West Yellowstone is a town in Gallatin County,

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

, United States, adjacent to

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...

. The population was 1,272 at the 2020 census. West Yellowstone is served by Yellowstone Airport. It is part of the Bozeman, MT Micropolitan Statistical Area. West Yellowstone offers lodging, gift shops, and other services to travelers visiting nearby Yellowstone National Park.

History

Founded in June 1908 when the Oregon Short Line Railroad was completed, the town's name changed several times until West Yellowstone was settled upon in 1920. Train service to West Yellowstone ended in 1960. The town was incorporated in 1966.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

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

Climate

At above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

and nearly halfway between the

equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...

and the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

, West Yellowstone experiences a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Dfc''), with cold — sometimes bitterly cold — winters and brief but generally warm summers. West Yellowstone is snow-covered from the beginning of November until the beginning of May. At the peak of the

snowpack Snowpack is an accumulation of snow that compresses with time and melts seasonally, often at high elevation or high latitude. Snowpacks are an important water resource that feed streams and rivers as they melt, sometimes leading to flooding. Snow ...

, which typically occurs in early March, there is 3.5 – 4 feet of snow on the ground. In 2007–2008, West Yellowstone had snow on the ground from late October until mid May, with 4.5 feet of snow by late March. During the summer, the average low is , and the average high is . During the coldest month, January, the average low is , and the average high is . West Yellowstone holds the all-time lowest recorded temperature for any residential community in the

contiguous United States The contiguous United States, also known as the U.S. mainland, officially referred to as the conterminous United States, consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the District of Columbia of the United States in central North America. The te ...

at , although a lower temperature was once recorded at Rogers Pass, Montana, at .

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,271 people, 617 households, and 298 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 969 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 86.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.4%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.1% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 7.5% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people of any race were 17.9% of the population. There were 617 households, of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 51.7% were non-families. 42.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06, and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the town was 39.4 years. 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.1% were from 25 to 44; 34.2% were from 45 to 64; and 8.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 53.1% male and 46.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,177 people, 518 households, and 289 families residing in the town. The

was . There were 806 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 91.93%

, 0.34%

, 0.85% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 4.84% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 7.73% of the population. There were 518 households, out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were

living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.76. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 35.9% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 123.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $30,703, and the median income for a family was $37,250. Males had a median income of $24,297 versus $20,909 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $19,136. About 9.1% of families and 12.9% 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 ...

, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Tourism

Because of its proximity to Yellowstone National Park, the town receives a large amount of tourism, especially from China. To cater to these tourists, the town has commercial signage in

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

as well as six Chinese restaurants. It is estimated to receive more than half its annual business from Chinese tourists.

Education

The CDP is in the West Yellowstone K-12 school district.
Text list
/ref> The town has one school, the West Yellowstone School, serving kindergarten through 12th grade. West Yellowstone High School is a class C school (fewer than 108 students) which helps determine athletic competitions. They are known as the Wolverines. West Yellowstone Public Library serves the area.

Media

Three radio stations are licensed in West Yellowstone. KWYS (AM), broadcasting at 920 kHz and locally owned by Radio West, LLC, plays an oldies format. The FM station KEZQ plays soft adult contemporary music. KPWY is a religious radio station.

Infrastructure

Layout

The D Parkway road roughly separates the town into residential and commercial areas. South of D Parkway is mainly a business/commercial area, while northward is a residential area of homes and apartments. The area north of D Parkway is known to locals as the "Madison Addition".

Transportation

The West Yellowstone Airport, a mainly summer-operating airport, is to the north of town. U.S. Route 20 and U.S. Route 191 pass through the town. The Union Pacific Railroad historically operated the '' Butte Special'' (29/30), which linked with a coordinated train, the ''Yellowstone Special'' (35/36), which ran from

Pocatello, Idaho Pocatello () is the county seat of and the largest city in Bannock County, Idaho, Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, Idaho, Power County, containing the city's airport. It is t ...

to West Yellowstone. The two trains ran linked from Pocatello to Idaho Falls, where the latter train split off for West Yellowstone.Union Pacific 1951 timetable http://streamlinermemories.info/UP/UP9-51TT.pdf Service ended in 1971.

References

External links

Town of West Yellowstone

West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Information Center
{{Authority control * Towns in Gallatin County, Montana Populated places established in 1909