Chester is a town in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Liberty County,

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, United States. The population was 847 at the time of both the 2010 and

2020 U.S. Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

History

The name “Chester” was chosen by the first telegraph operator here and named in honor of his hometown in Pennsylvania. It was incorporated in 1910.

Geography

Chester is located at (48.511105, -110.967126). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 847 people, 395 households, and 223 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 462 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.2%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.2%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 2.0% from two or more races. There were 395 households, of which 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 0.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.5% were non-families. 41.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the town was 51 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.2% were from 25 to 44; 29.3% were from 45 to 64; and 27.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 45.5% male and 54.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 871 people, 384 households, and 228 families living in the town. The

was 1,668.2 people per square mile (715.5/km²). There were 471 housing units at an average density of 1,010.2 per square mile (386.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.74%

, 0.23% Native American, 0.57%

, and 0.46% from two or more races. There were 384 households, out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were

living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.79. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 20.1% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 27.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $27,578, and the median income for a family was $42,639. Males had a median income of $26,154 versus $17,417 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $16,077. About 14.6% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

Chester experiences a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''BSk'') with long, cold, dry winters and short, hot, wetter summers. This type of a semi-arid climate is a dry

continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' ( ...

variety with similar temperatures as the more humid ones, albeit with less precipitation.

Infrastructure

Liberty County Airport is a county-owned airport a mile west of Chester.
CJI (Chester-Joplin-Inverness) School
was formed in 2005 and competes in the Class C division of the Montana High School Association
The Liberty Medical Center
is host to primary care physicians, nurses, and visiting medical specialists. During the summer, the Liberty County Museum showcases the rich history of the area and its people. Also, during the summer, the city operates the swimming pool, provides certified swim lessons, and hosts an annual swim meet drawing competitors from around the state. The Liberty Village Arts Center displays a variety of local and regional items for show and for purchase. At the library, there are print and digital media and internet connected computers. The city park provides a pavilion, picnic and playground area, and restrooms. In the winter, there is an ice skating rink. Liberty County Transit is available for all ages and provides transportation within Liberty County and to connect to Amtrak in Shelby or to the bus and planes in Great Falls. Transportation for medical appointments is also available.

Recreation

Tiber Dam Tiber Dam, located in southern Liberty County in northern Montana, USA, is a dam on the Marias River which forms Lake Elwell, also known as Tiber Reservoir. Construction on the dam began in 1952 and it was complete in 1956. Between 1967 and 1969, ...

and

Lake Elwell Lake Elwell (a.k.a. Tiber Reservoir) is a reservoir in north central Montana. The reservoir was created by the damming of the Marias River at the Tiber Dam. Lake Elwell was named for Judge Charles B. Elwell (1888–1974), former director of the ...

, southwest of Chester, offer opportunities for boating, skiing, camping, picnicking, and both freshwater fishing and ice fishing. Fishing and floating are also available on the

Marias River The Marias River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 210 mi (338 km) long, in the U.S. state of Montana. It is formed in Glacier County, in northwestern Montana, by the confluence of the Cut Bank Creek and the Two Medi ...

downstream from

. The Sweet Grass Hills to the north are the highest elevation peaks east of Glacier Park within of Highway 2. Hunting for deer, antelope, game birds, and elk is popular in the fall.

Local media

Radio

KSEN KSEN (1150 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Shelby, Montana. The station is owned by Townsquare Media, and licensed to Townsquare License, LLC. It airs an oldies music format. The stations studios are at 830 Oilfield Avenue in Shelby, al ...

AM 1150 "Good as Gold", Shelby, MT(

Oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...

) *

KZIN The Kzinti (singular Kzin) are a fictional, warlike and bloodthirsty race of cat-like extraterrestrial life, aliens in Larry Niven's ''Known Space'' series. The Kzinti were initially introduced in Niven's story "The Warriors" (originally in ''Wo ...

FM 96.7 "Wide Open Country", Shelby, MT (

Country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

) * KPQX FM 92.5 "Your Kind of Country", Havre, MT (

) * KXEI FM 95.1 "Your Network of Praise", Havre, MT (

Christian music Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely around ...

) * KMON AM 560 Great Falls, MT(

Classic Country Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country and western music hits from past decades. Repertoire The radio format specializes in hits from the 1950s through the early 1980s, and focus primarily on innov ...

)

Television

Stations available from the

Great Falls Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

market: *

KRTV KRTV (channel 3) is a television station in Great Falls, Montana, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside KTVH-DT, KTGF-LD (channel 50), the local NBC affiliate, and is part of the Mo ...

