Florence, Montana
13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1912 and the latest in 1998. It stands in the Stevensville census division. It lies in ZIP code area 59833. It stands on One Horse Creek. The Survey maps it on the Florence quadrangle. 821 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 3,264 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresFlorence grew from 765 to 821 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 765 | |
| 2020 | 821 | +56 (+7%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 13 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1912 USGS Missoula quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Hamilton quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1959 USGS Hamilton quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Hamilton quadrangle1:250000
- 1964 USGS Hamilton quadrangle1:250000
- 1967 USGS Florence quadrangle1:24000
- 1981 USGS Missoula West quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1998 USGS Florence quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
137 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 137 fires within 5 miles of Florence between 1992 and 2020, burning about 263 acres in total. 28 started naturally. 3 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 33 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 33 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 32 |
| Natural | 28 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Fireworks | 2 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Bitterroot National Forest | BLACKJACK |
| 30 September 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Bitterroot National Forest | BASS OVERLOOK |
| 25 September 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Bitterroot National Forest | SITE 22 |
| 24 September 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Bitterroot National Forest | ONE HORSE FIRE |
| 2 September 2009 | Natural | under an acre | Bitterroot National Forest | CARLTON CREEK |
| 17 September 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Lolo National Forest | MORMON PEAK#4 |
| 14 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | RavaIIi County | 441 TIE CHUTE LN |
| 12 September 1996 | Natural | 2.5 acres | Southwestern Land Office | WOODCHUCK |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
4 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Florence: 2 occurrences, 2 prospects. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Pumice, Zinc, Silver, Lead, Zinc, Gold, Lead, Silver. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One Horse | Zinc, Silver, Lead | Prospect | ||
| Unnamed Location | Gold | Occurrence | ||
| Unnamed Pubmice Occurrence | Pumice | Occurrence | ||
| Wild Maple | Zinc, Gold, Lead, Silver | Prospect |
Storms near this place
21 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Florence in 21 storm reports between 1996 and 2023: 8 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 5 flood, 1 lightning. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2013 | Lightning | Florence | 1 hurt | A 22 year old male was struck by lightning while changing an irrigation pipe. Injuries were reported as second degree burns. |
| March 2014 | Flood | Florence | $16,000 | Above normal snowfall in February resulted in an unusually high snowpack across the Bitterroot Valley at the beginning of March. The Hamilton COOP reported a snow depth of 16 on March 2 which disappeared by March 9. Weather spotters in the Florence area reported well over a foot of snow at the beginning of March. This snowpack combined with 0.50 to 1 of mild rainfall and temperatures well into the 50's caused rapid snowmelt and subsequently overland flooding in the Bitterroot Valley. A person from the public in Florence off Hidden Valley Rd. reported a damaged fence, multiple homes with water damage and several windows broken. The MT DOT reported heavy water on the roadways S-203 2 miles east of Florence, near the junction with US-93. They also reported heavy amounts of water on S-203 10 miles north of the Stevensville Junction with S-269. The Ravalli County DES coordinator remarked that this was the worst flooding he had seen in 41 years in these areas. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Florence | $10,000 | Multiple trees fell due to the severe wind in the Florence area with up to 6 inch diameter bases. One large tree fell onto a house and broke the sky light. Another tree hit a power line on Ambrose Creek causing a fire. Over three thousand customers were without power for four hours after the thunderstorm went through. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Florence | - | Reports of large trees down near Lolo Pass were received. Radar velocity data indicated winds over 60 mph. |
| May 2018 | Flood | Florence | - | The Bitterroot River near Missoula reached minor flood stage which caused field flooding on the east side of Highway 93 both north and south of Lolo. Ground water adjacent to the Bitterroot River flooded the Linda Vista Golf course and nearby homeowner's backyards. |
| February 2017 | Heavy Rain | Florence | - | An NWS Employee reported extensive ponding in fields and near property in Corvallis, MT. The exceptionally high amount of valley snow-pack allowed for periods of moderate rain combined with relatively warm temperatures to cause unusually extensive areal flooding on Feb. 9 & 10. |
| July 2016 | Hail | Florence | - | A co-workers friend reports quarter size hail. |
| July 2016 | Hail | Florence | - | NWS employee reports quarter size hail. |
| January 2014 | Flood | Florence | - | A NWS employee observed a small stream that had ran over the Old East Highway northwest of Florence. The combination of rain and snow melt and a cold ground, created conditions for the overland flooding. |
| May 2014 | Flood | Florence | - | The USGS Bitterroot River gauge at Darby reported 5 instances where the river height surpassed the 7.50 ft. flood-stage: 7.84 ft. 8 am MDT 5/24, 7.57 ft. 8 am MDT 5/26, 7.76 ft. 815 am MDT 5/27, 7.63 ft. 8 am MDT 5/28 & 7.67 ft. 815 am MDT 5/29. It also reported a peak discharge rate of 8,590 cubic feet per second at 915 am MDT 5/24. Field flooding was reported by a NWS employee between Lolo and Florence. |
| May 2014 | Flood | Florence | - | The USGS Bitterroot River gauge at Darby reported a peak discharge rate of 8,590 cubic feet per second at 915 am MDT 5/24 and a peak height of 7.84 feet (7.5 ft. is the minor flood stage) at 8 am MDT 5/24. A gravel county road, Ross Lane, located just to the west of the Bitterroot River in Florence experienced minor flooding. The fishing access in Florence was totally inundated but was also closed due to construction. Also a few fields were flooded between Florence and Lolo. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Florence | - | Power was out in the Florence area as reported by an NWS employee. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Florence | - | Power lines down near Highway 93 and Carlton Creek Road between Lolo and Florence. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Florence | - | The utility company reported that several trees were blown down onto powerlines along US Highway 93 between Florence and Stevensville. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Florence | - | Several reports of estimated wind gusts to 60 mph from weather spotters and the public were reported. |
| July 2010 | Hail | Florence | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Florence | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Florence | - | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Hail | Florence | - | no account filed |
| September 1997 | Hail | Florence | - | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Hail | Florence | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitterroot Pines | 0.7 miles | 13 | |
| Sweeney Creek (historical) | 1.5 miles | 14 | |
| Kenspur | 2.7 miles | 14 | |
| Bitter Root (historical) | 4.4 miles | 14 | |
| Eight Mile (historical) | 6.7 miles | 18 | |
| Bitterroot Court | 8.0 miles | 14 | |
| Stevensville | 8.4 miles | 14 | |
| Apple Blossom Court | 8.8 miles | 14 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Florence | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q960690 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 783551. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.







