Bozeman ( ) is a
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of
Gallatin County, Montana
Gallatin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. With its county seat in Bozeman, it is the second-most populous county in Montana, with a population of 118,960 in the 2020 Census.
The county's prominent geographical featur ...
, United States. The
2020 United States census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it Montana's
fourth-largest city.
It is the principal city of the Bozeman, Montana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, consisting of all of Gallatin County, with a population of 118,960.
It is the second-largest of Montana's statistical areas.
History
Early history
For many years,
indigenous people of the United States, including the
Shoshone
The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ), also known by the endonym Newe, are an Native Americans in the United States, Indigenous people of the United States with four large cultural/linguistic divisions:
* Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming
* Northern Shoshon ...
,
Nez Perce
The Nez Perce (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning 'we, the people') are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who still live on a fraction of the lands on the southeastern Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest. This region h ...
,
Blackfeet,
Flathead,
Crow Nation and
Sioux
The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...
traveled through the area, called the "Valley of the Flowers".
The
Gallatin Valley in particular, in which Bozeman is located, was primarily within the territory of the Crow people.
19th century
William Clark visited the area in July 1806 as he traveled east from
Three Forks along the
Gallatin River. The party camped east of what is now Bozeman, at the mouth of Kelly Canyon. The journal entries from Clark's party briefly describe the future city's location.
John Bozeman
In 1863,
John Bozeman, a pioneer and frontiersman from
Pickens County, Georgia, along with a partner named John Jacob, opened the
Bozeman Trail, a new northern trail off the
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...
leading to the mining town of
Virginia City through the Gallatin Valley and the future location of the city of Bozeman.
John Bozeman, with Daniel Rouse and William Beall,
plat
In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...
ted the town in August 1864, stating "standing right in the gate of the mountains ready to swallow up all tenderfeet that would reach the territory from the east, with their golden fleeces to be taken care of."
Red Cloud's War
Red Cloud's War (also referred to as the Bozeman War or the Powder River War) was an armed conflict between an alliance of the Lakota people, Lakota, Cheyenne, Northern Cheyenne, and Northern Arapaho peoples against the United States and the Crow ...
closed the Bozeman Trail in 1868, but the town's fertile land still attracted permanent settlers.
Nelson Story
In 1866,
Nelson Story, a successful
Virginia City, Montana, gold miner originally from
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
, entered the cattle business. Story braved the hostile Bozeman Trail to successfully drive some 1,000 head of
longhorn cattle into
Paradise Valley just east of Bozeman. Eluding the U.S. Army, who tried to turn Story back to protect the drive from hostile Indigenous Americans, Story's cattle formed one of the earliest significant herds in Montana's cattle industry.
Story established a sizable ranch in the Paradise Valley and holdings in the Gallatin Valley. He later donated land to the state for the establishment of Montana State University.
Fort Ellis
Fort Ellis was established in 1867 by Captain R. S. LaMotte and two companies of the 2nd Cavalry, after the murder of John Bozeman near the mouth of Mission Creek on Yellowstone River, and considerable political disturbance in the area led local settlers and miners to feel a need for added protection. The fort, named for
Gettysburg casualty
Colonel Augustus Van Horne Ellis, was decommissioned in 1886 and few remnants are left at the actual site, now occupied by the Fort Ellis Experimental Station of Montana State University. In addition to Fort Ellis, a short-lived fort,
Fort Elizabeth Meagher (also simply known as Fort Meagher), was established in 1867 by volunteer militiamen. This fort was located east of town on Rocky Creek.
Other
In 1864, W.W. Alderson described
Gallatin County as "one of the most beautiful and picturesque valleys the eye ever beheld, abounding in springs of clear water." Many tended to agree, and Bozeman quickly garnered the nickname of "The Egypt" of Montana.
After incorporation, the first issue of the weekly ''Avant Courier'' newspaper, the precursor of today's ''
Bozeman Chronicle'', was published in Bozeman on September 13, 1871.

