Glacier County is located in the
U.S. state of
Montana
Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
. As of the
2020 census, the population was 13,778.
The
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
is located in northwestern Montana between the
Great Plains
The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...
and the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...
, known to the
Blackfeet as the "Backbone of the World". The county is geographically and culturally diverse and includes the
Blackfeet Indian Reservation,
Glacier National Park, and
Lewis and Clark National Forest
Lewis and Clark National Forest is located in west central Montana, United States. Spanning . The region was inhabited by various cultures of Native Americans for a period of at least 8,000–10,000 years. When the Lewis and Clark Expedition ca ...
. The county is bordered by 75 miles of international boundary with two ports of entry (
Piegan and
Del Bonita) open year-round and one seasonal (Chief Mountain) international border crossing into
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
, Canada.
Settlements
Several small
unincorporated communities, one
incorporated town
An incorporated town is a town that is a municipal corporation.
Canada
Incorporated towns are a form of local government in Canada, which is a responsibility of provincial rather than federal government.
United States
An incorporated town o ...
, and one
incorporated city are located within the county.
Cut Bank, 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 ...
with a population of around 3,000, is located in eastern Glacier County, on the edge of the
Great Plains
The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...
. Cut Bank arose from the railway and agricultural needs of the surrounding area, and was fostered by an
oil boom in the
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png, From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Seán Hogan during the Irish War of Independence; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the Eighteenth Amendment to ...
. The town's diverse population is a result of this settlement. Town resources and services include a hospital and clinic, an historic airport (with regional and international connections), a nine-hole
golf course
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
, and a municipal swimming pool. Nearby historical sites from the
Lewis and Clark expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...
, among other historic and prehistoric locations, can be visited. The Glacier County Museum has a collection of archaeological artifacts, historic buildings, community memorabilia, and a comprehensive archive of early area history and individuals, including a large collection of data on Blackfeet history.
Browning is the home and government seat of the Blackfeet Tribe. The incorporated portion of Browning, at 1,400 residents, does not reflect the total population of around 7,000 in the wider community, largely representative of the Blackfeet Tribe on a part of their ancestral homeland, which dates back over 400 years. Town businesses and resources include a federal building,
community college
A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...
, Native American Museum and Heritage Center,
casino
A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
, fairgrounds,
racetrack, and Native American camp area that hosts an annual Native American celebration and
powwow
A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native Americans in the United States, Native American and First Nations in Canada, First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity fo ...
. Many events are held in this area during the summer months. Blackfeet tribal fishing, hunting and recreational permits, along with guide and tour services to blue-ribbon trout fishing (and other recreational opportunities), can be found there.
Babb is a small, unincorporated farming and ranching community on the
Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The community experiences a large influx of tourists in the summer months, as it is the gateway to the
Many Glacier area of
Glacier National Park. Community infrastructure includes one school, a
US post office, a
fire station
__NOTOC__
A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire apparatus, fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equ ...
, and a
general store
A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...
as well as a
motel
A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the Parking lot, parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central Lobby (room), lo ...
,
gas station, several restaurants, and two churches. Nearby attractions include the aforementioned Glacier National Park, the historic
Many Glacier Hotel, the
St. Mary River and Irrigation Canal, and
Chief Mountain, as well as the
Piegan and
Chief Mountain border crossings with Alberta, Canada.
East Glacier Park Village, a small winter community, grows in the summertime with many visitors and the summer workforce, hailing from all parts of the globe to meet the needs of the larger population. It is the site of the largest of Glacier Park's historic hotels and its fleet of "red buses". It has a nine-hole golf course, campgrounds, trail rides, boat rides, and native interpretive tours.
St. Mary is an unincorporated community on the western border of the Blackfeet Native American Reservation, located adjacent to Glacier National Park. The village is the eastern terminus of the
Going-to-the-Sun Road which bisects the park east-to-west at a length of . Fewer than 50 people reside in the village year-round; however, the population increases tenfold on a busy summer evening. It has several lodges, restaurants and cafés, a small grocery store, two gas stations and campgrounds. A large housing area for
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
personnel is located adjacent to the village, within the park.
