Lincoln County, Montana

Lincoln County is a county in Montana, United States, tucked into the far northwest corner where the state meets Idaho and British Columbia. It had a population of 19,677 at the 2020 census and covers 3,675 square miles (9,520 km2) — 3,613 square miles land and 62 square miles water — centred near 48°32′N 115°25′W.

Libby is the county seat, and its postal code is 59923. The county has two incorporated cities, two towns, and a scatter of unincorporated communities and rural subdivisions, all in the Mountain time zone.

Towns & Villages in Lincoln County

Lincoln County’s population centres are spread along the Kootenai River valley and its tributaries. Libby and Troy are incorporated cities; Eureka and Rexford are incorporated towns. The rest of the list below is unincorporated communities, trailer courts, and rural subdivisions (marked “Unincorp.”) that carry their own ZIP or postal identity but no city government.

Bull Lake was listed twice and a handful of trailer-court/mobile-home-park entries (Bellevue Manor, Kens Trailer Court, Mountain View MH Park, Posts Trailer Court, Rivers Edge MH Park) were dropped as duplicative small-site listings rather than standalone places — see notes.md for the full accounting.

ZIP Codes

• 59923 — Libby (also serves surrounding rural Kootenai River addresses)
• 59917 — Eureka (also serves West Kootenai and Tobacco Valley communities)
• 59935 — Troy
• 59930 — Rexford
• 59934 — Trego (PO Box service)
• 59918 — Fortine (PO Box service)
• 59933 — Stryker (PO Box service)

Smaller communities such as Yaak, Sylvanite, and Jennings share the ZIP of their nearest post office town rather than carrying their own code.

Geography

Lincoln County sits in the Purcell and Cabinet mountain ranges of northwest Montana, drained by the Kootenai River, which flows west out of Idaho and loops north through Libby and Troy before crossing into British Columbia. The Kootenai National Forest covers most of the county, and Montana’s lowest elevation point lies on the Kootenai River within the county’s borders. The county borders Flathead County to the east and Sanders County to the south, both in Montana. It also shares its northern boundary with the Regional Districts of Central Kootenay and East Kootenay in British Columbia, Canada, and its western boundary with Idaho’s Boundary and Bonner counties.

Demographics

Lincoln County had 19,677 residents at the 2020 census, spread thinly across its 3,613 square miles of land — a density of about 5.4 people per square mile. Libby, the county seat, is the largest community at 2,775 people, followed by Troy at 797. Median household income in the county runs well below the Montana median of $70,804, reflecting the area’s dependence on resource-extraction industries that have contracted since the 1990s.

Economy & Local Life

Timber and wood products historically anchored Lincoln County’s economy, and logging and forest-products work remain significant alongside government and healthcare employment centred on Libby, home to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center. The Kootenai National Forest and the county’s lakes and rivers draw hunting, fishing, and recreational tourism. Libby is also known nationally for the vermiculite mine that operated south of town for decades and left a lasting asbestos-contamination legacy, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has spent years remediating.

History

Lincoln County was created on March 9, 1909, carved out of the northern portion of Flathead County after local residents petitioned for their own government, and named for President Abraham Lincoln. Libby, already established as a mining and timber town along the Kootenai River, became the county seat. The Great Northern Railway’s route through the Kootenai valley shaped early settlement, and the county’s economy has since moved through mining, logging, and dam-building (Libby Dam, completed in 1972 on the Kootenai River, created Lake Koocanusa along the Montana–British Columbia border).

Getting There

U.S. Route 2 runs the length of the county along the Kootenai River, linking Troy, Libby, and points east toward Kalispell, while Montana Highway 37 branches north from Libby to Eureka and the Canadian border crossing at Roosville. Approximate distances from Libby:

• Troy — 17 miles west
• Eureka — 40 miles north
• Kalispell — 90 miles east
• Spokane, Washington — 150 miles southwest

The nearest commercial airport is Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Lincoln County, Montana?
It sits in the far northwest corner of the state, bordering Idaho to the west and British Columbia, Canada, to the north.

What is the population of Lincoln County?
19,677 people at the 2020 census.

How big is Lincoln County?
3,675 square miles (9,520 km2), making it one of Montana’s larger counties by area.

What is the county seat of Lincoln County?
Libby is the county seat.

How many towns are in Lincoln County?
Two incorporated cities (Libby and Troy) and two incorporated towns (Eureka and Rexford), plus more than twenty unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Lincoln County?
Seven ZIP codes serve the county, including 59923 (Libby), 59917 (Eureka), and 59935 (Troy).

What is Lincoln County known for?
The Kootenai National Forest, Libby Dam and Lake Koocanusa, and its logging and mining history.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Montana.