Columbus, Montana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Columbus, Montana
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Columbus, Montana
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Location of Columbus, Montana
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| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Stillwater |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.37 sq mi (3.55 km2) |
| • Land | 1.37 sq mi (3.55 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,586 ft (1,093 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,857 |
| • Density | 1,352.51/sq mi (522.38/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
59019
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| Area code(s) | 406 |
| FIPS code | 30-16825 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0770043 |
Columbus is a town in and the county seat of Stillwater County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,857 at the 2020 census.
Contents
History
The community originated as a stagecoach station on the Yellowstone River.
The original name was Sheep Dip, then changed to Stillwater, but because of a Stillwater, Minnesota on the Northern Pacific Railroad, the mail presented a problem. The name was ultimately changed to Columbus, Montana in 1893.
Geography and climate
Columbus is located at 45°38′N 109°15′W / 45.64°N 109.25°W (45.64, -109.25).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.35 square miles (3.50 km2), of which 1.32 square miles (3.42 km2) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2) is water.
Columbus is located between the Yellowstone River, the old Yellowstone Trail, Highway 10, and now Interstate 90.
The confluence of the Yellowstone River and Stillwater River is at Columbus.
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Columbus has a warm-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Columbus, Montana, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1930–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 68 (20) |
79 (26) |
83 (28) |
90 (32) |
96 (36) |
102 (39) |
109 (43) |
106 (41) |
102 (39) |
92 (33) |
79 (26) |
71 (22) |
109 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 57.7 (14.3) |
60.8 (16.0) |
70.5 (21.4) |
79.1 (26.2) |
84.6 (29.2) |
92.3 (33.5) |
97.6 (36.4) |
96.1 (35.6) |
92.0 (33.3) |
81.9 (27.7) |
67.5 (19.7) |
57.1 (13.9) |
98.6 (37.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 36.8 (2.7) |
40.3 (4.6) |
50.5 (10.3) |
58.0 (14.4) |
66.8 (19.3) |
75.9 (24.4) |
85.4 (29.7) |
84.1 (28.9) |
74.2 (23.4) |
60.0 (15.6) |
46.4 (8.0) |
36.6 (2.6) |
59.6 (15.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 23.4 (−4.8) |
26.7 (−2.9) |
35.6 (2.0) |
43.1 (6.2) |
52.0 (11.1) |
60.4 (15.8) |
67.7 (19.8) |
65.9 (18.8) |
56.7 (13.7) |
44.7 (7.1) |
32.6 (0.3) |
23.7 (−4.6) |
44.4 (6.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 10.0 (−12.2) |
13.0 (−10.6) |
20.6 (−6.3) |
28.2 (−2.1) |
37.2 (2.9) |
44.9 (7.2) |
50.0 (10.0) |
47.7 (8.7) |
39.2 (4.0) |
29.4 (−1.4) |
18.8 (−7.3) |
10.7 (−11.8) |
29.1 (−1.6) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −16.0 (−26.7) |
−8.4 (−22.4) |
0.9 (−17.3) |
15.5 (−9.2) |
24.9 (−3.9) |
35.2 (1.8) |
42.8 (6.0) |
39.0 (3.9) |
28.3 (−2.1) |
13.4 (−10.3) |
−2.9 (−19.4) |
−11.3 (−24.1) |
−24.1 (−31.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −38 (−39) |
−45 (−43) |
−33 (−36) |
−13 (−25) |
9 (−13) |
28 (−2) |
34 (1) |
31 (−1) |
18 (−8) |
−14 (−26) |
−33 (−36) |
−42 (−41) |
−45 (−43) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.62 (16) |
0.67 (17) |
0.93 (24) |
1.97 (50) |
2.82 (72) |
2.25 (57) |
1.15 (29) |
0.93 (24) |
1.36 (35) |
1.49 (38) |
0.69 (18) |
0.65 (17) |
15.53 (397) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 7.0 (18) |
8.8 (22) |
7.7 (20) |
4.5 (11) |
0.5 (1.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
3.8 (9.7) |
5.9 (15) |
9.2 (23) |
47.6 (120.51) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 5.1 | 6.0 | 7.2 | 9.6 | 11.6 | 11.0 | 8.7 | 6.9 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 5.1 | 5.9 | 90.9 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.6 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 5.0 | 24.1 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 521 | — | |
| 1920 | 987 | 89.4% | |
| 1930 | 834 | −15.5% | |
| 1940 | 962 | 15.3% | |
| 1950 | 1,097 | 14.0% | |
| 1960 | 1,281 | 16.8% | |
| 1970 | 1,173 | −8.4% | |
| 1980 | 1,439 | 22.7% | |
| 1990 | 1,573 | 9.3% | |
| 2000 | 1,748 | 11.1% | |
| 2010 | 1,893 | 8.3% | |
| 2020 | 1,857 | −1.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,893 people, 767 households, and 517 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,434.1 inhabitants per square mile (553.7/km2). There were 843 housing units at an average density of 638.6 per square mile (246.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.5% White, 0.1% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.7% of the population.
There were 767 households, of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.6% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.97.
The median age in the town was 40.4 years. 26% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 27.4% were from 45 to 64; and 16.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.
Arts and Culture
The Museum of the Beartooths is a history museum located in Columbus. They feature artifacts and replicas of life in the Stillwater area.
Having both the Yellowstone River and the Stillwater River just outside of town, fishing is a popular activity.
Stillwater County Library is a public library which serves the area.
Infrastructure
Woltermann Memorial Airport is a public use airport located southeast of town.
The 100 kW solar array at the Stillwater Smelter was the first “behind-the-meter” industrial scale solar installation project in Montana.
Education
Columbus Public Schools educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Columbus High School's team name is the Cougars.
Media
The Stillwater County News is a newspaper serving the area. It is printed weekly and also available online.
The radio station KMTJ is licensed in Columbus. The town receives stations from the wider Billings area.
Notable people
- Annie Duke, professional poker player, lived here with her husband.
- Dwan Edwards, professional football player, attended high school here.
- William Thomas Hamilton, known as Wildcat Bill, a 19th-century frontiersman, scout, trapper, trader and author.
- Jack Vaughn, Assistant Secretary of State, Ambassador to Panama and Colombia, and Director of the Peace Corps from 1966 to 1969, was born in Columbus.
See also
In Spanish: Columbus (Montana) para niños
