Geraldine is a town in Chouteau 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 207 at the 2020 census. The area around the town is an agricultural, largely wheat-producing, region.

History

Geraldine was originally created as a stop on the

Milwaukee Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experienced financi ...

. It was named for Almira Geraldine Rockefeller (or perhaps her daughter, Ethel Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge), the wife of

William Rockefeller William Avery Rockefeller Jr. (May 31, 1841 – June 24, 1922) was an American businessman and financier. Rockefeller was a co-founder of Standard Oil along with his elder brother John Davison Rockefeller. He was also a part owner of Anaconda Co ...

, the director of the railroad at the time. The Milwaukee Road built a branch line from Harlowton to Great Falls in 1916. The town's wood-constructed

railroad depot A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing such an ...

, also built in 1916, has been restored in recent years, now contains displays on the history of the area, and is a Montana Historic Site which is 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 ...

. The Central Montana Rail runs a tourist train from Lewistown to Geraldine in the summer and passengers get to tour the restored depot.

Geography

Montana Highway 80 cuts through town. It is near both Kingsbury Lake and Big Lake. 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.

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 261 people, 110 households, and 69 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 140 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.9%

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% Native American, 0.4% from other races, and 2.3% 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 2.3% of the population. There were 110 households, of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% 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, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.06. The median age in the town was 45.3 years. 29.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.2% were from 25 to 44; 30.7% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 284 people, 115 households, and 79 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 141 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.65%

, and 0.35% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population. There were 115 households, out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were

living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.09. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.9% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $30,893, and the median income for a family was $36,429. Males had a median income of $25,833 versus $16,250 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 $15,403. About 2.4% of families and 6.5% 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 ...

, including 10.2% of those under the age of eighteen and 4.4% of those 65 or over.

Education

Geraldine School District educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. They are known as the Tigers. Geraldine High School is a Class C school. Choteau County Library, headquartered in Fort Benton, has a branch in Geraldine.

Infrastructure

Geraldine Airport is a public use airport. It is primarily used by agricultural spraying aircraft.

References

External links

Official Montana Travel Information Site
{{Chouteau County, Montana Towns in Chouteau County, Montana