ABOUT LIBERTY COUNTY
Liberty County is located in north-central Montana with Chester serving as the county seat, and Joplin, Lothair and Whitlash being unincorporated communities within the county. The county was established February 11, 1920 from portions of Hill and Chouteau counties. According to the 2020 census, Liberty County is home to just under 2,000 residents, Chester being the primary population center with 847 residents.
Tiber Dam is located in the south-western part of the county and serves as a recreational hub for the surrounding area with its fishing and boating access. The Sweetgrass Hills, in the northern part of the county, rise to nearly 7,000 feet and hold special spiritual significance to local native American tribes as well as historical mining significance to residents.
Phil Aaberg, Grammy-award winning pianist, and Casey FitzSimmons, former NFL player with the Detroit Lions are former graduates of Chester (now Chester-Joplin-Inverness) High School.
The county has a total area of 1,458 square miles, with ninety seven percent of Liberty County’s economy being supported by agriculture. Vast fields of cereal and pulse crops and miles of grazing lands form a tapestry across the landscape. The average farm size in Liberty County is about 3,714 acres.
Major employers in Liberty County include Logan Health-Chester, Chester-Joplin-Inverness Public Schools and Liberty County.