Bozeman's main cemetery, Sunset Hills Cemetery, was given to the city in 1872 when the English lawyer and philanthropist
William Henry Blackmore purchased the land after his wife Mary Blackmore died of pneumonia in Bozeman in July 1872.
The first library in Bozeman was formed by the Young Men's Library Association in a room above a drugstore in 1872. It later moved to the mayor's office and was taken over by the city in 1890.
[
The first Grange meeting in ]Montana Territory
The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana.
Original boundaries
...
was held in Bozeman in 1873. The Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...
reached Bozeman from the east in 1883. By 1900, Bozeman's population had reached 3,500.
In 1892, the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries established a fish hatchery on Bridger Creek at the entrance to Bridger Canyon. The fourth oldest fish hatchery in the United States, the facility ceased to be primarily a hatchery in 1966 and became the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bozeman National Fish Hatchery, later a fish technology and fish health center. The Center receives approximately 5,000 visitors a year observing biologists working on diet testing, feed manufacturing technology, fish diseases, brood stock development and improvement of water quality.
Bozeman was home to early minor league baseball
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
. In 1892, Bozeman fielded a team in the Class B level Montana State League. In 1909, the Bozeman Irrigators played as members of the Class D level Inter-Mountain League. Both leagues disbanded.
Montana State University was established in 1893 as the state's land-grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
college, then named the Agricultural College of the State of Montana. By the 1920s, the institution was known as Montana State College, and in 1965 it became Montana State University.
20th century
Bozeman's first high school, the Gallatin Valley High School, was built on West Main Street in 1902. Later known as Willson School, named for notable Bozeman architect Fred Fielding Willson, son of Lester S. Willson, the building still stands today and functions as administrative offices for the Bozeman School District.
In the early 20th century, over of the Gallatin Valley were planted in edible pea
Pea (''pisum'' in Latin) is a pulse or fodder crop, but the word often refers to the seed or sometimes the pod of this flowering plant species. Peas are eaten as a vegetable. Carl Linnaeus gave the species the scientific name ''Pisum sativum' ...
s harvested for both canning and seed.[ By the 1920s, canneries in the Bozeman area were major producers of canned peas, and at one point Bozeman produced approximately 75% of all seed peas in the United States. The area was once known as the "Sweet Pea capital of the nation" referencing the prolific edible pea crop. To promote the area and celebrate its prosperity, local business owners began a "Sweet Pea Carnival" that included a parade and queen contest. The annual event lasted from 1906 to 1916. Promoters used the inedible but fragrant and colorful ]sweet pea
The sweet pea, ''Lathyrus odoratus'', is a flowering plant in the genus '' Lathyrus'' in the family Fabaceae ( legumes), native to Sicily, southern Italy and the Aegean Islands.
It is an annual climbing plant, growing to a height of , where ...
flower as an emblem of the celebration. In 1977 the "Sweet Pea" concept was revived as an arts festival rather than a harvest celebration, growing into a three-day event that is one of the largest festivals in Montana.
The first federal building and Post Office was built in 1915. Many years later, while unused, it became a film location, along with downtown Bozeman, in '' A River Runs Through It'' (1992) by Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous accolades such as an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1994, the ...
, starring Brad Pitt
William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...
. It is now used by HRDC, a community organization.
In 1986, the site of the Idaho Pole Co. on Rouse Avenue was designated a Superfund
Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the United States Environmental Pro ...
site and placed on the National Priorities List
The National Priorities List (NPL) is the priority list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial investigation and remedial action (cleanup) financed under the federal Superfund program. Environmental Protec ...
. Idaho Pole treated wood products with creosote
Creosote is a category of carbonaceous chemicals formed by the distillation of various tars and pyrolysis of plant-derived material, such as wood, or fossil fuel. They are typically used as preservatives or antiseptics.
