City in Montana, United States
City in Montana, United States
Glasgow
is a city in and the
county seat
of
Valley County
,
Montana
, United States. The population was 3,202 at the
2020 census
.
[4]
Despite being just the
23rd most populous
city in Montana, Glasgow is the most populous city for over 110 mi (177 km), thus making it an important economic hub for a large region in
Eastern Montana
.
[5]
Both
Amtrak
and the
National Weather Service
operate facilities in Glasgow that link the city to the surrounding region.
[6]
[7]
History
[
edit
]
Native Americans
inhabited the region for centuries, and extensive
buffalo
and
pronghorn antelope
herds provided ample food for the nomadic tribes. The
Nakoda
,
Lakota
, and
Dakota peoples
alternately inhabited and claimed the region from the 16th to the late 19th centuries. In 1804 the
Lewis and Clark Expedition
came within 15 miles (24 km) of the future site of Glasgow and noted the extensive herds of buffalo and various game. In 1851, the US government formed the first treaty with the Native American tribes, in 1885 the tribes engaged in the last known buffalo hunt in the region.
From 1885 to Montana Statehood in 1889, the tribes participated in agreements with the US government to re-drawing the Fort Peck reservation boundaries in exchange for federal subsidies.
[8]
As more and more homesteaders moved into the surrounding areas, pressure was placed on Congress to open up the Fort Peck Reservation to homesteading, resulting in tribes leaving the Glasgow area.
Glasgow was founded in 1887 as a
railroad town
by
James Hill
, who was responsible for creating many communities along the
Hi-Line
. He and a local railroader named the town when they spun a globe with a finger landing on
Glasgow, Scotland
.
[9]
Glasgow grew during the 1930s when President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
authorized the construction of the
Fort Peck Dam
, which became a major source of employment for the Glasgow area.
[10]
During World War II, the
Glasgow Army Airfield
housed the 96th Bombardment Squadron and 614th Bombardment Squadron, flying B-17 Flying Fortresses, at different times during the war. Starting in December 1944, a German POW camp was established at the facility, lasting until the end of the war. After the war ended the base was closed, and part of the facility eventually became the present day
Glasgow Valley County Airport
. Glasgow was the death place of Lieutenant Colonel
Ronald Speirs
, famed member of Easy Company, 101st Airborne.
[11]
In the 1960s, the population rose to about 6,400 due to the nearby presence of the
Glasgow Air Force Base
, (SAC air command and housing B-52 bombers) used during the
Vietnam War
and the earlier part of the
Cold War
. A significant amount of mid-century modern and
Googie
-style architecture was built then. After the de-activation and closure of the base in 1969, Glasgow's population declined to about half its one-time size by 1990, when the loss rate stabilized.
[12]
[13]
Glasgow still functions as the major regional administrative, shopping and services hub for Valley County and some of the areas beyond.
Geography
[
edit
]
According to the
United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1.43 square miles (3.7 km
2
), all land.
[14]
The town has an elevation of 2,093 feet (638 m).
[15]
It is nestled in the
Milk River
Valley with the river itself meandering along to south.
Glasgow is 18 miles (29 km) west of
Fort Peck Lake
, the fifth largest artificial lake in the United States. The lake is popular for fishing and for recreation. The
Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge
surrounds the lake providing an opportunity to experience nearly the same surroundings as encountered by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805.
[16]
Using data from
Oxford University
's Big Data Institute,
The Washington Post
, in 2018, identified Glasgow as "the middle of nowhere" for the contiguous United States. The article stated "Of all towns with more than 1,000 residents, Glasgow
... is farthest – about 4.5 hours in any direction – from any metropolitan area of more than 75,000 people".
