Great Falls, Montana Totally Explained

Everything about Great Falls Montana totally explained

Great Falls is a city located in Cascade County, Montana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,690. It is the county seat of Cascade County and the principal city of the 'Great Falls, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Cascade County, Montana. Great Falls takes its name from the series of waterfalls that the Lewis and Clark Expedition had to portage around, requiring 31 days of arduous labor, in their 1805-06 exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. Two undeveloped parts of their portage route are landmarked within the Great Falls Portage National Historic Landmark. The city is home to the C. M. Russell Museum Complex, the University of Great Falls, Giant Springs, the Roe River (world's shortest river), and the Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind, as well as the Great Falls Voyagers minor league baseball(formally known as the Great Falls White Sox) team. The local newspaper is the Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls is known as the "Electric City" due to the five hydroelectric dams that are in the nearby vicinity along the Missouri River.
A Coldwell Banker Home Price Comparison Index listed Great Falls as the most affordable area of 348 markets in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Geography and Climate

Great Falls is located along the Missouri River near several waterfalls on the Missouri. Great Falls is located at 47°30'13" North, 111°17'11" West (47.503657, -111.286299)1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.9 square miles (51.6 km²), of which, 19.5 square miles (50.5 km²) of it's land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²) of it's water. The total area is 2.21% water.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Rec High °F	67	70	78	89	93	101	105	106	98	91	76	69
Norm High °F	32.1	37.7	45.3	55.6	64.7	73.9	82	81.2	69.6	58	42.1	34.2
Norm Low °F	11.3	15.1	21.5	29.7	38.3	46	50.4	49.9	41.2	33	22.5	14.4
Rec Low °F	-37	-35	-29	-6	15	31	36	30	16	-11	-25	-43
Precip (in)	0.68	0.51	1.01	1.4	2.53	2.24	1.45	1.65	1.23	0.93	0.59	0.67
Source: USTravelWeather.com

Demographics

As of the 2000 Census there are 56,690 people, 23,834 households, and 14,848 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,909.1 people per square mile (1,123.0/km²). There are 25,250 housing units at an average density of 1,295.7/sq mi (500.2/km²). The racial demographics and ethnic makeup of the city is 89.96% White, 0.95% African American, 5.09% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 2.45% from two or more races. 2.39% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
   There are 23,834 households out of which 30.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% are married couples living together, 11.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% are non-families. 31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.31 and the average family size is 2.92.
   In the city the population is spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.4 males.
   The median income for a household in the city is $32,436, and the median income for a family is $40,107. Males have a median income of $29,353 versus $20,859 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,059. 14.5% of the population and 11.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.3% of those under the age of 18 and 9.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

History

Founded in 1883 by Paris Gibson and railroad magnate James J. Hill, Great Falls began as a planned power city, situated to take advantage of the hydroelectric power of the waterfalls of the Missouri River. Historian William J. Furdell described it as "a businessman's town" and it was said that the city "couldn't point to a boot hill or a hangin' tree".
   Great Falls post office was established July 10, 1884. Paris Gibson was the first postmaster. In 1889, construction began on the Black Eagle Dam, which provided the city with hydroelectric power by the following year.
   Great Falls quickly became a thriving industrial and supply center and, by the early 1900s, was en route to becoming one of Montana's largest cities. The rustic studio of famed Western artist Charles Marion Russell was a popular attraction, as were the famed "great falls," after which the city was named. A structure billed as the "world's tallest smokestack" was completed in 1908 by the city's largest employer, the Anaconda Copper Mining Company's smelter, measuring 508 feet tall. The Big Stack immediately became a landmark for the community.
   Great Falls prospered further with the opening of a nearby military base in the 1940s, but as rail transportation and freight slowed in the later part of the century, outlying farming areas lost population, and with the closure of the smelter and cutbacks at the airbase, its population has plateaued.
   Great Falls is famous for the Sip and Dip, a bar located downtown at the O'Haire Motor Inn. It was once ranked #1 by GQ Magazine as one of the 'Top Ten Bars Worth Flying To.' The bar has mermaids that swim in a see-through pool behind the bar, and local senior citizen Piano Pat plays the piano and is known to sing popular music on Friday and Saturday nights. Daryl Hannah once swam as a mermaid in the pool. ==

Further Information

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