Malta ( ) is a city 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, Phillips 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, located at the intersection of U.S. Routes 2 and 191. The population was 1,860 at the 2020 census.

History

After James Hill and his partners built the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba railway (which in 1890 became the Great Northern Railway) across Montana's "High Line" in 1887, Malta evolved from rail siding number 54. What came to be Saco, Montana, to the east and Dodson, Montana, to the west grew from other nearby sidings. A post office was established in Malta in 1890. Its name is said to have been determined by a spin of the globe by a Great Northern official whose finger came to rest on the island of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. On July 3, 1901, Kid Curry ( Harvey Logan), as part of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, robbed a train just west of Malta, near Wagner, Montana, making off with about $40,000. One of the best preserved dinosaurs ever discovered and one of only four that were fossilized is a 77-million-year-old '' Brachylophosaurus'' nicknamed Leonardo, unearthed north of Malta in 2000. Leonardo, together with brachylophosaurs Elvis (1994), Roberta (2003) and Peanut (2002), is on display at The Great Plains Dinosaur Museum.

Geography

Malta is on the High Plains of Montana. The Little Rocky Mountains are located south of the town while the Milk River flows north of town. The City of Malta gets water from wells. The well water is pumped to two water tanks located at the top of a residential area known as Hillcrest. The water is treated to meet safety standards, then it enters the city water distribution system. 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 , all land.

Climate

Malta experiences a semi-arid climate (

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 ...

''BSk'') with long, cold, dry winters and hot, wetter summers.

Demographics

2020 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 2020, there were 1,860 people, 912 households, and (not yet available) families residing in the city. There were 1,016 housing units, of which 857 were occupied. The racial makeup of the city was 1,564 (84.1%)

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

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 ...

, 88 (4.7%) Native American, 9 (0.5%) Asian, 46 (2.5%) from other races, and 152 (8.2%) from two or more races. There were 70 (3.8%)

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. 47.8% of households were married couples living together, 26% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.5% had a male householder with no wife present. The average family size was 2.98. 50.9% were married, not separated, 12.9% widowed, 9.8% divorced, and 26.3% never married (29.8% in MT overall). The median age was 51.4 (compared to 40.5 in MT overall), 5.6% were under 5 years, 21.4% were under 18, 78.6% were 18 and older, and 27.6% were 65 and older (19.5% in MT). 44.7% claimed German ancestry, 21.3% Norwegian ancestry, and 16.7% Irish ancestry. 12.8% were veterans. The median income for a household in the city was $44,189 ($57,153 in MT overall), and the median income for a family was $52,974. Males had a median income of $30,117 versus $18,636 for females. About 8.4% 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 ...

(12.6% in MT overall), including 1.6% of those under age 18, 13.7% of those 18 - 64, and 3.4% of those age 65 or over. 18.6% of residents had a Bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 33.6% in MT overall.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,997 people, 902 households, and 539 families residing in the city. 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 1,006 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.2%

, 0.1%

, 5.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 5.7% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population. There were 902 households, of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.2% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age in the city was 46.8 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.6% were from 25 to 44; 29.5% were from 45 to 64; and 23.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.7% male and 53.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,120 people, 907 households, and 565 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,067 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.83%

, 0.05%

, 4.67% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.05%

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 ...

, 0.19% from other races, and 1.98% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.04% of the population. There were 907 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.90. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,212, and the median income for a family was $41,422. Males had a median income of $30,117 versus $18,636 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 $16,405. About 8.8% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the

, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Malta Public Schools educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Malta High School's team name is the Mustangs/Mustangettes.

Arts and culture

Great Plains Dinosaur Museum in Malta MT

Two stops on The Montana Dinosaur Trail are located in Malta. They are: the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum and Field Station and the Phillips County Museum. The Great Plains museum is also home to the Judith River Dinosaur Institute. The Institute provides the opportunity for others to participate in an educational dinosaur dig or take a fossil preparation course. In June the museum has the Montana Dinosaur Festival. The Festival includes adult and children's activities focused around paleontology. The Phillips County Museum has local history information including artifacts from Native American culture, cowboys and outlaws, and pioneer life. On site is also the H.G. Robinson House and Gardens. The house is one of the earliest homes in Malta. The Phillips County Carnegie Library is the public library in Malta. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Infrastructure

U.S. Route 2 travels through town from east to west while U.S. Route 191 travels north to south. Amtrak's

Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great North ...

, running between Chicago and Seattle/Portland, stops daily in Malta at Malta station. The Malta Airport is a public use airport serving the town.

Media

The ''Phillips County News'' is a weekly local newspaper. They provide a printed paper as well as news online. The radio station KMMR FM 100.1 (

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 ...

) is licensed in Malta.

Notable people

* Greg Hertz, served in Montana Congress * Karl Ohs, 28th Lieutenant Governor of the state of Montana

References

External links

*
Malta Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Phillips County, Montana County seats in Montana 1890 establishments in Montana Cities in Montana

History

Geography

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

2000 census

Education

Arts and culture

Infrastructure

Media

Notable people

References

Further reading

External links