Mineral County is a county in Montana, United States, along Interstate 90 in the state’s western mountains near the Idaho line. It had a population of 4,535 at the 2020 census and covers 1,223 square miles (3,170 km2) centred near 47\u00b009\u2032N 114\u00b059\u2032W.<\/p>\n
Superior is the county seat, and its postal code is 59872. The county has 2 incorporated towns, 6 census-designated places, and a scattering of unincorporated railroad and mining settlements along the Clark Fork and St. Regis rivers. Mineral County has no civil townships. It sits in the Mountain time zone and carries FIPS code 30061.<\/p>\n
Mineral County’s places split into 2 incorporated towns, 6 census-designated places (CDPs), and a run of smaller unincorporated sidings that grew up along the old Northern Pacific and Milwaukee Road rail lines through the Clark Fork and St. Regis valleys. Most of the unincorporated names below have no separate 2020 census count.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superior<\/td>\n | Town · seat<\/td>\n | 830<\/td>\n | 59872<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Alberton<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 59820<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| St. Regis<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 59866<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Saltese<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 59867<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Haugan<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 59842<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| De Borgia<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 59830<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cyr<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Riverbend<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| East Portal<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tarkio<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Taft<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Borax<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bryson<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cabin City<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Drexel<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Foraker<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Henderson<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hopkins<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Keystone<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lozeau<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Oliverville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Quartz<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sohon<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Spring Gulch<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Toole<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Westfall<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Superior and Alberton are Mineral County’s only incorporated towns; both sit directly on I-90. Saltese and Haugan lie near the Idaho line along the old Milwaukee Road grade through Lookout Pass, and Taft, once a rowdy tunnel-construction camp during the 1908\u20131909 Milwaukee Road Bitterroot Range crossing, is now a ghost town.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nSmaller unincorporated places such as Cyr, Riverbend, East Portal, Tarkio, and Taft use a nearby town’s ZIP code rather than one of their own.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nMineral County lies in the Bitterroot Range along the Idaho border, with the Clark Fork River and Interstate 90 running the length of the county through a narrow forested valley. The St. Regis River joins the Clark Fork near St. Regis, and much of the county’s land is within the Lolo National Forest. Terrain is steep and heavily timbered, rising to the Bitterroot divide on the Idaho line.<\/p>\n Mineral County borders Sanders County<\/a> to the north, Missoula County<\/a> to the east, and Shoshone County, Idaho<\/a> to the west; Clearwater County, Idaho touches the southwest corner.<\/p>\n Mineral County had 4,535 residents at the 2020 census, spread across a density of roughly 4 people per square mile \u2014 one of Montana’s more sparsely settled counties. Superior and Alberton are the two largest communities. Median household income runs well below the Montana median of $70,804, reflecting the county’s dependence on timber, tourism, and limited local employment.<\/p>\n Timber and forest products, highway-corridor tourism, and outdoor recreation drive Mineral County’s economy. The Lolo National Forest covers most of the county and supports hunting, fishing, and camping traffic off I-90. St. Regis and Superior serve as the main travel-service stops for interstate traffic between Missoula and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.<\/p>\n Mineral County was organized in 1914, split off from Missoula County, and takes its name from the mining activity once common in the surrounding mountains. The Milwaukee Road’s electrified line through Taft and the St. Paul Pass tunnel, completed in 1909, briefly made Taft one of the roughest construction camps in the Northwest before the line’s completion emptied it out.<\/p>\n Interstate 90 and Montana Highway 135 are the county’s main routes.<\/p>\n The nearest commercial airport is Missoula International Airport (MSO), about an hour’s drive east on I-90.<\/p>\n Where is Mineral County, Montana?<\/strong> What is the population of Mineral County?<\/strong> How big is Mineral County?<\/strong> What is the county seat of Mineral County?<\/strong> How many towns are in Mineral County?<\/strong> What ZIP codes are in Mineral County?<\/strong> |