Lincoln County is one of 56 counties in Montana. The
estimated population in 2004 was 19,101. This was an increase of 1.40%
from the 2000 census. In 2002, the per capita personal income in Lincoln County
was $19,559. This was an increase of 26.3% from 1997. The 2002 figure was 63%
of the national per capita income, which was $30,906. Libby Montana, the county
seat of Lincoln County lies in the
northwest corner of Montana and is nestled in a valley carved by the Kootenai
River on the flank of the majestic Cabinet Mountain Range and Wilderness Area.
Today about 2,800 people live within
Libby proper. The main industries are lumber and wood products, mining, tourism
and recreation. The movies "The River Wild" and "Always"
were filmed here.
When the weather warms and the mountain snows melt away, the Kootenai National
Forest comes alive with over 2.2 million acres of public land as a playground.
Mountain trails and lakes open up, beautiful wildflowers come in bloom, and
wildlife have their young. Libby is the basecamp for the Cabinet Mountains
Wilderness Area, 90-mile long Lake Koocanusa, the Northwest Peaks Scenic Area,
and the Ten Lakes Scenic Area. There is good access to most of the Forest and
plenty of room to get away from it all!
Winter in Montana means snow, and lots of it! For those who love to play in the deep
powder, the Libby area offers tremendous winter fun. Turner Mountain Ski Area, located just 22
miles from Libby, offers challenging downhill skiing with a beautiful view.
Their slogan is "steep, deep and cheap", and Turner definitely
lives up to that. It's still fairly undiscovered, so you can escape the crowds
and get the cheapest lift tickets around. For those who love snowmobiling,
there are hundreds of miles of backcountry roads to sled on in the Kootenai
National Forest. Cross-country skiers and ice fishermen also can find solitude
on a lake and miles of quiet forest trails to enjoy the outdoors. Those who are
a bit on the wild and crazy side will love the antics of the Libby Polar Bear
Club. Members take winter-time "swims" in frigid Libby Creek every
Sunday from October to April. Plungers have ranged in age from 3 to 61. As long
as the ice can be broken on the creek, if it has formed, the group will take
their plunge, no matter the temperature.
In addition to Libby, Lincoln County is also home to Eureka,
Fortine, Rexford, Troy and Yaak, Montana. For additional information on Libby
& Eureka, Montana, please see http://www.libby.org/
and www.welcomeeureka.com.
Contact
the Libby Chamber of Commerce for
brochures, info on lodging and events, general area information, and contact
information for local businesses and services. For more information on
Lincoln County, please see the Lincoln County website at: http://www.lincolncountymt.us/. For a
pictoral tour of Lincoln County, please visit: http://www.libby.org/homepage/local-links/tour.html
For information on Schools in Lincoln County, please see the Lincoln
County Schools website.
