state. The most densely populated county is Silver Bow (46.1 people/sq. mi.) while the least densely 

 populated county is Granite (1.7 people /sq. mi.). Major population centers include Missoula (60,722), 

 Butte (32,519), Helena (26,718), Kalispell (16,391), Anaconda (8,953), Whitefish (5,784), Poison (4,497), 

 Hamilton (4,163), Columbia Falls (3,963), Deer lodge (3,324), Cut Bank (3,096), Conrad (2,657), and Libby 

 (2,606). Within the 17-county area, only these 13 towns and cities exceed a population of 2,000 people. 



According to census figures, the population in this area has increased by 16,563 people (3.98%) between 

 2000 and 2004. During this same period the population of the entire state increased by an estimated 

 24,670 people or 2.7%. Ravalli County was the fastest growing county, increasing by 3,306 people (9.2%) 

 from 2000 to 2004, while Silver Bow County population decreased by 1,513 people (-4.4%) during the 

 same 4 year period. 



Table 1. Geographic size and human population attributes of the 17 counties in the grizzly bear 

 conservation management planning area. 



Size Human People per Population 

 County (sq. mi.) Population' sq. mi Change^ 



Lincoln 



Flathead 



Glacier 



Pondera 



Teton 



Lewis and Clark 



Powell 



Missoula 



Lake 



Sanders 



Mineral 



Ravalli 



Granite 



Deer Lodge 



Silver Bow 



Jefferson 



Broadwater 



Totals 37,889 432,660 12.0 n/a 



'Based on 2004 population estimate from U.S. Census Bureau. 



-Estimated "/„ population change April 2000 to July 2004 from U.S. Census Bureau. 



Land Ownership 



The majority of mountainous habitat (above 6,000 ft.) is located within publicly owned National Forests, 

 corporate timber lands and Glacier National Park. All, or portions of, the Kootenai, Kaniksu (part of the 

 Idaho Panhandle National Forest complex), Flathead, Lolo, Bitterroot, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Helena, 

 and Lewis and Clark National Forests occur within this 17-county area. A small portion of mountainous 

 habitat is in public ownership [Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), 

 FWP, and BLM]; private ownership, including private subdivisions, ranches, land trusts, ski resorts and 



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