Great Falls, Montana: Difference between revisions
→External links: Benton Lake NWR |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 7: | Line 7: | ||
<!-- Images --> |
<!-- Images --> |
||
== GREAT FALLS SUX DICK == |
|||
|image_skyline = greatfallscitylights.jpg |
|image_skyline = greatfallscitylights.jpg |
||
|imagesize = |
|imagesize = |
||
Revision as of 18:59, 6 November 2007
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. |
Great Falls, Montana | |
|---|---|
 Great Falls, Montana at dusk | |
| Nickname: The Electric City | |
| Motto: == GREAT FALLS SUX DICK == | |
 Location of Great Falls, Montana | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Cascade |
| Area | |
| • Total | 19.9 sq mi (51.6 km2) |
| • Land | 19.5 sq mi (50.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,330 ft (1,015 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 56,690 |
| • Density | 2,909.1/sq mi (1,123.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP codes | 59401-59406 |
| Area code | 406 |
| FIPS code | 30-32800 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0802113 |
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 CountyTemplate:GR 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 1805-1806 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, the University of Great Falls, Giant Springs, the Roe River (worlds shortest river), and the Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind, as well as the Great Falls White Sox minor league baseball 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. Erotic film star Tera Patrick was also born in Great Falls.
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 51.6 km² (19.9 mi²). 50.5 km² (19.5 mi²) of it is land and 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.21% water.
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 [1] | ||||||||||||
Demographics
As of the 2000 CensusTemplate:GR there are 56,690 people, 23,834 households, and 14,848 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,123.0/km² (2,909.1/mi²). There are 25,250 housing units at an average density of 500.2/km² (1,295.7/mi²). 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."
In 1884, the Great Falls post office was recognized by the United States Postal Service. In 1889, construction on the Black Eagle Dam began, which would provide 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.
Further Reading
- MacGibbon, Elma (1904). Leaves of knowledge. Shaw & Borden Co.Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection Elma MacGibbons reminiscences of her travels in the United States starting in 1898, which were mainly in Oregon and Washington. Includes chapter "Great Falls, Montana."
Military
Great Falls is home to Malmstrom Air Force Base and the 341st Space Wing. The 341st Operations Group provides the forces to launch, monitor and secure the wing's Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and missile alert facilities (MAF).
These ICBMs and MAFs are dispersed over the largest missile complex in the Western Hemisphere, an area encompassing some 23,000 sq mi (59,570 km²) (approximately the size of the state of West Virginia).
The group manages a variety of equipment, facilities, and vehicles worth more than $5 billion.
Great Falls International Airport is also home to the Montana Air National Guard's 120th Fighter Wing. The 120th is composed of F-16 Fighting Falcons (F-16C/D) fighter aircraft and associated support personnel.
Great Falls is also home to the 889th Army Reserve Unit.
Sports
For the 1979-80 WHL Season, Great Falls and the Four Seasons Arena was the home of the Great Falls Americans. The team was 2-25 before folding. Great Falls has a rich baseball history with the White Sox. Formerly called the Dodgers and Giants, baseball players such as Pedro Martinez, Jose Offerman, and Raul Mondesi have spent time in Great Falls with the team. Since 1988, the team has won the championship 4 times (In 1988, 1989, 1990, and 2002). In 2007, the Great Falls Explorers were the CBA National Conference Runner-Up.
The Mariana UFO Incident
The Mariana UFO Incident occurred in August 1950 in Great Falls, Montana. Nicholas "Nick" Mariana, the general manager of the Great Falls "Electrics" minor-league baseball team, and his secretary observed two "bright, silvery spheres" move rapidly over the city's empty baseball stadium. Mariana used his camera to film the objects; the film was one of the first ever taken of a UFO. The incident received widespread national publicity and is regarded as one of the first great UFO incidents in the United States.
Notable people who have lived in Great Falls
|
|
