Montana Tourism

Billings, Montana Visitors Guide

Located on the western bank of the Yellowstone River, Billings (named for railroad president Frank Billings) is a key distribution point for Montana and Wyoming large strip mining operations. It is the headquarters for the Custer National Forest and its leading industries include oil trade, agriculture and tourism.

Peter Yegen, Jr.-Yellowstone County Museum is a great place to see the Montana of bygone days. The exhibits feature Native American artifacts, valuable guns, saddles, and precious stones. You will see and antique steam engine, horse drawn vehicles along with dioramas of homesteading and the sacrificial ceremony of the Native Americans.

The Yellowstone Art Museum is one of Billings most visited art attractions. It features over 3,000 works by Montana artist and has a strong showing of contemporary art. There is artwork by living practitioners as well as works by Charles Russell and Will James. The museum also hosts lectures, films and art classes.
For rotating exhibits on the history of Yellowstone Valley, spend some time at the Western Heritage Center.

Spend some time at Boothill Cemetery as it is a great place to peruse the graves of the gunmen and lawmen that helped to shape the West. Then head over to the nearby Range Rider of the Yellowstone and see the life size bronze statue of a cowboy and his horse.

At Moss Mansion www.mossmansion.com you can tour the 3 story estate with its original furnishings. It was built by famed architecture H.J. Hardenberg.

Pictograph Cave State Park is a perfect place to picnic. While there you can see the centuries old pictographs on the cave walls.
At Lake Elmo State Park you can enjoy water activities on the 654 acre lake.

Geyser Park on Southgate Drive offers family activities like bumper cars, Go Karts, laser tag, and18 hole miniature golf course and a concessions stand.

At the Alberta Bair Theatre for Performing Arts you can see Broadway musicals, ballet, and the Billings Symphony and celebrity musicians on tour. For works from Shakespeare to Neil Simon get you tickets for the Billings Studio Theatre. To see everything from horse races to live concerts, check out the offerings at Metro Park. This multi complex offers a wide range of attractions year round. For specific events and schedules visit www.metropark.com

Climate Billings gets 43 inches of rain per year. Snowfall is 18 inches. The number of days with any measurable precipitation is 95. On average, there are 214 sunny days per year. The July high is around 89 degrees. The January low is 20.

Population As of 2007, population is 1,127 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of 3.30 percent.

Economy / Cost of Living The unemployment rate in Billings is 3.30%, with job growth of 0.90%. Future job growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 20.58%. The sales tax rate is 6.73% and income tax is 6.00%. The income per capita is $18,309 and the median household income is $32,861.  Compared to the rest of the country, Billings' cost of living is 12.98% Lower than the U.S. average.

Education Billings’ schools spend $4,818 per student. There are 14 pupils per teacher, 498 students per librarian, and 332 children per counselor.

Real Estate / Housing The median home value is $199,900. Renters make up 28.03% of the population, and 7.83% of houses and apartments in are unoccupied.

Photo Credits: Banner by Mike Speed; Yellowstone Museum by Eric Chan; Rodeo by Hoof Beats