The “Ravalli County” Page
We now have a page with information on Ravalli County. You will see it listed in the column on the right. The information is pretty basic right now. Feel free to suggest additions to the “Ravalli County” page by leaving a comment on this article.
Here is what’s on the page right now:
Ravalli County, Montana, situated in the northern Rocky Mountains, is defined and dominated by geography. On the west, the county boundary is the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains. On the east, the boundary is the crest of the Sapphire Mountains. Between the mountain ranges lies the Bitterroot Valley, with the Bitterroot River flowing from south to north.
To both the west and the south of the county is Idaho. To the east are Granite and Beaverhead Counties.
To the north of Ravalli County is Missoula County, the boundary being the line between Township 10 North and Township 11 North, which lies near 46 degrees, 40 minutes.
The Bitterroot Valley is part of the Columbia River watershed. The Bitterroot River drains into the Clark Fork at Missoula. In Idaho, the Clark Fork empties into Lake Pend Oreille, which drains to the Columbia River via the Pend Oreille River.
Highway access to Ravalli County is exclusively via U.S. Highway 93. North on 93 takes one to Missoula and Interstate 90. South on 93 takes one over Lost Trail Pass into Idaho.
Ravalli county is mostly rural, with a population of about 40,000. Hamilton is the largest city in the county and the county seat. Hamilton has a population of about 4,000 within the city limits. About 16,000 have a Hamilton address.
The nearest sizable city is Missoula, Montana, population 65,000.