Belt is a town in Cascade 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. The population was 510 according to the 2020 census. It is part of the Great Falls, Montana metropolitan area. The town was named for Belt Butte, a nearby mountain which has a dark layer resembling a belt.

History

Belt was home to Montana's first coal mine. It supplied fuel to Fort Benton. During the coal boom the town was referred to as "Little Pittsburgh", "Coal Banks", or "Black Diamond City". The post office opened on February 2, 1885, with Eugene Clingan as postmaster. Several talented Finnish carpenters and architects contributed to the growth of the town. Fifteen buildings are included in the Belt Commercial Historic District listing on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. With The Belt Museum is housed in the original town jail, also on the National Register of Historic Places. When the Great Falls smelters converted from coal to natural gas in 1930, the town's economy lost a significant source of income.

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. Belt Creek flows through town. The creek has several types of minnows, suckers, and trout. Nearby are the Highwood Mountains and Little Belt Mountains.

Climate

According to the

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 ...

system, Belt has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

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 597 people, 261 households, and 159 families living 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 295 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.5%

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 ...

, 1.7% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.2% 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 of any race were 1.0% of the population. There were 261 households, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.1% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the town was 43.4 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.4% were from 25 to 44; 30.4% were from 45 to 64; and 18.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.1% male and 49.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 666 people, 273 households, and 168 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 295 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.94%

, 1.42%

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 ...

, 1.42% Native American, 0.32%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.16% from other races, and 1.74% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.11% of the population. There were 273 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 3.03. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,469, and the median income for a family was $30,104. Males had a median income of $21,477 versus $20,192 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 city was $14,970. About 10.2% 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 19.8% of those under age 18 and 16.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Belt Public Schools educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. They are known as the Huskies. Belt High School is a Class C school, a classification used for athletic competitions in the state.

Media

The ''Judith Basin Press'' is the newspaper serving Belt. It is based in Stanford and published weekly. Radio station KGFJ is licensed in Belt. It is part of Christian Satellite Network (CSN) International.

Infrastructure and economy

U.S. Route 89 runs south and west of town. Montana Secondary Highway 331 enters town from the west and exits through the north. The nearest airport is the Great Falls International Airport. Great Falls also has the nearest medical facilities. Harvest Moon Brewing Company produces craft beer. As of 2023 they have distributors in five states.

Notable people

* James R. Browning, judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit * Matt Maki, Finnish-born master carpenter and builder of the 1890s

References

External links

Official website

Belt Public Schools
{{Montana Regions and Towns with Breweries Towns in Cascade County, Montana Great Falls Metropolitan Area