Some creosote types w ...
and pentachlorophenol on the site between 1945 and 1997.
The Museum of the Rockies was created in 1957 as the gift from Butte
In geomorphology, a butte ( ) is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and table (landform), tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from the French l ...
physician Caroline McGill and is a part of Montana State University and an affiliate institution of the Smithsonian. It is Montana's premier natural and cultural history museum and houses permanent exhibits on dinosaurs, geology and Montana history, as well as a planetarium and a living history farm. Paleontologist
Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...
Jack Horner was the museum's first curator of paleontology and brought national notice to the museum for his fossil discoveries in the 1980s.
21st century
From a rank of sixth in the early 1980s, Bozeman has grown to become the fourth largest city in Montana.
Growth in the Gallatin Valley prompted the Gallatin Airport Authority in 2009 to expand the Gallatin Field Airport with two new gates, an expanded passenger screening area, and a third baggage carousel. Subsequently, Gallatin Field was renamed Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.
Bozeman has been one of Montana's fastest growing cities from 1990 into the new millennium, currently growing at a fluctuating rate of 2–3% annually.
In 2009, a natural gas explosion on the 200 block of East Main Street destroyed five buildings housing several businesses including Boodles restaurant and the Montana Trails Gallery. The explosion, caused by a separation in a underground gas line, killed a 36-year-old gallery employee and the resulting fire burned for more than a day.
That same year, city officials were criticized for requesting job applicants provide their user names and passwords to social networking sites.
In 2021, it was reported that median home price in Bozeman were about 75% above the national median, while the median household income was 25% below the national median.
Geography
Bozeman is located at an elevation of . The Bridger Mountains are to the north-northeast, the Tobacco Root Mountains to the west-southwest, the Big Belt Mountains and Horseshoe Hills to the northwest, the Hyalite Peaks of the northern Gallatin Range to the south and the Spanish Peaks of the northern Madison Range to the south-southwest. Bozeman is east of the continental divide, and Interstate 90 passes through the city. It is east of Butte
In geomorphology, a butte ( ) is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and table (landform), tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from the French l ...
, west of Billings, and north of 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 ...
.
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 city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Climate
Bozeman experiences a humid continental climate
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 cold ...
(Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Dfb'') as it is located in a more humid microclimate setting. Bozeman and the surrounding area receive significantly higher rainfall than much of the central and eastern parts of the state, up to of precipitation annually vis-à-vis the common throughout much of Montana east of the Continental Divide. Combined with fertile soils, this means plant growth is relatively lush. This undoubtedly contributed to the Gallatin Valley's early nickname as the "Valley of the Flowers," as well as the establishment of Montana State University, the state's agricultural college, in the city. Bozeman has cold, snowy winters and relatively warm summers, though due to high elevation, temperature changes from day to night can be significant. The highest temperature ever recorded in Bozeman was on July 31, 1892. The lowest recorded temperature, , occurred in 1957 and also 1983.[
Unlike most of the country, Bozeman has actually become cooler with the new 1991–2020 normals. Average highs dropped by , especially in spring and summer. It has also gotten wetter and snowier.
In 2019, Bozeman experienced unusually warm and dry temperatures during the month of December. Montana State University campus reported a daily average of of precipitation for the month, some of the lowest numbers seen in over 120 years. Montana State University also recorded just over of snowfall during December, the second lowest snowfall ever recorded. Additionally, maximum temperatures were warmer and lowest temperatures were above typical standards in previous Decembers. December 2023 has also been unusually warm and dry, in line with the country as a whole.
]
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 53,293 people and 22,041 households in the city. The population density of the city was , a substantial increase since the 2010 census.
The racial makeup of the city was 88.6% White, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 2.4% Asian, 1.1% American Indian, and 0.6% African American. 5.6% of residents identified two or more races.
Of the 22,041 households in the city, each household has on average 2.24 people.
