Montana}} {{PresRow|1988|Republican|1,054|592|37|Montana}} {{PresRow|1992|Republican|830|491|521|Montana}} {{PresRow|1996|Republican|1,029|603|334|Montana}} {{PresRow|2000|Republican|1,488|462|124|Montana}} {{PresRow|2004|Republican|1,778|533|45|Montana}} {{PresRow|2008|Republican|1,875|857|75|Montana}} {{PresRow|2012|Republican|2,152|764|95|Montana}} {{PresRow|2016|Republican|2,348|573|212|Montana}} {{PresRow|2020|Republican|3,173|835|89|Montana}} {{PresRow|2024|Republican|3,770|885|155|Montana}} {{PresFoot}}

==Demographics== {{US Census population |1900= 2641 |1910= 3491 |1920= 3239 |1930= 2738 |1940= 3451 |1950= 2922 |1960= 2804 |1970= 2526 |1980= 3267 |1990= 3318 |2000= 4385 |2010= 5612 |2020= 6774 |estyear=2025 |estimate=8493 |estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2025">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html|title=County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2025|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 13, 2026}}</ref> {{increase}} |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Decennial Census |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |access-date=November 27, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><br/>1790–1960,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historical Census Browser |url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu |access-date=November 27, 2014 |publisher=University of Virginia Library}}</ref> 1900–1990,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/mt190090.txt |access-date=November 27, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><br/>1990–2000,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |access-date=November 27, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> 2010–2020<ref name="QF" /> | align = right }}

===2020 census=== As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 6,774.<ref name="Census2020PL">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME%2CP1_001N%2CP1_003N%2CP1_004N%2CP1_005N%2CP1_006N%2CP1_008N%2CP1_009N%2CP2_001N%2CP2_002N%2CH1_001N%2CH1_002N&for=county%3A007&in=state%3A30|website=United States Census Bureau|publisher=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=2025-12-07|df=mdy}}</ref>

Of the residents, 21.6% were under the age of 18 and 22.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 45.7 years. For every 100 females there were 107.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 107.8 males.<ref name="Census2020DP">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dp?get=NAME%2CDP1_0021P%2CDP1_0024P%2CDP1_0025C%2CDP1_0049C%2CDP1_0045C%2CDP1_0069C%2CDP1_0073C%2CDP1_0125P%2CDP1_0126P%2CDP1_0129P%2CDP1_0138P%2CDP1_0139P%2CDP1_0141P%2CDP1_0142P%2CDP1_0143P%2CDP1_0145P%2CDP1_0146P%2CDP1_0147C%2CDP1_0148C%2CDP1_0149C%2CDP1_0156C%2CDP1_0157C%2CDP1_0158C%2CDP1_0159P%2CDP1_0160P&for=county%3A007&in=state%3A30|website=United States Census Bureau|publisher=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=2025-12-07|df=mdy}}</ref>

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.<ref name="Census2020DHC">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dhc?get=NAME%2CP2_002N%2CP2_003N&for=county%3A007&in=state%3A30|website=United States Census Bureau|publisher=United States Census Bureau|year=2023|access-date=2025-12-07|df=mdy}}</ref>

The racial makeup of the county was 91.9% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, 0.6% from some other race, and 6.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.0% of the population.<ref name="Census2020PL"/>

There were 2,795 households in the county, of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 16.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

There were 3,172 housing units, of which 11.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 80.4% were owner-occupied and 19.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.6%.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

===2010 census=== As of the 2010 census, there were 5,612 people, 2,347 households, and 1,614 families living in the county. The population density was {{convert|4.7|PD/sqmi}}. There were 2,695 housing units at an average density of {{convert|2.3|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}. The racial makeup of the county was 96.2% white, 1.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 0.2% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 38.7% were German, 16.2% were English, 15.5% were Irish, 7.9% were Norwegian, 6.4% were Scottish, and 2.3% were American.

Of the 2,347 households, 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.2% were non-families, and 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 45.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,667 and the median income for a family was $46,949. Males had a median income of $34,500 versus $32,014 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,606. About 5.8% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over. ==Economy== Agriculture is one of the primary industries in Broadwater County. RY Timber and Wheat Montana Bakery were the largest private employers according to the 2000 Census.<ref name=SM/>

==Communities== thumb|Canyon Ferry Reservoir and the Big Belt Mountains near Townsend

===City=== * Townsend (county seat)

===Census-designated places=== {{div col|colwidth=15em}} * Radersburg * Spokane Creek * The Silos * Toston * Wheatland * Winston {{div col end}}

===Unincorporated communities=== {{div col|colwidth=15em}} * Canton<ref>[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Canton,+MT+59644/@46.4153282,-111.4863188,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x5344be72af419495:0xa1c82b3935b26600!8m2!3d46.415329!4d-111.477564 ''Canton, Broadwater County MT'' Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)]</ref> * Copper City<ref>[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Copper+City,+MT+59752/@45.9785436,-111.5573013,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x53452ae888cfdbeb:0x9915dd8ca82e5b2d!8m2!3d45.981039!4d-111.5494148 ''Copper City, Broadhead County MT'' Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)]</ref> * Diamond City<ref>[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Diamond+City,+MT+59644/@46.5971593,-111.4326075,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x53449c77f8fa7d6b:0xdb22719d382b3544!8m2!3d46.5971602!4d-111.4238527 ''Diamond City, Broadwater County MT'' Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)]</ref> * Eustis<ref>[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Eustis,+MT+59752/@45.9896494,-111.4753881,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x5345298104ec9bcb:0xcd0bf205af855ee8!8m2!3d45.9896503!4d-111.4666333 ''Eustis, Broadwater County MT'' Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)]</ref> * Holker<ref>[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Holker,+MT+59644/@46.2543734,-111.4867773,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x5344c424ab7467bb:0x28611939ce8cca4!8m2!3d46.2543743!4d-111.4780225 ''Holker, Broadwater County MT'' Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)]</ref> * Lombard {{div col end}}

===Former communities=== * Lombard

==Education== There are three school districts:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st30_mt/schooldistrict_maps/c30007_broadwater/DC20SD_C30007.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Broadwater County, MT|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=2024-10-04}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st30_mt/schooldistrict_maps/c30007_broadwater/DC20SD_C30007_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref> * Townsend K-12 Schools * Three Forks Elementary School District * Three Forks High School District The elementary and high school district are both a part of Three Forks Public Schools.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apps.opi.mt.gov/SchoolDirectory/frmdirectorydistrictpdf.aspx|title=Directory of Montana Schools|publisher=Montana Office of Public Instruction|date=2024-03-13|access-date=2024-03-13|page=109/317}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20050104080504/http://www.townsendvalley.com/ TownsendValley.com]

{{Geographic Location |Centre = Broadwater County, Montana |East = Meagher County |South = Gallatin County |West = Jefferson County |Northwest = Lewis and Clark County }}

{{Broadwater County, Montana}} {{Montana}} {{Authority control}} {{Coord|46.33|-111.50|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-MT_source:UScensus1990}}

Category:Broadwater County, Montana Category:Montana counties on the Missouri River Category:1897 establishments in Montana Category:Populated places in the United States established in 1897