[17]
Climate
[
edit
]
Glasgow experiences a continental
semi-arid climate
(
Koppen climate classification
BSk
) with long, dry winters with typically freezing but exceedingly variable temperatures and hot, dry summers. The extreme variability of winter temperatures is due to the large warming produced by
chinook winds
as air descending from the Rockies is warmed, contrasting with very cold continental air masses typical of inland locations at this latitude. As an illustration, the record cold month of February 1936 averaged ?15.8 °F (?26.6 °C), but the two warmest Februaries of 1931 and 1984 averaged above 32 °F or 0 °C and had mean maxima above 43.5 °F or 6.4 °C. Snowfall averages 34.8 inches or 0.88 metres per year.
[18]
Tornadoes
are a rare occurrence. Two
F2
tornadoes did, however, hit the Glasgow area on June 25, 1975.
[19]
Climate data for
Glasgow Valley County Airport
, Montana, 1991?2020 normals, extremes 1893?present
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °F (°C)
|
62
(17)
|
74
(23)
|
81
(27)
|
93
(34)
|
102
(39)
|
110
(43)
|
113
(45)
|
108
(42)
|
103
(39)
|
96
(36)
|
79
(26)
|
69
(21)
|
113
(45)
|
Mean maximum °F (°C)
|
46.7
(8.2)
|
49.1
(9.5)
|
65.7
(18.7)
|
78.9
(26.1)
|
86.5
(30.3)
|
93.8
(34.3)
|
98.8
(37.1)
|
99.3
(37.4)
|
92.7
(33.7)
|
80.7
(27.1)
|
64.3
(17.9)
|
48.3
(9.1)
|
101.4
(38.6)
|
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)
|
23.5
(?4.7)
|
28.0
(?2.2)
|
41.8
(5.4)
|
56.8
(13.8)
|
67.7
(19.8)
|
76.3
(24.6)
|
85.5
(29.7)
|
84.8
(29.3)
|
72.9
(22.7)
|
56.5
(13.6)
|
40.0
(4.4)
|
27.2
(?2.7)
|
55.1
(12.8)
|
Daily mean °F (°C)
|
14.6
(?9.7)
|
18.7
(?7.4)
|
31.6
(?0.2)
|
44.8
(7.1)
|
55.5
(13.1)
|
64.5
(18.1)
|
72.0
(22.2)
|
71.0
(21.7)
|
59.9
(15.5)
|
45.2
(7.3)
|
30.2
(?1.0)
|
18.5
(?7.5)
|
43.9
(6.6)
|
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)
|
5.8
(?14.6)
|
9.4
(?12.6)
|
21.4
(?5.9)
|
32.8
(0.4)
|
43.3
(6.3)
|
52.7
(11.5)
|
58.5
(14.7)
|
57.2
(14.0)
|
46.9
(8.3)
|
33.8
(1.0)
|
20.5
(?6.4)
|
9.7
(?12.4)
|
32.7
(0.4)
|
Mean minimum °F (°C)
|
?22.9
(?30.5)
|
?14.5
(?25.8)
|
?4.0
(?20.0)
|
16.4
(?8.7)
|
28.3
(?2.1)
|
41.4
(5.2)
|
48.1
(8.9)
|
43.6
(6.4)
|
30.4
(?0.9)
|
15.1
(?9.4)
|
?2.8
(?19.3)
|
?16.5
(?26.9)
|
?27.8
(?33.2)
|
Record low °F (°C)
|
?56
(?49)
|
?59
(?51)
|
?45
(?43)
|
?19
(?28)
|
15
(?9)
|
24
(?4)
|
34
(1)
|
28
(?2)
|
14
(?10)
|
?8
(?22)
|
?41
(?41)
|
?47
(?44)
|
?59
(?51)
|
Average
precipitation
inches (mm)
|
0.44
(11)
|
0.35
(8.9)
|
0.47
(12)
|
1.01
(26)
|
2.22
(56)
|
2.83
(72)
|
1.95
(50)
|
1.27
(32)
|
1.06
(27)
|
0.92
(23)
|
0.49
(12)
|
0.43
(11)
|
13.44
(340.9)
|
Average snowfall inches (cm)
|
9.8
(25)
|
6.2
(16)
|
5.6
(14)
|
2.5
(6.4)
|
0.9
(2.3)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
1.5
(3.8)
|
5.9
(15)
|
8.3
(21)
|
40.7
(103.5)
|
Average extreme snow depth inches (cm)
|
7.1
(18)
|
5.8
(15)
|
5.2
(13)
|
1.6
(4.1)
|
0.2
(0.51)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.9
(2.3)
|
3.2
(8.1)
|
4.9
(12)
|
9.9
(25)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 0.01 in)
|
7.8
|
6.4
|
6.8
|
7.8
|
10.6
|
12.7
|
9.2
|
7.6
|
6.7
|
6.7
|
6.2
|
6.6
|
95.1
|
Average snowy days
(≥ 0.1 in)
|
8.5
|
6.7
|
5.1
|
2.2
|
0.6
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
1.5
|
4.6
|
7.1
|
36.3
|
Source 1: NOAA
[20]
|
Source 2: National Weather Service(Snow depth 1991-2023)
[21]
|
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1910
| 1,158
| | ?
