GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

Montana Towns, 2003

This data set may have multiple access options or be a data collection or member. Please see the Related Records tab for other data access options or collection members.

Data Provider Montana State Library
Date 04/01/2000
Content Type Offline Data
Abstract This layer shows the location and estimated 1990 and 2000 population of 624 towns in Montana. It also shows the number of schools and estimated percent minority population.Many of these towns are incorporated places or Census Designated places. The populations of these towns are the populations recorded for these places in the 1990 and 2000 Census. The boundaries of these places are available from the State Library.Some Census Designated places have different names than the corresponding town in this data set -- these names are given in the alt_name field. Several Census Designated places were excluded from this data set because they do not seem to represent an area that can be identified as a town.Many of these towns are not Census Designated places, and some Census Designated places cover more than one of these towns. In these cases, the population is estimated by adding the populations of all Census Blocks that are completely inside the town area to a proportional population of all the Census Blocks that are partially covered by the town area. If 20 percent of a Census Block is covered by the town area, 20 percent of that block's population is added to the town population.Where a town is closer than one mile to another town, population was estimated with a two-kilometer diameter circle or a manually defined area rather than a two-mile diameter circle. The populations of Butte and Anaconda are also estimated based on manually-defined areas, since there is no incorporated or Census designated area that corresponds to the built-up areas of these towns. The manually-defined areas are distributed with the towns shapefile in a shapefile named "estborder".For some towns, the population estimate is zero because no Census Blocks are completely within the circle and the Census Blocks covering the town have very low population density. This does not imply that the State Library believes that the population of these towns is zero. The max90_2mi and max00_2mi fields show how many people might live in or close to these towns.Where a town was not a Census Designated Place in 1990 but is a Census Designated Place in 2000, the 1990 population is an estimated population for the area covered by the 2000 definition of the place.
Purpose This layer is intended for placing point locations of towns on small-scale maps of Montana. Population estimates are included to assist in choosing which towns to show and to allow differential symbolization of towns based on population. The layer was created for the official Montana 2000 highway map, and the towns selected for inclusion in this data are mostly based on the towns that appeared on the 1999 highway map.
Supplemental Information
The Montana State Library provides this product/service for informational purposes only. The Library did not produce it for, nor is it suitable for legal, engineering, or surveying purposes. Consumers of this information should review or consult the primary data and information sources to ascertain the viability of the information for their purposes. The Library provides these data in good faith but does not represent or warrant its accuracy, adequacy, or completeness. In no event shall the Library be liable for any incorrect results or analysis; any direct, indirect, special, or consequential damages to any party; or any lost profits arising out of or in connection with the use or the inability to use the data or the services provided. The Library makes these data and services available as a convenience to the public, and for no other purpose. The Library reserves the right to change or revise published data and/or services at any time.
Distributor Montana State Library
PO Box 201800
Helena, MT 59620-1800
Telephone: 406-444-5354
TDD/TTY: Montana Relay 711
Fax: 406-444-0266
Email: geoinfo@mt.gov
Distribution liability The Montana State Library provides this product/service for informational purposes only. The Library did not produce it for, nor is it suitable for legal, engineering, or surveying purposes. Consumers of this information should review or consult the primary data and information sources to ascertain the viability of the information for their purposes. The Library provides these data in good faith but does not represent or warrant its accuracy, adequacy, or completeness. In no event shall the Library be liable for any incorrect results or analysis; any direct, indirect, special, or consequential damages to any party; or any lost profits arising out of or in connection with the use or the inability to use the data or the services provided. The Library makes these data and services available as a convenience to the public, and for no other purpose. The Library reserves the right to change or revise published data and/or services at any time.
View Metadata
View Metadata (XML)
Metadata date 11/14/2014

Page History