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Terry, Montana
Town
The Yellowstone Street district at sunset.
The Yellowstone Street district at sunset.
Location of Terry, Montana
Location of Terry, Montana
Country United States
State Montana
County Prairie
Township of Terry 1884
Government
 • Type Mayor - City Council
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
2,251 ft (686 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 562
 • Density 719.59/sq mi (277.75/km2)
Time zone UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code
59349
Area code(s) 406
FIPS code 30-73675
GNIS feature ID 0777474

Terry, incorporated in 1910, is a town and the county seat of Prairie County, Montana, United States. The population was 562 at the 2020 census.

History

The site where Terry is located was first called Joubert's Landing, in recognition of the man who built a supply point along the Yellowstone River for freighters traveling from Bismarck, Dakota Territory, to Miles City, Montana Territory. When the Northern Pacific Railway's transcontinental rail line arrived in 1881, the town was renamed for Alfred Howe Terry, a General in the Union Army who commanded an 1876 expedition in connection with George Armstrong Custer’s campaign against Native Americans, specifically in the west.

Terry became a two-railroad town when the Milwaukee Road constructed a transcontinental line known as the Pacific Extension through the town in the early 20th century. The Custer Creek train wreck, the worst rail disaster in Montana history, occurred near Terry along this line in 1938.

Geography

Terry is in Eastern Montana, approximately 1 km (0.62 mi) south of the Yellowstone River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.71 square miles (1.84 km2), all land.

The Terry Badlands lie just north of the Yellowstone River, and is one of the wilderness study areas in Montana.

Climate

The town on average has over 200 days of sunshine a year. The average annual snowfall is 17.6 inches a year.

Climate data for Terry, Montana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1949–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 65
(18)
73
(23)
83
(28)
93
(34)
102
(39)
110
(43)
111
(44)
111
(44)
106
(41)
94
(34)
79
(26)
72
(22)
111
(44)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 28.4
(−2.0)
33.7
(0.9)
46.2
(7.9)
57.9
(14.4)
68.0
(20.0)
78.2
(25.7)
88.1
(31.2)
87.0
(30.6)
75.7
(24.3)
59.1
(15.1)
43.8
(6.6)
32.2
(0.1)
58.2
(14.6)
Daily mean °F (°C) 17.2
(−8.2)
22.2
(−5.4)
33.8
(1.0)
45.0
(7.2)
55.4
(13.0)
65.4
(18.6)
73.3
(22.9)
71.5
(21.9)
60.5
(15.8)
45.9
(7.7)
31.9
(−0.1)
21.0
(−6.1)
45.3
(7.4)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 6.1
(−14.4)
10.8
(−11.8)
21.5
(−5.8)
32.2
(0.1)
42.7
(5.9)
52.6
(11.4)
58.5
(14.7)
56.0
(13.3)
45.3
(7.4)
32.7
(0.4)
20.0
(−6.7)
9.7
(−12.4)
32.3
(0.2)
Record low °F (°C) −45
(−43)
−41
(−41)
−35
(−37)
−5
(−21)
11
(−12)
27
(−3)
34
(1)
28
(−2)
15
(−9)
−9
(−23)
−31
(−35)
−47
(−44)
−47
(−44)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.29
(7.4)
0.34
(8.6)
0.44
(11)
1.43
(36)
2.51
(64)
2.36
(60)
1.90
(48)
1.31
(33)
1.17
(30)
0.92
(23)
0.37
(9.4)
0.32
(8.1)
13.36
(339)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 3.3
(8.4)
1.4
(3.6)
1.2
(3.0)
1.0
(2.5)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.2
(0.51)
1.6
(4.1)
3.1
(7.9)
11.8
(30)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 4.6 3.2 4.5 6.4 9.3 9.4 7.3 5.3 4.4 4.9 2.8 3.1 65.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 2.0 1.4 0.7 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.6 1.3 6.5
Source: NOAA

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1920 794
1930 779 −1.9%
1940 1,012 29.9%
1950 1,191 17.7%
1960 1,140 −4.3%
1970 870 −23.7%
1980 929 6.8%
1990 659 −29.1%
2000 611 −7.3%
2010 605 −1.0%
2020 562 −7.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 605 people, 292 households, and 168 families residing in the town. The population density was 852.1 inhabitants per square mile (329.0/km2). There were 357 housing units at an average density of 502.8 units per square mile (194.1 units/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.5% White, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population.

There were 292 households, of which 17.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.5% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.62.

The median age in the town was 57 years. 17.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.6% were from 25 to 44; 31.3% were from 45 to 64; and 32.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

Culture

Badlands.Seen.From.Logan.Ave
Terry in May 2009

Events

Several festivals are held annually in Terry. The largest of these events is "Terry Yippie", a town-wide BBQ and games fair held in Terry Central Park. The Evelyn Cameron Gala is often in the fall. In August, the Prairie County Fair is held at the Terry Fairgrounds.

Tourism

The Terry Badlands WSA and the Evelyn Cameron Museum attract visitors from all over the world every year. The guest registry in the Evelyn Cameron museum has entries from as far away as Europe, Asia, and Africa. Efforts to increase ecotourism include an Americorps VISTA project to create a trail network for hikers and campers in the surrounding badlands. The Terry Badlands Trails Project encourages the Leave No Trace principles.

Education

The only schools in Prairie County are located in Terry. The K-12 enrollment at the beginning of the 07–08 school year was 125 students. Terrier sports programs won state championships in football from 1985 to 1987. They were runner up 4 other times in the 1980s and 1990s. They also won volleyball titles in 1988, 1989 and 2010.

Prairie County Library serves the area.

Media

The major newspaper in Terry is the Terry Tribune, established in 1908. It is published weekly and also as an e-edition.



Infrastructure

The town is just north of Interstate 94, at the cross roads of old highway 10 and highway 253.

Terry Airport is a public use airport located 1 mile southeast of town.

Notable people

  • Norm Clarke, gossip columnist
  • Evelyn Cameron, photographer
  • Donna Lucey, author
  • Robert M. Losey, American meteorologist and air force officer

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Terry (Montana) para niños

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