Sheridan County, Montana

Sheridan County, Montana
Sheridan County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,539. Its county seat is Plentywood. Its northern boundary is the Canada–United States border south of Saskatchewan.
History
The Montana Legislature established Sheridan County in 1913 from portions of Dawson and Valley Counties. It was named for American Civil War General Philip Sheridan. In the 1920s and 1930s the county was a hotbed of communist organizing. The CPUSA managed to elect several town and county officials. At the 1932 presidential election the communist candidate William Z. Foster got 576 votes (22%). International changes in communist organizing strategies, especially the move towards the popular front, effectively ended communist presence in the area.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.7%) is water.
Major highways
Montana Highway 5
Montana Highway 16
Adjacent counties and rural municipalities
Rural Municipality of Happy Valley, Saskatchewan – northwest
Rural Municipality of Surprise Valley, Saskatchewan – north
Rural Municipality of Lake Alma, Saskatchewan – northeast
Daniels County – west
Divide County, North Dakota – east
Williams County, North Dakota – east
Roosevelt County – south
National protected area
Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 3,539 people.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 3,384 people, 1,587 households, and 944 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 2,089 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.4% white, 1.7% American Indian, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.8% were Norwegian, 26.0% were German, 12.0% were Danish, 11.6% were Irish, 5.5% were Swedish, 5.3% were English, and 5.0% were American.
Of the 1,587 households, 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.5% were non-families, and 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.70. The median age was 50.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,578 and the median income for a family was $55,313. Males had a median income of $46,932 versus $22,107 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,537. About 6.4% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Sheridan County voters have selected the Republican County candidate in 80% of the national elections since 1980.
Sheridan County had a strong Communist Party presence in the first half of the 20th century. In the 1932 presidential election, Communist candidate William Z. Foster received 18% of the vote in the county, his strongest performance nationwide.
Communities
City
Plentywood (county seat)
Towns
Medicine Lake
Outlook
Westby
Unincorporated communities
Coalridge
Comertown
Dagmar
Raymond
Reserve
Former towns
Dooley
Archer
Census-designated places
Antelope
Homestead
Redstone
Reserve
See also
List of lakes in Sheridan County, Montana
List of mountains in Sheridan County, Montana
National Register of Historic Places listings in Sheridan County, Montana
References
External links
County website
1913 establishments in Montana
Populated places established in 1913