13.2% of Bozeman's population is under 18 years of age, and 10.7% of the population is over 65 years of age. 97.8% of the city's population, at or over the age of 25, has graduated high school or higher, and 64.2% of the population have attained at least a bachelor's degree. The gender makeup of the city is 53% male and 47% female.
The median income household income of the city was $74,113. The median per-capita income was $45,037. 14.7% of the population fell below the poverty line.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 37,280 people, 15,775 households, and 6,900 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 17,464 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.6% 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 ...
, 0.5% 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, 1.9% Asian, 0.1% 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 ...
, 0.7% from other races, and 2.1% 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 2.9% of the population.
There were 15,775 households, of which 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.1% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 56.3% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.80.
The median age in the city was 27.2 years. 15.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 28.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.4% were from 25 to 44; 16.7% were from 45 to 64; and 8.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.6% male and 47.4% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,509 people, 10,877 households, and 5,014 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 11,577 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.73% White, 0.33% African American, 1.24% Native American, 1.62% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.54% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.59% of the population.
There were 10,877 households, out of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.9% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.0% under the age of 18, 33.0% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 14.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,156, and the median income for a family was $41,723. Males had a median income of $28,794 versus $20,743 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,104. About 9.2% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Bozeman's top employers include Bozeman Health, Montana State University, Simms Fishing Products and Mystery Ranch as well as at least two dozen high-tech companies engaged in research or production of lasers and other optical equipment, over a dozen bio-tech companies, and several large software companies. Nationally known companies based in Bozeman include ILX Lightwave (an MKS/Newport company), Quantel USA, RightNow Technologies, Snowflake Inc., Schedulicity, Workiva, onX and Simms Fishing Products. Notable non-profit organizations based in Bozeman include the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) and Eagle Mount.
Arts and culture
Points of interest
Museums and gardens:
* American Computer Museum
* Gallatin Historical Society-The Pioneer Museum
* Montana Arboretum and Gardens
* Museum of the Rockies
* Story Mansion
Libraries
* Bozeman Public Library
* Renne Library, Montana State University
Other:
* BZN International Film Festival
* Gibson Guitar Factory
* Sweet Pea-A Festival of the ArtsFestival held annually since 1977. The Sweet Pea Carnival was first established in 1906.
* U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fish Technology Center, established 1892[
* Last Best Comedy Club
]
Recreation
The Bozeman area is noted for outdoor recreation, particularly skiiing.
* East Gallatin Recreation Area
* Bridger Bowl Ski Area is located on the northeast face of the Bridger Mountains, utilizing state and federal land. Bridger Bowl was Bozeman's first ski area and opened to the public in 1955.
* Big Sky Ski Resort is reached via the Gallatin Canyon and is south of Bozeman. The resort has grown considerably since 1973 into a residential community and major winter tourist destination, described as one of the best in the nation.
Government
Bozeman became an incorporated Montana city in April 1883 and adopted a city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
form of government. Currently, the City of Bozeman uses a city commission/city manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...
form of government which the citizens adopted on January 1, 1922 with an elected Municipal Judge. The City Commission is chaired by an elected Mayor. These three entities form the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.
Education
Public
Bozeman Public Schools has two components: Bozeman Elementary School District and Bozeman High School District. Belgrade Public Schools has two components: Belgrade Elementary School District and Belgrade High School District. Almost all of Bozeman is in Bozeman Elementary School District and Bozeman High School District. A small piece extends into Belgrade Elementary School District and Belgrade High School District.[ ]
Text list
* The Bozeman Public School District operates two high schools
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
Bozeman High School and Gallatin High School; two middle schools Chief Joseph Middle School and Sacajawea Middle School; and eight elementary schoolsEmily Dickinson Elementary School, Hawthorne Elementary School, Hyalite Elementary School, Irving Elementary School, Longfellow Elementary School, Meadowlark Elementary School, Morning Star Elementary School, and Whittier Elementary School.
