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Welcome to Polson ...

The city of Polson is located in Lake County<1> and is the County Seat for Lake County.

The pronunciation of Polson: POHL-sun<2>

From the  Census Estimates for 2019, Polson has a population of 5,101 people<3> (see below for details).

Polson is 3,000 feet [914 m] above sea level.<4> In other words, the altitude of Polson is about ½ mile above sea level.

Time Zone: Polson lies in the Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Code for Polson: 406

Population Details ...

Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Polson had an population of 5,101 people. This is an increase of 13.66% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 26.23% since the 2000 Census).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Polson had a population of 4,488 people (which is 15.59% of the total population of Lake County). This makes Polson the county's most populous community.

The population of Polson represents 0.45% of the total population of Montana (which has 989,415 people), making it the state's 19th most populous community.

With a 2010 count of 4,488 people, the population of Polson increased 11.06% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 4,041 people).

More information can be found on the Census Page for Polson.

Communities near Polson ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Polson.

  • Ronan
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ronan have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronan
    • Ronan is located in Lake County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,167 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ronan <6>
  • Finley Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Finley Point have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finley Point
    • Finley Point is located in Lake County
  • Kings Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kings Point have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Point
    • Kings Point is located in Lake County
  • Pablo
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Big Arm
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Dayton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Elmo
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Proctor
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Rollins
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rollins have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollins
    • Rollins is located in Lake County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rollins <6>
  • Bear Dance
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Dance
    • Bear Dance is located in Lake County

To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.

We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Polson. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Polson.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Polson. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Polson.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Polson. Our list includes 4 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Polson.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Polson ...

Looking for more information about Polson? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

In addition to the Tourism page for Polson, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Polson.

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of Montana's counties, including Lake, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Polson. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
<3>Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Polson.
<4>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Polson - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<5>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<6>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.