Big Sky Blog

For all sorts of population statistical break-outs by county, city, town, unincorporated area or ZIP Code:

1. First go to: FactFinder @ Census.gov

2. At the top of the page, where it says, “Get a Fact Sheet for your community…”, enter the name of the county, city, town, unincorporated area or ZIP Code (if using the ZIP Code, bear in mind that the borders of ZIP Codes are not the same as the borders of the community whose name that ZIP Code “shares”) in the box labeled “town” and select Montana for “state”, and then click “GO”.

You will be able to access tables that show how many and, except for counties, maps that show where the different races and socio-economic groups are in that city, town, area or ZIP Code. Here’s an example using Bozeman.

Shaping up to be a busy few days in Montana: the “full court press” is on as candidates and proxies begin criss-crossing Big Sky Country to rally support for our last-in-the-nation primary on June 3. Hillary Clinton appeared in Pablo today; Bill Clinton will be appearing at several locations this weekend, including Stevensville, Great Falls, and Helena; and Barack Obama will be in Great Falls on Friday evening. Meanwhile, the Flathead Beacon has an interview with both Democratic candidates, the Liberal Wacko proclaims fealty to Obama, and a homeowner in Great Falls displays an unusual pro-Clinton sign.

And if you’d like to talk about the political campaign, you should give a listen tonight (Wednesday) to Montana’s very own “Small Town, Long Streets” call-in podcast, hosted by Craig of MT Politics.

This week, Small Town, Long Streets returns to its regularly scheduled 9:00 p.m. slot. On the agenda tonight: Obamagasms, the upcoming primaries, and whatever else rings our bell. Remember, this is a call-in program, so I encourage you to do so.
Phone: (718) 664-9769
Email: podcast@mtpolitics.net
Yahoo! IM: mtppodcast

Other tidbits to get you in the mood for the primary: latest M-D poll shows Obama with a huge lead over Clinton; the view from Miles City; and the Montana division of Operation Chaos is up and running in an effort to keep the Dems in turmoil.

Whew. Promises to be an interesting - entertaining, even - several days!

In keeping with today’s theme of Moon Over Montana, here is my entry, taken (IIRC) in February of 2003 in the very early morning…

It seems that Montana is the only state out of 13 total who were tested that failed.

Montana stands out in a federal report published this week as the only one of 13 states where a targeted campaign to reduce drunken driving failed. Or seemed to, anyway. The percentage of highway deaths involving alcohol actually rose in 2003. The increase was slight - 1.6 percent, but it rose to about 49 percent of all highway deaths. In 12 other states where a federally funded campaign to discourage drinking and driving was tested, alcohol-related traffic deaths dropped by an average of 6.7 percent.

This dubious distinction will no doubt fuel the ongoing efforts to crack down on drunken driving in Montana. That’s good. Montana has a drinking problem, and it’s serious. That’s reflected in the fact that the state’s alcohol-related death toll is significantly higher than the national average of 40 percent of all highway deaths.

Here’s something for all to chew on:

In 2003, more Montanans died on Montana highways than Marines in Iraq.

It’s another sobering statistic for Montana

Sorry, Randy, but this just can’t wait to be posted — this is urgent, because it’s so deliciously humourous, and partially accurate.

SIX THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT MONTANA