U.S. Route 89 passes through the village, which lies between
Saint Mary Lake
Saint Mary Lake is the second-largest lake in Glacier National Park (U.S.), Glacier National Park, in the U.S. state of Montana.
Located on the east side of the park, Going-to-the-Sun Road parallels the lake along its north shore. At an elevatio ...
in Glacier National Park and Lower St. Mary Lake on the Blackfeet Native American Reservation.
Starr School is a
census-designated place (CDP) in Glacier County. The population was 252 at the 2010 census.
Geography
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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.3%) is water. About 71% of the county's land area lies within the
Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Another 21% lies within
Glacier National Park in western Glacier County.
Adjacent counties
*
Flathead County - west
*
Pondera County - south
*
Toole County - east
*
Cardston County, Alberta - north
*
Improvement District No. 4, Alberta (
Waterton Lakes National Park) - northwest
*
County of Warner No. 5, Alberta - northeast
National protected areas
*
Glacier National Park (part)
*
Lewis and Clark National Forest
Lewis and Clark National Forest is located in west central Montana, United States. Spanning . The region was inhabited by various cultures of Native Americans for a period of at least 8,000–10,000 years. When the Lewis and Clark Expedition ca ...
(part)
Politics
Owing largely to its majority Native American population, Glacier County generally votes strongly
Democratic, in contrast with most other rural Montana counties, which trend
Republican. Democratic strength lies in the western and central portions of the county in the Blackfeet Reservation, including the city of Browning. However, the eastern portion of the county, including Cut Bank, votes strongly Republican. In most recent elections, Glacier has been the most Democratic county in the state.
In the
2024 election, Glacier county saw a shift toward the Republican party, the strongest such shift of all Montana counties. This mirrored other counties in Montana with high Native American populations, such as
Blaine,
Roosevelt and
Big Horn, which all flipped or leaned more Republican after 2020. While
Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...
still easily won the county, this was the first time that Glacier County voted to the right of
Missoula County since 1980.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 census, there were 13,778 people living in the county.
2010 census
As of the
2010 census, there were 13,399 people, 4,361 households, and 3,088 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 5,348 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 65.6% Native American, 31.1% white, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 13.6% were
German, 7.2% were
Irish, 5.6% were
Norwegian, and 1.4% were
American.
Of the 4,361 households, 44.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.2% were non-families, and 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.49. The median age was 31.7 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,075 and the median income for a family was $44,397. Males had a median income of $31,700 versus $30,594 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,053. About 21.4% of families and 25.4% 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 35.0% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
City
*
Cut Bank (county seat)
Census-designated places
*
Babb
*
Big Sky Colony
*
Blackfoot
*
East Glacier Park Village
*
Glacier Colony
*
Glendale Colony
*
Hidden Lake Colony
*
Horizon Colony
*
Little Browning
*
North Browning
*
Santa Rita
*
Seville Colony
*
South Browning
*
St. Mary
Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
*
Starr School
*
Zenith Colony
Unincorporated communities
* Bison
* False Summit
* Fort Piegan
* Gunsight
*
Kiowa
Kiowa ( ) or Cáuigú () people are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe and an Indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colora ...
* Meriwether
* Piegan
* Rising Sun
* Star
* Summit
* Sundance
* Swift Current
''Swiftcurrent, Glacier County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)
/ref>
* Browning
Education
High school districts include:[ ]
Text list
/ref>
* Browning High School District
* Cut Bank High School District
Elementary school districts include:[
* Browning Elementary School District
* Cut Bank Elementary School District
* East Glacier Park Elementary School District
* Mountain View Elementary School District
]
See also
* List of lakes in Glacier County, Montana
* List of mountains in Glacier County, Montana
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Glacier County, Montana
References
{{Coord, 48.70, -113.02, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MT_source:UScensus1990
1919 establishments in Montana
Populated places established in 1919