* The district also operates the Bridger Alternative Program as a branch campus of Bozeman High School to serve "at-risk" secondary students.
* The former Emerson Elementary School is now a cultural community center. Willson School, originally a high school, then a middle school, then the base for an alternative high school, is still owned by the school district and houses a number of school district offices.
Private
* Headwaters Academy near the campus of Montana State University is a co-educational middle school (grades6 through 8).
* Petra Academy is a co-educational school (gradespre-k through 12) affiliated with Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
teachings.
* Heritage Christian School located off Durston Rd is a co-educational school (grades Pre-k through 12).
Post-secondary
* Bozeman is home to Montana State University, the state's largest university and the flagship campus of the Montana State University System. MSU set a new fall enrollment record in the fall of 2024, at a total of 17,144 students on campus.
Media
Newspapers and magazines
* ''Bozeman Avant Courier''published 1871–1905
* '' The Republican-courier''published 1905–1913
* '' The Bozeman Courier''publisher 1919–1954
* '' Bozeman Daily Chronicle''
AM radio
* KBOZ 1090, (Talk/Personality
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, interviews w ...
), Reier Broadcasting Company
* KOBB 1230, (sports talk
Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sport, sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often-low comed ...
), Reier Broadcasting Company
* KPRK AM 1340, (News
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the te ...
/ Talk), Townsquare Media
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...
* KMMS 1450, (News
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the te ...
/ Talk), Townsquare Media
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...
* KYWL AM 1490, ( Active Rock)
FM radio
[
* KGLT 91.9, ( Variety), Montana State University
* KMMS-FM 94.7, ( Adult Album), ]Townsquare Media
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...
* KISN 96.7, ( Top 40 (CHR)), Townsquare Media
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...
* KXLB 100.7, (Country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
), Townsquare Media
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...
* KBMC (FM) 102.1, ( Variety), Montana State University-Billings
* KZMY 103.5, (Hot Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
), Townsquare Media
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...
* KBZM 104.7, (Classic Rock
Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
), Orion Media LLC
* KKQX 105.7, (Classic Rock
Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
), Orion Media LLC
* KSCY 106.9, (Country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
), Orion Media LLC
Defunct
* KOZB 97.5, (Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
), Reier Broadcasting Company
* KBOZ-FM 99.9, (Country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
), Reier Broadcasting Company
* KOBB-FM 93.7, (Oldies
Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music.
Since 2 ...
), Reier Broadcasting Company
Television
* KDBZ-CD 6 NBC, Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair, Inc., doing business as Sinclair Broadcast Group, is a publicly traded American telecommunications conglomerate that is controlled by the descendants of company founder Julian Sinclair Smith. Headquartered in the Baltimore suburb o ...
* KBZK 7 CBS, E. W. Scripps Company
* KUSM 9 PBS, Montana State University
* KWYB-LD 28-1 ABC, Cowles Company
The Cowles Company is an American diversified media company based in Spokane, Washington. The company owns and operates ''The Spokesman-Review'' in Spokane, founded in 1894, and owned the ''Spokane Daily Chronicle'' until it was shut down in 19 ...
(LP relay from Butte
In geomorphology, a butte ( ) is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and table (landform), tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from the French l ...
)
* KWYB-LD 28-2 FOX
Filming location
Movies filmed in Bozeman include:
* '' The Wildest Dream''
* '' A River Runs Through It''
* '' A Plumm Summer''
* '' Amazing Grace and Chuck''
Infrastructure
Transportation
Highways include:
* Interstate 90
* U.S. Highway 191
* Montana Highway 86
* Montana Highway 84
Freight rail service is provided by Montana Rail Link, a privately held Class II railroad that connects Spokane
Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...
, Washington, with Huntley, Montana. The city was last served by passenger rail in 1979 by the '' North Coast Hiawatha'' at Bozeman Depot.
The Gallatin Big Sky Transportation District has operated the Skyline bus service, a zero-fare public bus system with six routes, since 2006.
