Pondera County is a county in Montana, United States, along the Rocky Mountain Front west of Great Falls. It had a population of 5,898 at the 2020 census and covers 1,623 square miles (4,200 km2) of land centred near 48\u00b014\u2032N 112\u00b013\u2032W.<\/p>\n
Conrad is the county seat and its postal code is 59425. The county has two incorporated municipalities (Conrad and Valier), five Hutterite colonies, and several unincorporated communities. It sits in the Mountain time zone.<\/p>\n
Pondera County has two incorporated places — Conrad (city, the county seat) and Valier (town) — plus five Hutterite colony CDPs and a handful of unincorporated crossroads and trailer courts. The table below uses "CDP" for the census-designated colonies and "Unincorp." for the rest.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conrad<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | 2,318<\/td>\n | 59425<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Valier<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | 530<\/td>\n | 59486<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Birch Creek Colony<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Kingsbury Colony<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Midway Colony<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| New Miami Colony<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pondera Colony<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Brady<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 59416<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Dupuyer<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 59432<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Heart Butte<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 59448<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Fowler<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Gallup City<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ledger<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 59456<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Manson<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Williams<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Several old-post entries — Aubrey Crossing, Blair Crossing, Edwards Crossing, Freds Trailer Court, Hagans Crossing, Kuka Crossing, Pierce Crossing, Shields Crossing, Spartan Manor Trailer Park, Speer Trailer Park, Sunrise Trailer Court and Torens Trailer Park — are rural road junctions and small trailer courts with no population figures or ZIP designations on record; they are omitted here rather than guessed at.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nThe five Hutterite colonies and the smaller crossroads communities rely on the nearest post office above rather than carrying their own ZIP code.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nPondera County lies along the Rocky Mountain Front, where the plains meet the Lewis and Clark National Forest, and the eastern edge of the county reaches into the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Lake Frances, held back by Swift Dam, sits beside Valier and supplies irrigation water across the county’s wheat country; the lake holds pike, perch, walleye and rainbow trout. The county borders Glacier County and Toole County to the north, Flathead County to the west across the Continental Divide, Liberty County and Chouteau County to the east, and Teton County to the south.<\/p>\n Demographics<\/h2>\nThe 2020 census counted 5,898 residents. Conrad, with 2,318 people, and Valier, with 530, are the county’s two largest communities; most of the remaining population lives on farms and ranches or in one of the five Hutterite colonies. Median household income in Pondera County runs below the Montana median of $70,804, reflecting the county’s dependence on wheat farming and cattle ranching. Density works out to roughly 3.6 people per square mile.<\/p>\n Economy & Local Life<\/h2>\nDryland wheat and barley farming, cattle ranching, and the five Hutterite colonies’ communal agriculture anchor the county’s economy. Interstate 15 carries freight and travelers through Conrad, and Logan Health operates a critical-access clinic and health center there. Conrad Public Schools serves the county seat from kindergarten through 12th grade. Each June, Conrad hosts Whoop-Up Days, a town-wide celebration with a parade and rodeo.<\/p>\n History<\/h2>\nPondera County was organized on April 1, 1919, carved from Teton County. The name comes from the Pend d’Oreille people, rendered in an anglicized spelling. Conrad grew up around the Great Northern Railway in the 1890s and took the county seat when the county was created; Valier developed around the Valier-Montana Land and Water Company’s early-1900s irrigation project that built Swift Dam and Lake Frances.<\/p>\n Getting There<\/h2>\nInterstate 15 runs north–south through Conrad, and Montana Highway 44 crosses the county east–west through Valier, linking I-15 to US 89 at the midpoint between Glacier National Park and Great Falls.<\/p>\n
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