Jefferson County is not a “recreation county,” by official calculations. It would very much like to become one.
That’s why in the next week the county will unveil its first recreation-focused website, an attempt to introduce visitors — and would-be visitors — to the area’s offerings for, among other activities, hiking, fishing, hunting, riding, and winter sports.
“The first step is to let people know we’re out there, and we have these things,” said Bruce Binkowski, the county’s events coordinator who has spearheaded the website’s creation. “Where do I hike? Where can I stay? Information this county has never had before for someone passing through.”
The website cost about $21,000 to design and build, according to Binkowski; $14,000 of the total came from a grant from the state’s Department of Commerce. A.D. Creative Group, a marketing firm in Billings, undertook the project.
The launch comes as a new analysis points to the powerful connection between recreation and economic development. Headwaters Economics, a non-profit regional research group in Bozeman, reports that counties with recreation-based economies are more likely to attract new residents than areas without recreation. They’re also more likely to have higher incomes and faster earnings growth.
The study, authored by Headwaters economist Megan Lawson, found that, “recreation appears to drive varied economic benefits, including short-term support for tourism-related businesses and longer-term support by recruiting new residents who may be business owners, entrepreneurs, or workers.”
The Headwaters research is anchored in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s definition of “recreation county,” which is determined by a weighted index of the percentage employed in entertainment, recreation, accommodations, eating and drinking places, and real estate; the portion of total personal income derived from those activities; and the percentage of vacant housing units intended for seasonal of occasional use.
By that calculation, Jefferson County is a non-recreation county. Among surrounding counties, Lewis and Clark, Deer Lodge, Madison, and Gallatin are recreation-based; Silver Bow, Powell, and Broadwater are not.
That said, Jefferson doesn’t hold to the trend identified by Headwaters. From 2010-2016, it saw net migration of 47.7 people per 1,000 residents, according to the analysis. That growth, driven primarily by the northern communities of Montana City and Clancy, was higher than any of the nearby counties except Gallatin, where Bozeman’s exploding economy attracted net migration of 120.7 per 1,000 residents in that period. Lewis and Clark County, which has a recreation economy, experienced net migration of 41.1.
(A technical note: Jefferson County is not officially “rural,” according to Headwaters and the U.S. Office Management and Budget, which determines such things. It is incorporated with Lewis and Clark into a single “micropolitan” area centered on an urban cluster – Helena, in this case – of between 10,000 and 50,000 people. Micropolitan counties, Headwaters concludes, is where the correlation between recreation and migration is strongest.)
The data aside, Binkowski sees the potential connection between Jefferson’s recreation assets, sustained population growth, and higher income. Although the new website wasn’t originally conceived to attract migration, he said, “as we move forward promoting our many recreational options it could lead to people moving to our area to live and work in a place that has so many outdoor opportunities.” In time, he says, the website will feature content geared to people considering moving to the area.
For now, Jefferson County’s site is aimed at convincing people who otherwise might just pass through to stop and stay a few days. It lists campgrounds, fishing access sites and hiking trails, for example. And it highlights rock climbing at Sheep Mountain, the HURL Elkhorn Endurance Runs; and the Jesse A. Marcel Library, outside Montana City, “dedicated to the collection and dissemination of factual information concerning UFOs.”
The site also features attractions such as Jefferson County Museum, Ringing Rocks, Elkhorn Ghost Mining Town, and Tizer Botanical Gardens. It provides a calendar of summer events like Big Fork’s Country Jam, Frontier Days in Whitehall, and Boulder’s Music & Arts Festival. And it promotes the Jefferson County Recreation Area with a drone-eye view and an online form for renting Volunteer Hall and other facilities.
