Polson is located on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Northwest Montana.  Polson lies in a natural amphitheater at the south end of Flathead Lake. This charming lakeside community is the trading center for one of Montana’s most fertile farming areas. In a prime cherry growing region and home to numerous cherry orchards, Polson celebrates with an annual Cherry Festival.

The broad, sweeping Mission Valley south of Polson is bordered by the rugged, snow-capped Mission Mountains. The Flathead River that flows from Polson features whitewater rafting and Kerr Dam. The National Bison Range at Moiese just south of Ronan Montana with its large herds of bison, elk, deer, antelope and barn sheep is nearby, as well as the Ninepipes and Pablo Wildlife Refuges for bird watchers.

Two museums, The Miracle of America and Polson-Flathead Historical Museum, offer many displays and memorabilia. Polson also has several city parks located on the lake. Visitors are advised to keep their cameras ready for the area’s own “Flathead Monster,” sitings of which date back over a hundred years. Also, don’t miss the Polson Golf Course.

Polson Montana become an attraction in the summer time when tempatures range from 80 to 95 degrees. All of Northwest Montana comes alive during the spring. In July Polson plays host to the Flathead Lake Hoopfest and then in August hosts the largest Car Show in the Pacific Northwest. The Mission Valley Cruisers boast 500 hotrods, custom and classic that line the streets of Polson Montana

Community Overview:

• Population
  (Source: U.S. Census Bureau; 2000 Census, 1990 Census)

• 2000 Population – 4,041 (24% increase from 1990)

• 2003 Population Estimate – 4,497
  (11.3% increase from 2000)

• Makes up 15.2% of Lake County’s total population

• Median age is 38.6 compared with 37.5 for the State of Montana and 35.3 for the U.S.

• In 2000, 19.6% of the population was 65 years of age or older compared with 13.4% for the state of Montana and 12.4% for the U.S.

• 16.1% of the population is of American Indian or Alaskan decent 78.2% of the population listed as Caucasian. (American Indian/Alaskan Natives make up .9% of Montana’s overall population; Caucasians make up 75.1%)

Economy

• Per Capita Income (2000 Census)
  Polson $13,777
  State of Montana $17,151
  U.S. $21,587

• Poverty rate for families is 16% compared to 10.5% for the state of Montana and 9.2% for the U.S. (2000 Census).

• 58.7% of population over the age of 16 are part of the Labor Force (1,832 people), compared to 65.4 for the state of Montana and 63.9% for the U.S. (2000 Census).

• Unemployment rate for Lake Co. (MT Dept. of Labor)
  January 2004 8.6%
  Annual Avg. 2003 6.7%

Housing

• Total Housing Units – 1,977 (26.6% increase from 1990)

• Homeownership rate is 53.9% compared with 69.1% for the state of Montana and 66.2% for the U.S.

• Median value of owner-occupied housing in 2000 was $88,100 as compared with $47,500 in 1990

• Median Gross Rent in 2000 was $401 compared with $275 in 1990

Northwest Montana

Northwest Montana is known for its lakes and rivers, featuring two-thirds of all the recreational waters and one third of all registered boats in the state. Over 500 lakes support fish, ranging from 125,000-acre Flathead Lake, the largest lake west of the Great Lakes, to hundreds of high mountain lakes. More than 3,000 miles of fishable stream flow through the Region. Sensitive native fish species, including the westslope cutthroat trout, bull trout, and red-band rainbow trout, reside in the waters of Region One. Important wildlife species include grizzly and black bear bears, mountain lion, white-tailed deer, three species of mountain grouse, and furbearers such as marten and wolverine. Region One provides about half of the black bear and mountain lion harvest in the state. The white-tailed deer is the most popular big game animal pursued by hunters.

Varied land ownerships and agency responsibilities make for challenging natural resource management in the Region, which is bound by the Flathead Indian Reservation to the south, and Glacier National Park to the north. Millions of acres of national forest wilderness and hundreds of thousands of acres of corporate timberlands are found in Region One as well. FWP, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and various local, state, and federal agencies work together to manage habitat and wildlife. The state and tribes have unique agreements to co-manage fisheries in Flathead Lake, and fishing and hunting on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

The Flathead Reservation

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are comprised of the Bitterroot Salish, the Pend d’Oreille and the Kootenai tribes. The Flathead Reservation of 1.317 million acres in northwest Montana is our home now but our ancestors lived in the territory now known as western Montana, parts of Idaho, British Columbia and Wyoming. This aboriginal territory exceeded 20 million acres at the time of the 1855 Hellgate Treaty.

THE PEOPLE
The Flathead Indian Reservation is home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes. The tribes are a combination of the Salish, the Pend d'Oreille and the Kootenai. Of the approximately 7,005 enrolled tribal members, about 4,500 live on or near the reservation.

LOCATION
North of Interstate 90 between Missoula and Kalispell, fertile valleys and towering mountain peaks of northwestern Montana surround the Flathead Reservation. The reservation comprises over 1.2 million acres.

ECONOMY
The principle sources of income for the tribes are derived from its timber industry sales and from revenues paid to the tribes through the co-license for the Kerr Dam facility with NorthWestern Energy. The tribes are also partners in a full-service resort and casino in Polson and a tribal corporation called S&K Holding, which operates a number of income producing enterprises as well as offering business loans to tribal members.