census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
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 264 at the 2010 census. It is located at the site of the former
Glasgow Air Force Base
Glasgow Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base near Glasgow, Montana. It operated from 1957 to 1968 and again from 1971 through 1976.
Major commands to which assigned
* Air Defense Command, 8 February 1957 – 1 Apri ...
.
When the Air Force base was decommissioned, the on-base housing was purchased and offered for sale to private individuals. While many of the bids for the houses were from salvage companies, the community ultimately escaped demolition. Homes which had housed thousands of military personnel when the base was in operation were briefly promoted as condominiums for retirees.
Despite local efforts, most of the re-purposed housing units sit empty and abandoned. A few hundred residents remain in what is otherwise a partial
ghost town
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
. The runway remains in use as
Glasgow Industrial Airport
Glasgow Industrial Airport is a private airport located 14 nautical miles (16 miles or 26 km) northeast of the central business district of Glasgow, a city in Valley County, Montana, United States.
The airport is located on the site of t ...
(FAA LID: 07MT), a test site for
Boeing
The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...
aircraft. The nearby city of
Glasgow, Montana
Glasgow is a city in and the county seat of Valley County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,202 at the 2020 census.
Despite being just the 23rd most populous city in Montana, Glasgow is the most populous city for over , thus maki ...
has dropped in population by half (from 6400 in the 1960s to 3250 in 2010) after the base closure.
Beginning in 2012 the community became embroiled in a series of legal and political conflicts with an anti-government group called the "Citizens Action Committee of Valley County," part of the larger
Sovereign Citizen movement
The sovereign citizen movement (also SovCit movement or SovCits) is a loose group of anti-government activists, conspiracy theory, conspiracy theorists, vexatious litigants, tax protesters and financial scammers found mainly in English-speakin ...
, with a similar philosophy to that of the
Montana Freemen
The Montana Freemen were an anti-government Christian Patriot militia based outside the town of Jordan, Montana, United States. The members of the group referred to their land as "Justus Township" and had declared their leaders and followers " sov ...
. The group intended to take ownership of the community through buying and seizing up a large amount of mostly vacant properties through bogus liens and litigation, while ostensibly planning a handful of investment schemes to redevelop them. The situation led to a number of St. Marie property owners being sued and a community backlash against the group followed.
The post office and town hall are still in operation along with a small handful of local businesses, but the school and a majority of businesses have closed. St. Marie has gained some interest from ghost town enthusiasts and back road explorers in recent years for its uniquely
Atomic Age
The Atomic Age, also known as the Atomic Era, is the period of history following the detonation of the first nuclear weapon, The Gadget at the '' Trinity'' test in New Mexico on 16 July 1945 during World War II. Although nuclear chain r ...
appeal, being much more intact and modern than most vacated locales and containing a fair number of larger buildings. In 2024, the town was used as a filming location for the short film "Orchards of a Futile Heaven."
History
At its peak, 7000 people lived in St. Marie in the mid 1970s. The community was established to provide housing for the servicemen and their families stationed at Glasgow Air Force Base.
Despite the closure, the legacy of Glasgow Air Force Base lives on through the town of St. Marie, Montana. In 1976, the former on-base housing areas were purchased and offered for sale to private individuals.
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 CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (0.44%) is water.
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, St. Marie has a
cold semi-arid climate
Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...
, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in St. Marie was on July 24–25, 2007, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 13, 2024.
Demographics
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 2000, there were 183 people, 92 households, and 59 families residing in the CDP. 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 8.0 people per square mile (3.1/km). There were 1,035 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 63.44%
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 ...
, 2.19%
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 ...
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 10.55% of the population.
There were 92 households, out of which 14.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% 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, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.99 and the average family size was 2.45.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 14.8% under the age of 18, 2.7% from 18 to 24, 12.0% from 25 to 44, 35.5% from 45 to 64, and 35.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 60 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $34,792. Males had a median income of $18,750 versus $17,188 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 CDP was $16,314. None of the families and 2.3% of the population were living 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 ...
.
At its peak, St. Marie was home to over 7,000 permanent residents and intended to house nearly 10,000.