BILLINGS, the largest city
in Montana, has blossomed from its humble
beginnings as a rail head for the Northern Pacific into a cosmopolitan city
with a population of approximately 93,000 and is the county seat of Yellowstone County, with a population of over
132,000.
Today, Billings
is the undisputed hub for the distribution of goods and services to a region of
vast dimensions. With an area in excess
of 125,000 square miles, the city's primary trade territory is one of the
largest in the United States. Excellent road, rail and air transportation
networks have helped in achieving this distinction.
The city is also a regional center for the energy
industry and a wide range of agriculturally related businesses. A multi-million dollar crop of sugar beets is
processed each year. Two oil refineries
in Billings and one in nearby Laurel
make the area the oil-refining capitol of the northern Rockies. Low sulfur coal reserves covering a vast area
of nearby Eastern Montana and Northern Wyoming
represent a several hundred-year supply for the nation. Water is plentiful and of excellent
quality. This wealth of long-term energy
sources has resulted in utility rates that are among the lowest in the
nation. Residential electricity, at an
annual average cost of about 6.3 cents per kwh (2000 data), is well below the
national average.
In addition to its role as a trade, service and energy
center, Billings
is the medical and educational center for the region. The city's medical community provides the
most advanced health care services in a four-state area. Two modern fully-accredited hospitals with a
total of 586 beds, over forty clinics, more than 500 physicians, 90 dentists
and 5400 nurses, technicians and support staff offer every major medical
specialty and a complete range of surgical services and emergency care.
Montana State University-Billings, Rocky Mountain
College and the Montana
State University-Billings College of Technology offer innovative and timely
programs that draw students from a wide radius.
The elementary and secondary schools are a source of real source of
civic pride. Billings’ high schools consistently rank in
the top quintile nationwide in score achievement for the American College Test
(ACT).
The recreational advantages are hard to exaggerate. The four seasons each offer something
different with unlimited, uncrowded activities available year-round. From Yellowstone
National Park in our back yard to Glacier National Park
within a day’s drive, all the scenic and recreational wonders of Montana are within easy
reach. There is much to discover in the
wide-open spaces of our “Big Sky Country”.
Begin your “Magic City”
adventure at the Cattle
Drive Monument
located in front of the Billings Area Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center at 815 South 27th Street. Here you’ll find brochures and other
information on the area along with friendly assistance to help introduce you to
the many local attractions, points of interest and services available in Billings and the Yellowstone Valley.
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