Bonner-West Riverside, Montana


Bonner-West Riverside is a census-designated place in Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Missoula, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,663 at the 2010 census, a decline from its population of 1,693 in 2000.
The town was named for Edward L. Bonner, president of the Missoula and Bitter Root Valley Railroad. Bonner was also a partner in Eddy, Hammond & Company, who were contracted by Northern Pacific Railroad for supplies to build their railway between the Thompson and Blackfoot rivers. Bonner was also a partner in the Montana Improvement Company, which built a sawmill in Bonner in 1886. The sawmill was purchased by the Anaconda Company in 1898.

Geography

Bonner-West Riverside is located at , on the Blackfoot River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of, of which, of it is land and of it is water.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bonner-West Riverside has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Economy

Bonner's first sawmill, the Blackfoot Mill, was also known as the Bonner or Hammond Mill. It opened in 1898. The Bonner Dam was built in 1908 by copper mining tycoon William A. Clark, to supply hydroelectricity to his sawmills in Bonner.
The Bonner Mill manufactured plywood. "On January 16, 1919, the 'greatest fire in the history of Western Montana' burned a large portion of the mill to the ground." The mill was rebuilt and operational again by September, 1919. Through the 1970s and 1980s, the Bonner Mill was thought to be the world's largest of its type. The Anaconda Company sold the mill to US Plywood-Champion Papers in 1972. It was sold to Stimson Lumber Company in 1993, and was closed in 2008, after "122 years of continuous lumber production". In 2011, a heavy snowfall collapsed much of the mill's roof. The last PCBs were removed from the site in 2016.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,663 people, 690 households, and 460 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,091.6 people per square mile. There were 723 housing units at an average density of 466.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.39% White, 0.24% African American, 2.36% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.59% from other races, and 2.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.71% of the population.
There were 690 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 12.8% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 104.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.7 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $32,557, and the median income for a family was $37,206. Males had a median income of $28,417 versus $25,403 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $15,652. About 8.3% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.