Malta, Montana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Malta
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Downtown Malta from the Empire Builder
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Location of Malta, Montana
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| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Phillips |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.03 sq mi (2.66 km2) |
| • Land | 1.03 sq mi (2.66 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,254 ft (687 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,860 |
| • Density | 1,805.83/sq mi (699.25/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
59538
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| Area code(s) | 406 |
| FIPS code | 30-47425 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0773850 |
Malta ( MAWL-tə) is a city in, and the county seat of, Phillips County, Montana, United States, located at the intersection of U.S. Routes 2 and 191. The population was 1,860 at the 2020 census.
History
After James Hill and his partners built the St Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba railway (which in 1890 became the Great Northern Railway) across Montana's "High Line" in 1887, Malta evolved from rail siding number 54. What came to be Saco, Montana, to the east and Dodson, Montana, to the west grew from other nearby sidings. A post office was established in Malta in 1890. Its name is said to have been determined by a spin of the globe by a Great Northern official whose finger came to rest on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea.
On July 3, 1901, Kid Curry (Harvey Logan), as part of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, robbed a train just west of Malta, near Wagner, Montana, making off with about $40,000.
One of the best preserved dinosaurs ever discovered and one of only four that were mummified is a 77-million-year-old Brachylophosaurus nicknamed Leonardo, unearthed north of Malta in 2000. (2002), is on display at The Great Plains Dinosaur Museum.
Two stops on The Montana Dinosaur Trail are located in Malta.
- The Great Plains Dinosaur Museum and Field Station (home to the Judith River Dinosaur Institute)
- The Phillips County Museum and the H.G. Robinson House and Gardens
Geography
Malta is located at 48°21′20″N 107°52′17″W / 48.355496°N 107.871361°W (48.355496, -107.871361).
Malta is on the High Plains of Montana. The Little Rocky Mountains are located south of the town. The city of Malta gets their water from wells. The well water is pumped to two water tanks located at the top of a residential area known as Hillcrest. The water is treated to meet safety standards, then it enters the city water distribution system.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.06 square miles (2.75 km2), all of it land.
Malta experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with long, cold, dry winters and hot, wetter summers.
| Climate data for Malta, Montana | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 62 (17) |
74 (23) |
82 (28) |
94 (34) |
101 (38) |
106 (41) |
107 (42) |
108 (42) |
103 (39) |
90 (32) |
79 (26) |
63 (17) |
108 (42) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 22.1 (−5.5) |
31.3 (−0.4) |
44.1 (6.7) |
59.0 (15.0) |
69.4 (20.8) |
78.4 (25.8) |
84.6 (29.2) |
84.2 (29.0) |
72.2 (22.3) |
59.9 (15.5) |
39.3 (4.1) |
27.1 (−2.7) |
56.0 (13.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 10.0 (−12.2) |
18.3 (−7.6) |
30.6 (−0.8) |
44.3 (6.8) |
54.9 (12.7) |
63.9 (17.7) |
68.9 (20.5) |
67.7 (19.8) |
55.6 (13.1) |
44.2 (6.8) |
26.5 (−3.1) |
14.9 (−9.5) |
41.7 (5.4) |
| Average low °F (°C) | −2.1 (−18.9) |
5.2 (−14.9) |
17.0 (−8.3) |
29.6 (−1.3) |
40.3 (4.6) |
49.3 (9.6) |
53.2 (11.8) |
51.2 (10.7) |
39.0 (3.9) |
28.5 (−1.9) |
13.6 (−10.2) |
2.6 (−16.3) |
27.3 (−2.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −42 (−41) |
−44 (−42) |
−32 (−36) |
−4 (−20) |
21 (−6) |
29 (−2) |
37 (3) |
31 (−1) |
11 (−12) |
−11 (−24) |
−36 (−38) |
−45 (−43) |
−45 (−43) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.38 (9.7) |
0.29 (7.4) |
0.59 (15) |
0.90 (23) |
2.24 (57) |
2.57 (65) |
1.81 (46) |
1.22 (31) |
1.19 (30) |
0.77 (20) |
0.51 (13) |
0.41 (10) |
12.88 (327.1) |
| Source 1: NOAA (normals, 1971–2000) | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: The Weather Channel (Records) | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 433 | — | |
| 1920 | 1,427 | 229.6% | |
| 1930 | 1,342 | −6.0% | |
| 1940 | 2,215 | 65.1% | |
| 1950 | 2,095 | −5.4% | |
| 1960 | 2,339 | 11.6% | |
| 1970 | 2,195 | −6.2% | |
| 1980 | 2,367 | 7.8% | |
| 1990 | 2,340 | −1.1% | |
| 2000 | 2,120 | −9.4% | |
| 2010 | 1,997 | −5.8% | |
| 2020 | 1,860 | −6.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 1,860 people, 912 households, and (not yet available) families residing in the city. There were 1,016 housing units, of which 857 were occupied. The racial makeup of the city was 1,564 (84.1%) White, 1 African American, 88 (4.7%) Native American, 9 (0.5%) Asian, 46 (2.5%) from other races, and 152 (8.2%) from two or more races. There were 70 (3.8%) Hispanic or Latino.
47.8% of households were married couples living together, 26% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.5% had a male householder with no wife present. The average family size was 2.98.
50.9% were married, not separated, 12.9% widowed, 9.8% divorced, and 26.3% never married (29.8% in MT overall).
The median age was 51.4 (compared to 40.5 in MT overall), 5.6% were under 5 years, 21.4% were under 18, 78.6% were 18 and older, and 27.6% were 65 and older (19.5% in MT). 44.7% claimed German ancestry, 21.3% Norwegian ancestry, and 16.7% Irish ancestry. 12.8% were veterans.
The median income for a household in the city was $44,189 ($57,153 in MT overall), and the median income for a family was $52,974. Males had a median income of $30,117 versus $18,636 for females. About 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line (12.6% in MT overall), including 1.6% of those under age 18, 13.7% of those 18 - 64, and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.
18.6% of residents had a Bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 33.6% in MT overall.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,997 people, 902 households, and 539 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,884.0 inhabitants per square mile (727.4/km2). There were 1,006 housing units at an average density of 949.1 per square mile (366.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.2% White, 0.1% African American, 5.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 5.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population.
There were 902 households, of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.2% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.81.
The median age in the city was 46.8 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.6% were from 25 to 44; 29.5% were from 45 to 64; and 23.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.7% male and 53.3% female.
Transportation
- Amtrak serves Malta (Amtrak station) daily with the Empire Builder service running between Chicago and Seattle/Portland.
- Malta Airport
Education
Malta Public Schools educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Malta High School's team name is the Mustangs/Mustangettes.
Phillips County Library is a public library in Malta.
See also
In Spanish: Malta (Montana) para niños
