Sweet Grass County, Montana

Sweet Grass County, Montana
Sweet Grass County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,678. Its county seat is Big Timber. The county was founded in 1895.
History
The Montana Legislature authorized Sweet Grass County in 1895, taking parts of Park, Meagher, and Yellowstone counties. That boundary was altered in 1913 when Stillwater County was formed from a portion of Sweet Grass; again in 1917 with the formation of Wheatland County, and in 1920 with the formation of Golden Valley County.
Climate
Sweet Grass County's climate is generally dry and cool, specified as Dfc in the Köppen-Geiger climate classification (subarctic or boreal). Average annual precipitation of comes in rain and snow. The summer precipitation accumulation (April through September) averages . The average summer high temperature is and the average minimum temperature during that period is . July and August are the hottest months. The annual average high temperature is and the annual average minimum temperature is . The coldest temperature recorded in the county in recent times was in February 1936, and the warmest was in July 2002. Big Timber receives 286 sunny days on average.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.
Major highways
Interstate 90
U.S. Highway 191
U.S. Highway 10 (Former)
Transit
Jefferson Lines
Adjacent counties
Wheatland County - north
Golden Valley County - northeast
Stillwater County - east
Park County - west
Meagher County - northwest
National protected areas
Custer National Forest (part)
Gallatin National Forest (part)
Lewis and Clark National Forest (part)
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 3,678 people.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 3,651 people, 1,590 households, and 1,045 families in the county. The population density was . There were 2,148 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.6% white, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.6% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.3% were German, 22.6% were Norwegian, 13.0% were American, 12.8% were Irish, 10.8% were English, and 7.3% were Scottish.
Of the 1,590 households, 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.3% were non-families, and 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 46.6 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,723 and the median income for a family was $56,552. Males had a median income of $35,385 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,785. About 10.0% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
In presidential elections, Sweet Grass County is among the most consistently Republican counties in the state or nation. The last, and one of the only, times the Democratic candidate carried the county was in 1936 when Franklin D. Roosevelt won every county in Montana. In both the 1916 and 1932 Presidential elections Sweet Grass County was the only county in Montana to be won by the Republican.
Sweet Grass County is also Republican at a local level. Democratic governor Brian Schweitzer has never won a majority of the county's vote and no Democratic gubernatorial candidate has carried the county in decades. In the Montana Senate it is represented by Republican Nels Swandal and in the Montana House of Representatives it is represented by Republican Alan Redfield.
Culture
The county was the setting of the 2009 sheep-herding documentary Sweetgrass. The film takes place in many counties in Montana but the title comes from this county.
Communities
City
Big Timber (county seat)
Census-designated place
Greycliff
Unincorporated communities
Carney
McLeod
Meyers Creek
Melville
Quebec
Sourdough
See also
List of lakes in Sweet Grass County, Montana
List of mountains in Sweet Grass County, Montana
National Register of Historic Places listings in Sweet Grass County, Montana
References
1895 establishments in Montana
Populated places established in 1895