|
---|
1920
| 2,059
| | 77.8%
|
---|
1930
| 2,216
| | 7.6%
|
---|
1940
| 3,799
| | 71.4%
|
---|
1950
| 3,821
| | 0.6%
|
---|
1960
| 6,398
| | 67.4%
|
---|
1970
| 4,700
| | ?26.5%
|
---|
1980
| 4,455
| | ?5.2%
|
---|
1990
| 3,572
| | ?19.8%
|
---|
2000
| 3,253
| | ?8.9%
|
---|
2010
| 3,250
| | ?0.1%
|
---|
2020
| 3,202
| | ?1.5%
|
---|
As of the 2010
census
,
[22]
there were 3,250 people, 1,479 households, and 834 families residing in the city. The
population density
was 2,272.7 inhabitants per square mile (877.5/km
2
). There were 1,653 housing units at an average density of 1,155.9 per square mile (446.3/km
2
). The racial makeup of the city was 91.8%
white
, .2%
African American
, 4.5%
Native American
, .3%
Asian
, .4% from
other races
, and 2.7% from two or more races.
Hispanic
or
Latino
of any race were 1.8% of the population.
There were 1,479 households, of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were
married couples
living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.6% were non-families. 39.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.85.
The median age in the city was 45.6 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.3% were from 25 to 44; 28% were from 45 to 64; and 22.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,504. 14.5% of the population were below the federal poverty line, compared to 15.1% for the USA as a whole.
Economy
[
edit
]
In May 2012, the major industries present in Glasgow were retail (23% of employment), public administration (16%), construction (14%), and health care and social assistance (7%). Farmers and farm services comprised 4% of employment. As of June 2014
[update]
, the unemployment rate was 3.2%.
[23]
For Valley County, the median value of owner-occupied housing units was $160,800 from 2017 to 2021.
[24]
Education
[
edit
]
Glasgow is served by the
Glasgow School District
[25]
with three public schools. For the 2021-2022 school year, 379 students were enrolled in kindergarten through 5th grade at Irle Elementary School.
[26]
At Glasgow Middle School, for 6th-8th grade, 167 students were enrolled.
[27]
Glasgow High School
had 245 students enrolled.
[28]
The team name for the school is the Scotties.
[29]
From 2017-2022 census data on those 25 years and older in Valley County, 93% had attained high school graduation or higher, 19.1% had a Bachelor's degree or higher.
[24]
Glasgow City-County Library serves the area.
[30]
Sports
[
edit
]
As of 2023, the Scotties of Glasgow High School have won 48 Montana state championships.
[31]
Glasgow High School offered 13 sports in 2023.
[31]
Since the 1992?93 school year, they have competed as a Class B school, a designation used by the
Montana High School Association
based on population.
They have won 14 state championships and 33 state trophies in boys wrestling.
[32]
The Girls Cross Country team has won the state championship 16 times.
[33]
The Glasgow Reds baseball team competes in the
American Legion Baseball
league, played by 13-to-19-year-olds. They finished second at the state championships in 2000 and 2012 and third in 1999, 2013, and 2015.
