Hamilton, Montana
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Hamilton is a city that serves as the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Ravalli County, Montana, United States. The population was 4,659 at the 2020 census.


History

Hamilton was founded by copper king Marcus Daly in the late 19th century. It was named for J.W. Hamilton, who provided the right-of-way to the railroad. Daly is said to have wanted to begin business in the then county seat of Grantsdale, but was denied the opportunity. In the summer of 2000, Hamilton made international headlines when forest fires throughout the Bitterroot Valley filled the area with smoke and prompted the evacuation of many residents. President Clinton declared a state of emergency in the area and dispatched National Guard troops to assist with fighting the fires.


Geography and climate

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. According to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, Hamilton has a
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 4,348 people, 2,175 households, and 1,006 families living in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 2,456 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.0%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.3%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.6% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population. There were 2,175 households, of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.6% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 53.7% were non-families. 47.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.72. The median age in the city was 43 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.4% were from 25 to 44; 23.4% were from 45 to 64; and 24.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.


2000 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 3,705 people, 1,772 households, and 855 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,915 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.22%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.11%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.89% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population. There were 1,772 households, out of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.3% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.7% were non-families. 47.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.95 and the average family size was 2.81. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.2% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 28.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,013, and the median income for a family was $30,665. Males had a median income of $25,795 versus $22,138 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $14,689. About 14.3% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 28.4% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Hamilton has two microbiological research and production facilities: the government-run Rocky Mountain Laboratories, and a branch of GSK. NIAID ( National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) completed construction of a Biosafety Level 4 biohazard laboratory as part of the Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) facility in 2008. This facility has begun operations using highly-pathogenic organisms including the Lentivirus family of viruses. Hamilton had one of the last remaining Kmart stores in the United States, which was the only remaining one in the state of Montana and the entire Mountain time zone. Closure was announced in January 2022, with its final day of business conducted on March 6, 2022.


Government

Hamilton's City Council has three Wards with two representatives from each Ward.


Arts and culture

The Ravalli County Museum, founded in 1955, is located in the former Ravalli County Courthouse and focuses on county history, natural history and art. The Daly Mansion, home of Marcus Daly, offers tours. This mansion has over 50 rooms, 26 acres of lawns, and several outbuildings. Being located in the dramatically scenic Bitterroot Valley Hamilton is a great place for outdoor activity such as nature hikes and wildlife viewing opportunities. River Park and Skalkaho Bend offer trails in town. A large skatepark, Circle 13, is at Claudia Driscoll Park. It is one of the skateparks built by Montana Pool Service, a project founded by Jeff Ament. The 700-seat Hamilton Performing Arts Center at Hamilton High School is home for the annual Bitterroot Performing Arts Series, produced by the Bitterroot Performing Arts Council, as well as other school and public productions throughout the year.


Infrastructure

Hamilton is located directly on U.S. Route 93. It is intersected by Montana Secondary Highway 269. Ravalli County Airport is a public use airport 1 mile east of town.. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective August 10, 2023 Daly Hospital, part of Bitterroot Health, provides healthcare service in Hamilton.


Education

* Hamilton High School *The Bitterroot College Program of the
University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...
is located in Hamilton. In May 2012, it was renamed Bitterroot College University of Montana. The Bitterroot Public Library serves the town of Hamilton. It was one of the 17 Carnegie libraries built in Montana.


Media

Hamilton's newspaper is the ''Ravalli Republic''. It is a daily broadsheet offered as print or e-edition as well as having online news. Five radio stations are licensed in Hamilton: KBAZ with mainstream rock, KHKM with adult hits, KLYQ is news/talk, KMZO is a religious channel, and KUFN public radio.


Notable people

* Willy Burgdorfer, scientist who discovered the cause of
Lyme disease Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a tick-borne disease caused by species of ''Borrelia'' bacteria, Disease vector, transmitted by blood-feeding ticks in the genus ''Ixodes''. It is the most common disease spread by ticks in th ...
* Herald Rea Cox, bacteriologist * Marcus Daly, one of the " Copper Kings" of
Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the 2 ...
, owned the Bitterroot Stock Farm near Hamilton * Scott Lee Kimball, Colorado-born serial killer who lived in Hamilton during his teenage years. * Henry L. Myers, United States Senator from Montana * Jerry J. O'Connell, United States Representative from Montana, editor and publisher of local newspaper * Val Skinner, golfer, winner of six
LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly ...
events * Suzanna Son, film actress known for '' Red Rocket'' *
Michael D. Stevens Michael D. Stevens is a United States Navy sailor who served as Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON). He became the 13th MCPON on September 28, 2012, when he accepted the passing of the ceremonial cutlass from outgoing MCPON Rick D. West ...
, former Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy


References


External links

City of Hamilton official website
{{Authority control Cities in Montana Cities in Ravalli County, Montana County seats in Montana