Cascade County, Montana

Early history

Cascade County was historically uninhabited throughout most of prehistory, with no permanent settlements aside from the occasional Salish hunting party.^[4] In roughly 1600, the Blackfeet pushed the Salish out, establishing the first permanent settlements in the area.^[4] Despite being claimed by France, the area remained unexplored by European settlers until the United States acquired the region in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

At the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Cascade County was the territory of the Blackfeet.^[5] The county was named for the falls on the Missouri River,^[6] and Lewis and Clark are believed to have first discovered the area on June 13, 1805.^[7] Despite this, the area remained uninhabited by Americans until later in the century.

Founding

After changing hands between several territories throughout the decades, Cascade County finally was placed under the jurisdiction of the Montana Territory on May 28, 1864.^[4] In 1887, territorial representative T.E. Collins proposed the creation of Cascade County from several surrounding counties including Lewis and Clark, Meagher, and Chouteau, and his bill was signed. Two years later, Montana was granted full statehood.^[8]

In 1880, entrepreneur Paris Gibson explored the area and was impressed with the possibility to harness the hydroelectric potential of the massive waterfalls in order to power and sustain a large industrial city.^[9] He returned in 1883, establishing Great Falls at the bank of the river.^[10] By 1887, the city had over 1000 residents, and the arrival of the Great Northern Railway cemented the city's position.^[10]

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

• Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge
• Lewis and Clark National Forest (part)

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 84,414. Of the residents, 22.3% were under the age of 18 and 19.1% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 38.9 years. For every 100 females there were 101.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.6 males. 79.5% of residents lived in urban areas and 20.5% lived in rural areas.^[17][18][19]

The racial makeup of the county was 83.2% White, 1.4% Black or African American, 4.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% Asian, 1.3% from some other race, and 8.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.8% of the population.^[19]

There were 35,011 households in the county, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.^[18]

There were 38,937 housing units, of which 10.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 64.7% were owner-occupied and 35.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.^[18]

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, 81,327 people, 33,809 households, and 21,403 families in the county. The population density was 30.1 inhabitants per square mile (11.6/km²). There were 37,276 housing units at an average density of 13.8 per square mile (5.3/km²). The county's racial makeup was 89.2% white, 4.3% American Indian, 1.2% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.5% were German, 17.1% were Irish, 12.3% were English, 10.3% were Norwegian, and 4.5% were American.

Of the 33,809 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.7% were non-families, and 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 38.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,389, and the median income for a family was $53,540. Males had a median income of $37,904 versus $27,944 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,963. About 10.9% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Cascade County is represented in the United States Senate by Republicans Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy. It is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Montana's 2nd congressional district by Republican Troy Downing. At the state level, Cascade County is represented in the Montana House of Representatives as part of house districts 19 through 26, represented by 7 Republicans and 1 Democrat. It is represented in the Montana Senate as part of senate districts 10 through 13, represented by 4 Republicans. Cascade County has an elected county commission and several elected county offices.

Politics

Like Lewis & Clark County to the west, Cascade County leans Republican but has voted for Democrats four times since Lyndon Johnson's landslide in 1964, usually during national landslides. Since 2012, however, the county has shifted steadily to the right, in 2024 giving Donald Trump the highest Republican margin of the vote in state history. This is in contrast to several of its fellow large counties, which tend to swing between candidates election to election.

At the state level, Cascade County often acts as a bellwether county. It has been friendlier to Democrats - Senator Max Baucus carried the county in all of his elections, and Governors Brian Schweitzer and Steve Bullock carried it in all four elections in 2004–2016. Since at least 1984, no Democrat has won in Montana without winning Cascade County,^[22] however, Republicans have occasionally won statewide without carrying the county. Cascade County frequently votes alongside Montana's larger counties in social issues, having voted to legalize abortion and recreational marijuana. In recent years, however, Republicans have made massive gains locally, sweeping Cascade County in the state legislature and flipping the county commission and several county offices in 2022, and the county is now fully Republican at the local level after further party switches.^[21][23]

Cascade's shift, uncommon among larger counties in the state, was largely attributed to Republican gains among union workers and concerns from local fossil fuel industry workers, who believed that Democrats were abandoning them as the national party has shifted to the left on energy policy and gun policy. The fossil fuel industry is especially important in Cascade County, and the growth of the county has come mainly from rural conservative voters moving to the area as opposed to more left-wing voters moving into other parts of Montana from Democratic-leaning states.^[23]

K-12 education

Public school districts include:^[27]

Secondary:

Elementary:

There is also a state-operated school, Montana School for the Deaf & Blind.

City

• Great Falls (county seat)

Towns

• Belt
• Cascade
• Neihart

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities