Miles City

Miles City is a city in and the county seat of Custer County, Montana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2020 census. Miles City was incorporated in 1887 and the first mayor was Eugene Henry "Skew" Johnson (born July 27, 1846, in Clarksville, Arkansas, died July 31, 1919, in Miles City, Montana) The publicly owned Miles City Municipal Airport is located less than two miles (3 km) from town. The city has a cold semi-arid climate, according to the Köppen Climate Classification system. The highest mean sea level in the contiguous United States with a reading of 31.42 degrees Fahrenheit is in the town of Miles City. The town is located on the north bank of the Tongue River, which flows into the east-flowing Yellowstone River at the town's north end. The Tongue is a tributary of the Yellowstone River, and the town is on the east side of the river. The first post office and first official plat both called the town "Miles city" Although fondly referred to as "Milestown," the first post Office and first Official plat both call the city "Mile City" The city was the site of an early scheduled airline crash, involving Northwest Airlines Flight 1, which caught fire and crashed shortly after takeoff in January 1939. According to the United States Census Bureau, Miles City has a total area of 8.34 square miles (8.4 square km).

History

After the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, the U.S. Army created forts in eastern Montana, including one where the Tongue River flowed into the east-flowing Yellowstone River. Fort Keogh started as a few rough winter cabins, but grew into a moderate sized western fort, from which its commander, General Nelson A. Miles, effectively brought the remaining "uncontrolled" Native Americans into subjugation. The City of Miles City was incorporated in 1887 and the first mayor was Eugene Henry "Skew" Johnson (born July 27, 1846, in Clarksville, Arkansas, died July 31, 1919, in Miles City, Montana) who served for one term. Miles City experienced rapid growth until the 1920s and 1930s, but became overshadowed by the upstart upriver town of Billings, which was at the cross roads of transportation routes. Billings became a banking center, oil refining center, and medical service center and is now the largest city in the state. The publicly owned Miles City Municipal Airport is located less than two miles (3 km) from town. Notably, it was the site of an early scheduled airline crash, involving Northwest Airlines Flight 1, which caught fire and crashed shortly after takeoff in January 1939. A franchise election was held to determine who would serve Miles City on June 28, 1927. Minnesota Northern won by a scant 16 votes, but the city council eventually put the question to the voters who instructed the city to sell the utility.

Geography

The city holds the record for the highest mean sea level pressure in the contiguous United States with a reading of 31.42 inHg (1064 mb) on December 24, 1983. The largest natural snowflake ever measured, 15 inches (38 cm) in diameter, was recorded at Fort Keogh on January 28, 1887. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Miles City has a cold semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. The city has a total area of 3.34 square miles (8.65 km²), all land. Interstate 94 passes through the community, with access from Exits 135, 138, and 141. Montana Highway 59 runs northsouth. The Tongue River flows into Yellowstone River at the town. Pirogue Island State Park is just outside of town. Miles City is located on the U.S. Geological Survey's North American Mesozoic Coastline, which runs from the Canadian border to the Pacific Ocean. The town is located near the junction of the Tongue and Yellowstone rivers, which flow into the Yellowstone River in the east and the Montana River, which flows into the west. The U.N. World Records reports that the largest naturalSnowflake ever recorded was recorded in Miles City in 1887, but there is no corroborating evidence to support this claim. It was measured to be 15 inches in diameter and was found to be in the area of Miles City.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 8,410 people, 3,677 households, and 2,082 families living in the city. There were 4,000 housing units at an average density of 1,197.6 per square mile (462.4/km²) The racial makeup of the city was 96.72% White, 0.12% African American, 1.39% Native American, 0.,28% Asian, 0,05% Pacific Islander, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population. The median income for a household in theCity was $29,847, and the median income. for a family was $41,190. The per capita income for the city is $16,449. About 9.4%. of families and 14.7% of those under age 18 and 8.5% ofThose over 65 are living below the poverty line. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was2.89. The city's median age was 40.6 years, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 22.5%. and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup ofthe city was 48.8%. of residents were male and 51.2%. of the residents were female.

