Retiring Guy's Digest: Population loss in Montana: Meagher County/White Sulphur Springs

Monday, August 26, 2019

Population loss in Montana: Meagher County/White Sulphur Springs

It all started here.

Population loss as in major -- 50% or more.

Source: Wikipedia (Meagher County, White Sulphur Springs)

White Sulphur Springs is the county seat of Meagher County.

Population loss by degrees: 80-90%, 70-79%, 60-69%, 50-59%.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts

Percentage of population 25 and older with a bachelor's degree:

19.6% - Meagher County
30.7% - Montana
30.9% - U.S.

Percentage of population 65 and older:

30.7% - Meagher County
18.7% - Montana
15.6% - U.S.

% of population living in poverty:

16.0% - Meagher County
12.5% - Montana
12.3% - U.S.

The last time a Democratic candidate for president won Meagher County was in 1940. Trump won 74.6% of the vote in 2016.

Meagher County City Library

Related reading:

Can Montana’s Smith River Survive a Nearby Mine? (The New York Times, 7/19/2015)

The Smith is not the easiest river to float, which is one of its attractions. Between the boat launch at Camp Baker and the take-out at Eden Bridge, 59 river-miles downstream, there is no public entry or exit. You must surrender your outside life for the four or five days it takes to float down the Smith and give in to the river’s moods and its rhythms.

Yet the river is so beloved that each winter for more than two decades the state of Montana has held a lottery to decide which boaters — accompanied by beer, steaks, fly rods, more beer and good friends — will be lucky enough to float this coveted stretch of river that is Smith River State Park.