Intercity bus service to the city is provided by Jefferson Lines
Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in 14 states in the Midwest and the West of the United States.
History
The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jefferson P ...
.
Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport serves travelers to Bozeman, Big Sky, West Yellowstone and 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 ...
.
Fire department
The Bozeman Fire Department is a full-time career fire department. There are currently 47 uniformed firefighters at three stations, four engines (one reserve), a ladder truck, a Battalion Chief's truck, two brush trucks, a HazMat unit, and two Medic Units. The Bozeman Fire Department responded to approximately 5,000 emergency calls in 2020.
Notable people
The following individuals are either notable current or former residents of Bozeman (R), were born or raised in Bozeman in their early years (B), or otherwise have a significant connection to the history of the Bozeman area (C).
Sports personalities:
* Conrad Anker, mountaineer C
* Brock Coyle, linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
for San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
, Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
B
* Will Dissly, tight end
The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...
for Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
B
* Jeff Fisher, Head Coach for Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
and Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
R
* Nikki Kimball, distance runner R
* Dane Fletcher, linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
for New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
B
* Alex Lowe, ice-climber and alpinist R
* Darren Main, yoga instructor R
* Mike McLeod (American football), Mike McLeod, former National Football League, NFL Safety (American and Canadian football position), safety B
* Heather McPhie, Freestyle skiing, freestyle skier, member of 2010 United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics, US Olympic team B
* Phil Olsen (American football), Phil Olsen, former National Football League lineman R
* Willie Saunders, Bozeman-born Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame jockey, won United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, U.S. Triple Crown B
* Jan Stenerud, member of Pro Football Hall of Fame, American Football League, AFL and NFL placekicker for Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings; winner of Super Bowl IV R
* Kevin Sweeney (American football), Kevin Sweeney, former quarterback for Dallas Cowboys B
* Tejay van Garderen, professional cyclist R
Military and pioneers:
* Travis Atkins, Medal of Honor recipient R
* John Bozeman, pioneer and founder of the Bozeman Trail C
* Henry Tompkins Paige Comstock, Henry Comstock, a discoverer of Comstock Lode died (suicide) in Bozeman on September 29, 1870 C
* Gustavus Cheyney Doane, member of Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition 1870 and buried in Sunset Hills Cemetery, Bozeman
* Nelson Story, prominent cattleman and merchant in Bozeman's early years R
* Lester S. Willson, prominent merchant in Bozeman's early years R
Arts, culture and entertainment:
* Kris Atteberry, MLB broadcaster, one of only two Montanans to call an MLB game B
* Brannon Braga, writer and producer of ''Star Trek'' television shows and films B
* Deborah Butterfield, sculptor known for use of horses in artwork R
* Gary Cooper, film actor, attended Gallatin Valley High School in Bozeman R
* Glenn Close, American actress R
* Daniella Deutscher, actress B
* Pablo Elvira, opera singer R
* Landon Jones, journalist and author R
* Donna Kelley, former CNN anchor and current KBZK anchor. R
* Jane Lawrence, actress and opera singer B
* Jason Lytle, lead singer of Modesto, California, Modesto band, Grandaddy; solo artist R
* Julian MacKay, ballet dancer B
* Ben Mikaelsen, author R
* Christopher Parkening, guitarist, fly fishing, fly casting champion R
* David Quammen, long-time columnist for ''Outside (magazine), Outside'' magazine, and author R
* Steven Rinella, American outdoorsman, conservationist, writer, and television personality
* Albert, Alfred and Chris Schlechten multi-generation family of photographers noted for portraiture and images of Yellowstone National Park and the Gallatin Valley. R, R, B
* James Willard Schultz, author and Glacier National Park (U.S.), Glacier National Park explorer, lived in Bozeman 1928–1929 with partner Jessica McDonald, professor at Montana State; R Schultz's papers are archived at Montana State Burlingame Special Collections Library.
