Prairie County, Montana

Prairie County, Montana
Location in the state of Montana
Montana's location in the U.S.
Founded	1915
Seat	Terry
Largest city	Terry
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,743 sq mi (4,514 km²) 1,737 sq mi (4,499 km²) 6 sq mi (16 km²), 0.34%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	1,179
Website	www.prairie.mt.gov

Prairie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of 2010, the population was 1,179. Its county seat is Terry.

Prairie County was created by the Montana Legislature in 1915 out of parts of Custer, Dawson, and Fallon Counties. The name was selected in a contest and reflects the predominant landscape of the region.

The county was the site of the Custer Creek train wreck in 1938 that killed 47 people and injured an additional 75.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,743 square miles (4,513 km²), of which, 1,737 square miles (4,498 km²) of it is land and 6 square miles (16 km²) of it (0.34%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 94
• 25px Montana Highway 253

Adjacent counties

• McCone County, Montana - north
• Dawson County, Montana - north
• Wibaux County, Montana - east
• Fallon County, Montana - southeast
• Custer County, Montana - south
• Garfield County, Montana - west

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1920	3,684		—
1930	3,941		7.0%
1940	2,410		−38.8%
1950	2,377		−1.4%
1960	2,318		−2.5%
1970	1,752		−24.4%
1980	1,836		4.8%
1990	1,383		−24.7%
2000	1,199		−13.3%
2010	1,179		−1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,199 people, 537 households, and 354 families residing in the county. The population density was <1/km² (<1/sq mi). There were 718 housing units at an average density of <1/km² (<1/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 98.00% White, 0.50% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 43.8% were of German, 12.4% Irish, 11.9% Norwegian and 7.0% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 97.8% spoke English and 2.2% German as their first language.

There were 537 households out of which 22.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.10% were married couples living together, 2.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.90% were non-families. 31.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.74.

In the county the population was spread out with 18.70% under the age of 18, 4.30% from 18 to 24, 20.00% from 25 to 44, 32.90% from 45 to 64, and 24.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 106.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,451, and the median income for a family was $32,292. Males had a median income of $22,424 versus $18,833 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,422. About 13.30% of families and 17.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.60% of those under age 18 and 15.50% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Town

• Terry

Census-designated place

• Fallon

Other communities

• Saugus
• Shirley
• Zero

See also

• List of cemeteries in Prairie County, Montana
• List of lakes in Prairie County, Montana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Prairie County, Montana

External links

• Montana Association of Counties - Prairie County website