Westby is a town in Sheridan 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 167 at the 2020 census.

History

Westby was founded in 1910 as a town in what was then

Williams County, North Dakota Williams County is located on the western border of the U.S. state of North Dakota, next to Montana. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 40,950, and was estimated to be 40,763 in 2024, making it the List of coun ...

(now in Divide County). Danish settlers came up with the name by combining the word ''west'', which noted the town's location in extreme western North Dakota, with the word ''by'', Danish for town. The town remained in North Dakota until 1914, when it was moved slightly across the border so as to be next to a newly built

branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...

of the

Soo Line Railroad The Soo Line Railroad is one of the primary United States railroad subsidiaries for the CPKC Railway , one of six U.S. Class I railroads, controlled through the Soo Line Corporation. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Saul ...

and in a state that permitted the sale of alcohol.

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. Westby is located on the state border with

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

, and near the

international boundary Borders are generally defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ...

with

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. Montana Highway 5 passes through the town.

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, Westby has 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 ...

, abbreviated "DFb" 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 168 people, 82 households, and 49 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 114 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.8%

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 ...

, 2.4%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, and 1.8% 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 1.8% of the population. There were 82 households, of which 19.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% 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, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.4% 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 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.67. The median age in the town was 48.3 years. 19% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.1% were from 25 to 44; 35.1% were from 45 to 64; and 22.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 52.4% male and 47.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 172 people, 88 households, and 52 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 121 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.26%

, 1.16%

, and 0.58% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.74% of the population. There were 88 households, out of which 14.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were

living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.95 and the average family size was 2.47. In the town, the population was spread out, with 15.1% under the age of 18, 2.9% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 34.3% from 45 to 64, and 25.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 109.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,875, and the median income for a family was $44,583. Males had a median income of $35,625 versus $18,125 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 $19,438. About 4.7% of families and 9.4% 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 ...

, including none of those under the age of eighteen and 20.0% of those 65 or over.

Education

The school district is Westby K-12 Schools. Westby School District educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Westby High School's team name is Thunder.

References

External links

{{authority control Danish-American history Towns in Sheridan County, Montana