Ch. 3.1 (

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

), Ch 3.2 ( CW), Ch 3.3 ( Grit), Ch 3.4 (

ION An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conven ...

), Ch 3.5 (

Laff Laff (legal name: Laff Media, LLC) is an American digital multicast television network headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and is owned by the Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network specializes in comedy programmi ...

) *

KTVH KTVH-DT (channel 12) is a television station in Helena, Montana, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside CBS affiliate KXLH-LD (channel 9). Both stations share studios on West Ly ...

Ch. 12.1 (

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

), Ch 12.2 ( CW), Ch 12.3 (

Cozi TV Cozi TV (stylized on-air as COZI TV) is an American free-to-air television network owned by the NBC Owned Television Stations division of NBCUniversal. The network airs classic television series from the 1960s to the 2000s. The network origina ...

), 12.4 (

Court TV Court TV is an American digital broadcast network and former cable television channel. It was originally launched in 1991 with a focus on crime-themed programs such as true crime documentary series, legal analysis talk shows, and live news cove ...

), 12.5 (

Court TV Mystery Ion Mystery (formerly Escape and Court TV Mystery, stylized as ESCAPE and MYSTERY; formerly branded on-air as Mystery) is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. It focu ...

) * KUGF-TV Ch. 21.1 (

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

), Ch 21.2 (

PBS Kids PBS Kids is the brand for most of the children's programming aired by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. Some public television children's programs are not produced by PBS member stations or transmitted by PBS. Instead, ...

), Ch 21.3 ( Create), Ch 21.4 ( World)), Ch 21.5 (Legislature) *

KFBB KFBB-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Great Falls, Montana, United States, affiliated with American Broadcasting Company, ABC, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox and MyNetworkTV. Owned by the Cowles Company, the station maintains studios and ...

Ch. 5.1 (

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

), Ch 5.2 (

FOX Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

), Ch 5.3 (

SWX Right Now SWX Right Now (Sports and Weather Right Now) is a regional digital subchannel network broadcasting high school and college sports, and automated weather and news on Cowles Company-owned stations throughout Eastern Washington state, the Idaho Panh ...

) Stations available from the

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

, Alberta, market: *

CISA-DT CISA-DT (channel 7) is a television station in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, part of the Global Television Network. Owned and operated by network parent Corus Entertainment, the station maintains studios inside the Royal Bank building at the co ...

Ch. 7.1 (

Global Global means of or referring to a globe and may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 1989 * ''Global'' (Todd Rundgren album), 2015 * Bruno ...

) *

CFCN-DT CFCN-DT (channel 4) is a television station in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside cable-exclusive CTV 2 Alberta (based in Edmonton with sister station CFRN ...

Ch. 13.1 ( CTV) Satellite television providers are available to the entire area. Wired internet streaming available from Triangle Telephone ITS.

Newspapers

The ''Liberty County Times'' is a weekly newspaper from Chester. The ''

Havre Daily News The ''Havre Daily News'' is an afternoon newspaper printed in Havre, Montana Havre ( ) is the county seat and largest city in Hill County, Montana, United States. Havre is nicknamed the crown jewel of the Hi-Line. It is said to be named after ...

'' is regionally available. Its circulation is 3,500 papers daily, published Monday through Friday. It has a full online edition by subscription, as well as some free content online. The larger ''

Great Falls Tribune The ''Great Falls Tribune'' is a daily morning newspaper printed in Helena, Montana. It is one of Montana's largest newspaper companies. History The first edition of the newspaper then called the ''Weekly Tribune'' was printed on May 14, 188 ...

'' is also available in most areas.

Notable people

Philip Aaberg Philip Aaberg (born April 8, 1949) is an American pianist and composer. He gained international recognition through a series of successful piano recordings released on Windham Hill Records. Although classically trained, Aaberg incorporates clas ...

, pianist, keyboardist, and composer was born in Chester in 1949 * Michael Claxton (born 1976), basketball player and coach *

Casey FitzSimmons Casey FitzSimmons (born October 10, 1980) is a former National Football League tight end. He played his whole career for the Detroit Lions. High school years FitzSimmons attended Chester High School in Chester, Montana and was an All-Conferenc ...

, NFL tight end with Detroit Lions * William E. Hunt, Montana Supreme Court Justice (1985–2000) *

Allen Kolstad Allen C. Kolstad (December 24, 1931 – August 2, 2008) was an American politician from Montana. A Republican Party (United States), Republican from Chester, Montana, Chester in Liberty County, Montana, he was prominent in state politics fo ...

, former Lieutenant Governor of Montana (1989–1991)

References

External links

Town of Chester
{{Montana county seats Towns in Liberty County, Montana County seats in Montana