Lewistown, Montana

Lewistown (Assiniboine: Wá ską́šį diʾóda  ) is a city in and the county seat of Fergus County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,901 at the 2010 census. Lewistown is located in central Montana, the geographic center of the state, southeast of Great Falls. First planned in 1882, it was the site of an 1880s gold rush.

Geography
Lewistown is located at 47.06472°N, -109.43°W (47.064615, -109.429882).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.9 sqmi, all of it land.

The city is located in the exact center of the state of Montana and is part of the Rocky Mountains. The city's water source is Big Spring Creek which originates in the Big Snowy Mountains located south of Lewistown.

History
The area that is now Lewistown was once the territory of the Blackfoot Native Americans. In 1874, the Military base Fort Lewis was established there by the Company "F" of the 7th U.S. Infantry to provide military protection for people traveling on the Carroll Trail, the then shortest route between Carroll, Montana and Helena, Montana. Lewistown is named after this fort.

The first permanent settlers of Lewistown were Métis. The Metis established Lewiston in 1879. With them came Francis A. Janeaux, the founder of Lewistown. He founded the first public school house in 1883. This date is considered the official "founding" of Lewistown.

Lewistown was also the site of a gold rush when gold was discovered in the nearby Judith Mountains in 1880. Before the gold rush, Maiden was the largest city in central Montana. When the gold supply ran out, many of the miners gained new employment in Lewistown and settled there permanently.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,813 people, 2,594 households, and 1,507 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,055.3 people per square mile (1,181.3/km²). There were 2,868 housing units at an average density of 1,507.4 per square mile (582.8/km²).

The racial makeup of the city was 96.53% White, 0.07% African American, 1.41% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.

There were 2,594 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 37.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,949, and the median income for a family was $36,888. Males had a median income of $30,231 versus $20,019 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,817. About 9.0% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.

Local Radio

 * KXLO AM 1230, 1,000 watts
 * KLCM FM 95.9, 3,000 watts

Notable residents

 * Loren Acton — Astronaut and physicist born here.
 * Roy E. Ayers, Governor of and United States Congressman from Montana.
 * Walter A. Coslet — Figure in science fiction fandom and Bible collecting was born here.
 * Alma Smith Jacobs - first African American Montana State Librarian
 * Ed McGivern (1874–1957) a famous exhibition shooter, shooting instructor and author of the book Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting was born here.
 * Bobby Petrino — Former head football coach of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks and NFL's Atlanta Falcons. Born here; raised in Helena.
 * Rick Rydell - radio talk showhost and outdoors author worked at the local radio stations here.
 * Tom Stout - United States Congressman from Montana.
 * Roger Youderian — Christian martyr, was raised here.

Climate
Lewistown experiences a dry continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with long, cold, dry winters and short, warm, wetter summers.