Infrastructure
[
edit
]
Crime
[
edit
]
There were no reports of rape or murder occurring in Glasgow in 2010, compared with one murder the previous year, and 16 incidents of rape from 2003 to 2008. Overall, the crime rate to 2010 appears to be in a general downward trend, and is well below the national average.
[23]
A sheriff's detention facility was completed in April 2011 at a cost of $3.16
million. The facility, located downtown, is 10,000 square feet (930 m
2
) and has 26 beds, replacing the 16 beds of the previous jail. The detention center houses inmates from local police and sheriff, as well as regional inmates for agencies such as the
FBI
,
U.S. Marshals Service
and
Montana Highway Patrol
and has an average of 16 inmates on any given day.
[
citation needed
]
Transportation
[
edit
]
Rail
[
edit
]
Glasgow
is on the
Hi-Line
of the
BNSF Railway
and is served daily westbound and eastbound by
Amtrak
's
Empire Builder
route.
[34]
Glasgow is served by
Glasgow Valley County Airport
and has daily commercial service to
Billings
. Since 2013, the commercial air service provider is
Cape Air
.
Glasgow and the greater Valley County region are served by a non-profit taxi/bus service called Valley Country Transit.
[35]
Bus and/or Van rides are available daily for in-county travel purposes. Riders are charged on a per trip basis and must call in a ride.
As of 2022, the transportation service,
Uber
is also now in operation within city limits.
Roads
[
edit
]
Glasgow is located on
U.S. Highway 2
, which is a major east-west traffic corridor of the northern Great Plains region.
Montana Highway 24
passes nearby the city, a major north-south route connecting southern Montana to Canada. No
Interstates
run near the region.
Media
[
edit
]
Glasgow is part of the Glendive Media Market, as of 2021, the smallest tracked by
Neilson
serving an estimated 3,900 homes.
[36]
Newspaper
[
edit
]
Local radio stations
[
edit
]
Local television stations
[
edit
]
Notable people
[
edit
]
- Stacy Edwards
, actress
- Julie Golob
, professional sharpshooter and competition shooter
- Ann Hould-Ward
, Tony-winning costume designer
- Michael McFaul
, former
United States Ambassador to Russia
- Donald Grant Nutter
, 15th
governor of Montana
- Tony Raines
,
NASCAR
driver
- Uan Rasey
, trumpeter who played on several motion picture soundtracks in the 1950s and 1960s
- Steve Reeves
,
bodybuilder
and actor
- Daanyaal Hussain,
Race car driver
for the now defunct
Talbot
- Jerry Rosholt
, journalist and author
- Brian Salonen
,
NFL
player
- Anthony Washington
, three-time Olympic
discus thrower
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"ArcGIS REST Services Directory"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
September 5,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Glasgow, Montana
- ^
"Look Up a ZIP Code"
. USPS. Archived from
the original
on July 5, 2015.
- ^
a
b
"U.S. Census website"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
November 2,
2021
.
- ^
Bureau, U.S. Census.
"U.S. Census website"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
July 31,
2019
.
- ^
"Glasgow Amtrak Station"
.
Montana
. Retrieved
July 31,
2019
.
- ^
US Department of Commerce, NOAA.
"Glasgow, MT"
.
www.weather.gov
. Retrieved
July 31,
2019
.
- ^
Shanley, James; Smith, Dennis; McGeshick, Joseph R.; Miller, David Reed (2008).
The History of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana, 1800?2000
. Poplar, MT: Fort Peck Community College. p. 497.
ISBN
978-0-9759196-5-1
. Retrieved
February 21,
2017
.
- ^
Helland, Joan; Helland, Mary; Maxness, Marilyn; Rea, James; Rusher, Kitty Lou (2010).
Glasgow and Valley County
. Images of America. Valley County Historical Society. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 7?8.
ISBN
978-0-7385-8063-0
.
LCCN
2009943666
.
OCLC
535495456
.
OL
24383083M
.