* Michael Spears, actor["Native Stars: The Spears BrothersRising Stars Call Bozeman Home" The Montana Pioneer, February 2014.] R
* Eddie Spears, actor R
* Julia Thorne, writer and ex-wife of 2004 Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry R
* Kathy Tyers, writer, particularly known for contribution to ''Star Wars'' series R
* Peter Voulkos, ceramic artist B
* Sarah Vowell, author, regular on ''This American Life'', voice actress from ''The Incredibles'', B
* Dave Walker, musician R
Science and academia:
* Loren Acton, astronaut and physicist R
* Sidney M. Cadwell, discoverer of anti-oxidants for rubber, made first scientific study of rubber's fatigue behavior. B
* Don G. Despain, botanist, ecologist, and fire behavior specialist R
* Christopher Langan, scientist, was born in San Francisco but grew up mostly in Bozeman
* Diana L. Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion at Harvard University B
* Book of the Black Bass, Dr. James A. Henshall, first superintendent of Bozeman Fish Technology Center C[
* Alice Haskins, government botany, botanist and professor R]
* Jack Horner, preeminent paleontologist upon whom main character, Dr. Alan Grant, in book and film ''Jurassic Park (novel), Jurassic Park'' was patterned R
* Dale W. Jorgenson, Harvard University professor and economist B
* Robert M. Pirsig, author and past instructor of English and rhetoric at Montana State University R
* Ann Linnea Sandberg, immunologist R
Politics, government and business:
* Brooke D. Anderson, former Ambassador to the United Nations
* Les AuCoin, former U.S. congressman from Oregon R
* John Bohlinger, Lieutenant Governor of Montana B
* Dorothy Bradley, former state legislator, congressional and gubernatorial candidate R
* Will Brooke, former chief of staff of Conrad Burns R
* Steve Daines, entrepreneur, business leader and Montana's current senior Senator R
* Zales Ecton, former U.S. Senator from Montana B
* Greg Gianforte, Governor of Montana, former US Representative in Montana's at-large congressional district R
* Charles S. Hartman, United States Congressman from Montana R
* Christopher Hedrick, entrepreneur and international development expert R
* Stan Jones (Libertarian politician), Stan Jones, Libertarian Party (United States), Libertarian Party candidate for Montana governor and United States Senator R
* Vanessa Kerry, daughter of politician John Kerry R
* Michael McFaul, former United States Ambassador to Russia R
* Scott Sales, former Speaker of the Montana House of Representatives R
* Tim Sheehy, U.S. Senator from Montana R
* Raymond Strother, Democratic political consultant R
* Sidney Runyan Thomas, judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit B
* Ted Turner, entrepreneur (Ted's Montana Grill) and founder of cable television empires including CNN and Turner Broadcasting System, TBS R
Philanthropy:
* Greg Mortenson, humanitarian and founder of the Central Asia Institute R
Religion:
* Elizabeth Clare Prophet, co-founder of Church Universal and Triumphant R
Architecture:
* Fred F. Willson, designed many notable buildings in Bozeman between 1902 and 1956. R
In popular culture
In the film ''Star Trek: First Contact'', Bozeman was the launch site of the first Warp drive, warp-capable starship and location of First contact (science fiction), first contact with the Vulcan (Star Trek), Vulcans on April 5, 2063. The animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks features "Historic Bozeman" in Episode 1 of Season 3, revisiting some plot points from ''First Contact''.
The members of the noise rock group Steel Pole Bath Tub are originally from Bozeman.
The Bozeman area is one of the settings in Robert M. Pirsig, Robert Pirsig's novel ''Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance''.
See also
* Bozeman Pass
* Bozeman Trail
References
Further reading
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External links
Official website
Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control
Bozeman, Montana,
Cities in Montana
Cities in Gallatin County, Montana
County seats in Montana
Populated places established in 1864
1864 establishments in Montana Territory