Circle, Montana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Circle, Montana
|
|
|---|---|
Location in McCone County and the state of Montana
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | McCone |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.78 sq mi (2.02 km2) |
| • Land | 0.78 sq mi (2.02 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,438 ft (743 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 591 |
| • Density | 757.69/sq mi (292.64/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
59215
|
| Area code(s) | 406 |
| FIPS code | 30-14950 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2413204 |
Circle is a small town in Montana, United States. It is the main town, or county seat, of McCone County. In 2020, about 591 people lived there. The town got its name because an early rancher used a circle as his cattle brand.
Contents
History of Circle, Montana
Circle was founded by Peter Rorvik in 1905. He opened the first post office and a general store. In 1909, many new settlers, called homesteaders, moved to the area. A few years later, in 1914, the Great Northern Railway built a train station in Circle. This helped the town grow.
In 1951, oil was found southeast of Circle. This discovery caused the town's population to grow for a while. In 1960, Circle had its largest population ever, with 1,117 people.
Geography and Location
Circle is located in the southeastern part of McCone County. Montana Highway 200 runs through the town. This highway connects Circle to Sidney to the east and Jordan to the west. Another highway, Highway 200S, starts near Circle and goes southeast to Glendive. Highway 13 goes north from Circle to Wolf Point.
The town covers about 0.78 square miles (2.02 square kilometers) of land. The Redwater River flows just east of Circle. Horse Creek, which is a smaller stream that flows into the Redwater River, runs through the northern part of the town. The Redwater River eventually flows into the Missouri River.
Circle started as a place for ranching and farming because of its wide-open plains. These activities are still very important to the town's economy today. It is also a popular spot for hunting large animals.
Climate in Circle
Circle has a semi-arid climate. This means it gets some rain, but it's generally dry. The weather can have big changes between seasons, with hot summers and cold winters.
| Climate data for Circle, Montana, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1963–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) |
70 (21) |
83 (28) |
92 (33) |
101 (38) |
107 (42) |
109 (43) |
109 (43) |
105 (41) |
94 (34) |
79 (26) |
68 (20) |
109 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 48.9 (9.4) |
53.2 (11.8) |
68.4 (20.2) |
78.4 (25.8) |
85.6 (29.8) |
93.0 (33.9) |
98.8 (37.1) |
99.0 (37.2) |
94.5 (34.7) |
81.9 (27.7) |
66.2 (19.0) |
51.9 (11.1) |
100.8 (38.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 28.5 (−1.9) |
32.6 (0.3) |
45.5 (7.5) |
58.1 (14.5) |
68.3 (20.2) |
77.7 (25.4) |
87.1 (30.6) |
86.8 (30.4) |
75.5 (24.2) |
58.8 (14.9) |
42.8 (6.0) |
31.5 (−0.3) |
57.8 (14.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 18.1 (−7.7) |
22.1 (−5.5) |
33.6 (0.9) |
44.9 (7.2) |
55.0 (12.8) |
64.3 (17.9) |
72.1 (22.3) |
71.1 (21.7) |
60.3 (15.7) |
46.0 (7.8) |
32.0 (0.0) |
21.3 (−5.9) |
45.1 (7.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 7.8 (−13.4) |
11.5 (−11.4) |
21.6 (−5.8) |
31.7 (−0.2) |
41.7 (5.4) |
50.9 (10.5) |
57.1 (13.9) |
55.4 (13.0) |
45.2 (7.3) |
33.1 (0.6) |
21.2 (−6.0) |
11.0 (−11.7) |
32.4 (0.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −23.3 (−30.7) |
−15.5 (−26.4) |
−5.4 (−20.8) |
13.5 (−10.3) |
25.1 (−3.8) |
37.0 (2.8) |
44.5 (6.9) |
39.9 (4.4) |
27.8 (−2.3) |
12.2 (−11.0) |
−3.7 (−19.8) |
−17.7 (−27.6) |
−29.9 (−34.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −42 (−41) |
−38 (−39) |
−39 (−39) |
−9 (−23) |
17 (−8) |
27 (−3) |
35 (2) |
27 (−3) |
15 (−9) |
−9 (−23) |
−31 (−35) |
−46 (−43) |
−46 (−43) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.40 (10) |
0.37 (9.4) |
0.49 (12) |
1.38 (35) |
2.55 (65) |
2.64 (67) |
2.14 (54) |
1.40 (36) |
1.33 (34) |
0.93 (24) |
0.36 (9.1) |
0.46 (12) |
14.45 (367.5) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 4.6 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 5.3 | 7.4 | 8.6 | 6.6 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 62.1 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
People Living in Circle
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 519 | — | |
| 1940 | 685 | 32.0% | |
| 1950 | 856 | 25.0% | |
| 1960 | 1,117 | 30.5% | |
| 1970 | 964 | −13.7% | |
| 1980 | 931 | −3.4% | |
| 1990 | 805 | −13.5% | |
| 2000 | 644 | −20.0% | |
| 2010 | 615 | −4.5% | |
| 2020 | 591 | −3.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
The table above shows how the population of Circle has changed over the years.
Population in 2010
In 2010, there were 615 people living in Circle. These people lived in 278 households. A household is a group of people living together in one home. About 159 of these households were families.
Most of the people in Circle were White (97.7%). A small number were from other racial backgrounds. About 1.6% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.
About 25.9% of households had children under 18 living with them. Many households (50%) were married couples. The average age of people in Circle was 45.9 years old. About 23.3% of residents were under 18.
Arts and Culture
The McCone County Museum is located in Circle. It teaches visitors about the history of the area. It also has a collection of local wildlife exhibits. The old train station from the Northern Pacific Railway is also at the museum.
Every August, Circle hosts the County Fair. This event includes a PRCA rodeo, which is a professional rodeo competition. In September, the town celebrates "Town and Country Day." This celebration features a parade, shooting events, car races, and a big town barbecue.
The George McCone Memorial County Library serves the community. It provides books and other resources to the people in the area.
Education in Circle
Students in Circle attend Circle Public Schools. The school system teaches students from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. The sports teams for Circle High School are called the Wildcats. In 2022, the high school had 64 students.
Media and News
The local newspaper for McCone County is called The Circle Banner. It is published once a week.
Circle also has a local FM radio station, KMGT. This radio station is run by the students at the local high school.
Town Infrastructure
Montana Highway 200 goes through Circle. The southern end of Montana Highway 13 also starts in Circle. These highways help people travel to and from the town.
The Circle Town County Airport is a public airport located just one mile east of town. For bigger flights, the nearest commercial airport is L. M. Clayton Airport in Wolf Point. This airport offers some regional flights.
The McCone County Health Center and McCone Clinic provide healthcare services to the people in the region.
Mid-Rivers Communications is a company that provides telephone, wireless, internet, and cable TV services to the town.
See also
In Spanish: Circle (Montana) para niños