James Hill, president of the
St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railroad
, soon to be the
Great Northern
, could not wait to share what he had seen with the rest of the world. They spun a globe, a railroad worker's finger landed on Glasgow, Scotland, and the siding was named Glasgow,
Montana Territory
.
- ^
"Glasgow"
.
Montana Place Names Companion
. Montana Historical Society
. Retrieved
April 3,
2021
.
- ^
"Glasgow, Montana"
. Big Sky Fishing.Com
. Retrieved
April 25,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
"U.S. Decennial Census"
. Census.gov. April 20, 2012
. Retrieved
April 25,
2012
.
- ^
"Population Estimates"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Archived from
the original
on October 19, 2016
. Retrieved
July 16,
2016
.
- ^
"US Gazetteer files 2010"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Archived from
the original
on January 12, 2012
. Retrieved
December 18,
2012
.
- ^
"Profile for Glasgow, Montana, MT"
. ePodunk. Archived from
the original
on May 15, 2019
. Retrieved
April 25,
2012
.
- ^
"Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge"
. US Fish and Wildlife Service
. Retrieved
October 4,
2023
.
- ^
Van Dam, Andrew; Karklis, Laris (February 20, 2018).
"Using the best data possible, we set out to find the middle of nowhere"
.
The Washington Post
.
Archived
from the original on June 13, 2018.
- ^
"Weather Forecast Office Glasgow: About Us"
. NOAA National Weather Service. June 25, 2018.
Archived
from the original on October 7, 2018.
Normal snowfall is 34.8 inches [34 inches or 0.86 metres], but the record was 108.6
″
[108.6 inches or 2.76 metres] in 2010?2011.
- ^
"Tornado History Project: Maps and Statistics"
.
www.tornadohistoryproject.com
.
- ^
"U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access"
. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Retrieved
September 7,
2022
.
- ^
"NOAA Online Weather Data"
. National Weather Service
. Retrieved
September 7,
2022
.
- ^
"U.S. Census website"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
December 18,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
"Glasgow, Montana"
. City-Data.com.
Archived
from the original on June 23, 2015.
- ^
a
b
"QuickFacts Valley County, Montana"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
October 4,
2023
.
- ^
"Glasgow Public Schools web page"
. Glasgow.k12.mt.us. April 11, 2012
. Retrieved
April 25,
2012
.
- ^
"Irle Elementary School"
. National Center for Education Statistics
. Retrieved
October 4,
2023
.
- ^
"Glasgow Middle School"
. National Center for Education Statistics
. Retrieved
October 4,
2023
.
- ^
"Glasgow High School"
. National Center for Education Statistics
. Retrieved
October 4,
2023
.
- ^
"Member Schools"
. Montana High School Association
. Retrieved
April 19,
2021
.
- ^
"Glasgow City-County Library"
. Retrieved
April 13,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"Glasgow Scottie Athletics"
. Glasgow High School
. Retrieved
October 4,
2023
.
- ^
"Wrestling"
. Glasgow High School
. Retrieved
October 4,
2023
.
- ^
"Girls Cross Country"
. Glasgow High School
. Retrieved
October 4,
2023
.
- ^
"Glasgow Train Station"
. Glasgow, Montana: Amtrak
. Retrieved
June 20,
2023
.
- ^
"Valley County Transit"
. Glasgow, Montana: Valley County Transit
. Retrieved
March 4,
2023
.
- ^
AdeptPlus.
"Nielsen DMA 2021 Rankings"
.
MediaTracks Communications
. Retrieved
February 8,
2021
.
- ^
"About
The Glasgow Courier
"
.
The Glasgow Courier
. 2016.
ISSN
2378-8305
.
LCCN
sn85042379
.
OCLC
12317058
.
Archived
from the original on September 5, 2015.
- ^
"KLTZ"
. FCC
. Retrieved
October 4,
2023
.
- ^
"KLAN"
. FCC
. Retrieved
October 4,
2023
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
International
| |
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National
| |
---|
Geographic
| |
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Other
| |
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