Judith Gap is a town in Wheatland 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 110 at the 2020 census.

History

The

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

here was initially named "Ubet", after A. R. Barrows' nearby

stage stop A stage station or relay station, also known as a staging post, a posting station, or a stage stop, is a place where exhausted horses could be replaced by fresh animals, since a long journey was much faster without delays when horses needed rest ...

settlement Ubet, Montana. Judith Gap, like the river and mountains, derives its name from Capt. William Clark’s fiancée, Julia (Judith) Hancock. Judith Gap’s economic prospects soared in 2005 with the construction of a major

wind farm A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used Wind power, to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundre ...

Geography

Judith Gap is located at (46.678874, -109.753151). The town is situated in the historic Judith Gap, which is a small gap between the two towering mountain ranges (Big Snowy Mountains and Little Belt Mountains) that separate Central Montana from Southern Montana. This gap has been used by settlers and Native Americans for centuries, including

Chief Joseph ''Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt'' (or ''Hinmatóowyalahtq̓it'' in Americanist orthography), popularly known as Chief Joseph, Young Joseph, or Joseph the Younger (March 3, 1840 – September 21, 1904), was a leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain (Wallowa ...

and the

Nez Perce The Nez Percé (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years.Ames, K ...

during their famous 1877 flight to Canada. 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 city 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 126 people, 64 households, and 34 families residing in the city. 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 83 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.0%

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 ...

, 0.8%

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 ...

, 2.4%

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 0.8% from two or more races. There were 64 households, of which 12.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% 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, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.9% were non-families. 42.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.65. The median age in the city was 58 years. 10.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.1% were from 25 to 44; 38.9% were from 45 to 64; and 26.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.4% male and 47.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 164 people, 69 households, and 48 families residing in the city. The

was 440.9 people per square mile (171.1/km²). There were 94 housing units at an average density of 252.7 per square mile (98.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.46%

, 1.22%

, 1.22% Native American, 0.61%

, and 5.49% from two or more races. There were 69 households, out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were

living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.83. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 31.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 121.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $16,979, and the median income for a family was $17,292. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $11,250 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 city was $8,927. About 33.3% of families and 37.3% 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 65.7% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over.

Climate

The Köppen Climate System classifies the weather as

humid continental A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

, abbreviated as ''Dfb''.

Judith Gap Wind Farm

Because of its

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

and

prevailing wind In meteorology, prevailing wind in a region of the Earth's surface is a surface wind that blows predominantly from a particular direction. The dominant winds are the trends in direction of wind with the highest speed over a particular point o ...

s, Judith Gap is the site of one of the most ambitious

wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to electricity generation, generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable energy, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller Environmental impact of wi ...

projects in the United States. The 90 wind turbines at the Judith Gap Wind Farm have a nameplate capacity of 135 MW.
Judith Gap Wind Farm

Education

Judith Gap School educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Judith Gap High School's team name is the Tigers. Judith Gap is part of the Tri-City sports coop with Hobson and Moore.

References

External links

{{authority control Cities in Wheatland County, Montana Cities in Montana