Events

In March 1944, an ice jam on the Yellowstone River caused flooding which reached into Miles City. A B-17 bomber was dispatched from nearby Rapid City, South Dakota and cleared the ice jam using 250-pound bombs. Miles City is also home to the Eastern Montana Fair and is the commercial hub of southeastern Montana. The largest event of the year is the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale held in May. The sale is generally held regardless of weather but can be delayed if the weather is bad. It is the largest annual horse sale in the U.S. and is open to the public. The annual sale is held in Miles City, Montana, but can also be held in other parts of the state, such as Idaho and Wyoming.

Education

Custer County District High School is the only high school in the entire county. Some students drive as many as 60 miles (97 km) to school. The school is famous for its Chorale, which travels extensively. About 20% of the student population belong to the National FFA Organization (Future Farmers of America) The Judson H. Flower, Jr. Library is located within the main building of Miles Community College, and is equipped with computer lab and INFOTRAC. There is also one parochial school, Sacred Heart (pre K-8).Miles City Public Library serves the area. The average student to faculty ratio is 11:1; class sizes range from 8 to 50 students; and over 85 per cent of the students qualify for financial aid. The high school boasts that its seniors have an average ACT score of 23 and that 57 percent of the graduating seniors go on to complete their education at a 4-year university. It also features free tutoring at the Center for Academic Success. It is located in the town of Miles City, which is home to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service. It has one of the largest libraries in the state, with a collection of more than 2,000 books. It was founded in 1939 and is located on the base of the Custer County Courthouse, which was once the site of the town's first post office. The town also has 4 elementary schools, Lincoln (3-6), Highland Park (k-2), Jefferson (1-6) and a middle school, Washington School.

Places of interest

Miles City lies at the mouth of the north flowing Tongue River as it empties into the eastward flowing Yellowstone River. The highest point in the vicinity is Signal Butte (3,051 feet / 929.94 meters above sea level), said to have been used by Native Americans for communication. The former Fort Keogh once boasted an Air Force radar station and still houses a state Extension Experiment Station. Near the highway is the site of a state fish hatchery, and nearby, a double humped butte is known locally as "Camelback" There are 21 places of worship in Miles City. Trinity Lutheran Church was founded in 1906 as a preaching station with German services. During the anti-German hysteria of WWI, preaching in German was outlawed in Montana, including for worship at Trinity. Now it is an English-speaking congregation in the Montana District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) It also operates a school. Many local reservoirs are stocked with edible fish from the hatchery in Miles city. Both rivers are fished regularly, but yield mostly catfish, carp and a junk fish known locallyas "shiners" The Tongue and Yellowstone rivers are often used for tubing. 12 Mile Dam spans the Tongue river and attracts teens in the summer for water sport. It is located on the north bank of the Yellowstone River, and Paragon Pit is a remote area of the North bank opposite ofFort Keogh frequented by teenagers over the years.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Miles City, Custer County, Montana = 99. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 20. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 100. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Miles City = 3.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 8,354 individuals with a median age of 41.6 age the population dropped by -4.62% in Miles City, Custer County, Montana population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,484.83 residents per square mile of area (959.45/km²). There are average 2.28 people per household in the 3,407 households with an average household income of $38,315 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 4.00% of the available work force and has dropped -3.22% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 29.56%. The number of physicians in Miles City per 100,000 population = 189.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Miles City = 13.1 inches and the annual snowfall = 32.7 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 90. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 202. 89 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 5.7 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 70, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Miles City, Custer County, Montana which are owned by the occupant = 62.43%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 52 years with median home cost = $79,400 and home appreciation of -2.24%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $17.04 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,432 per student. There are 11.6 students for each teacher in the school, 318 students for each Librarian and 318 students for each Counselor. 7.79% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 12.85% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.10% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).