West Glacier, Montana: Difference between revisions
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| pushpin_label = West Glacier |
| pushpin_label = West Glacier |
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| area_footnotes = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 5, 2022}}</ref> |
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| area_magnitude = |
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| area_total_km2 = 10. |
| area_total_km2 = 10.92 |
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| area_land_km2 = 10. |
| area_land_km2 = 10.73 |
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| area_water_km2 = 0.19 |
| area_water_km2 = 0.19 |
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| area_total_sq_mi = |
| area_total_sq_mi = 4.22 |
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| area_land_sq_mi = |
| area_land_sq_mi = 4.14 |
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| area_water_sq_mi = <!-- Population --> |
| area_water_sq_mi = 0.07 |
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| population_as_of = [[2020 United States Census|2020]] |
| population_as_of = [[2020 United States Census|2020]] |
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| population_footnotes = |
| population_footnotes = |
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| population_total = 221 |
| population_total = 221 |
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| population_density_km2 = |
| population_density_km2 = 20.60 |
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| population_density_sq_mi = <!-- General information --> |
| population_density_sq_mi = 53.36 |
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| timezone = [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain (MST)]] |
| timezone = [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain (MST)]] |
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| utc_offset = -7 |
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| coordinates = {{coord|48|30|0|N|113|58|43|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}} |
| coordinates = {{coord|48|30|0|N|113|58|43|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}} |
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<!-- Area/postal codes & others -->| postal_code_type = [[ZIP code]]s |
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| postal_code_type = [[ZIP code]]s |
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| postal_code = 59921, 59936 |
| postal_code = 59921, 59936 |
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| area_code = [[Area code 406|406]] |
| area_code = [[Area code 406|406]] |
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'''West Glacier''' is an [[unincorporated community]] and [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in eastern [[Flathead County, Montana|Flathead County]], [[Montana]], United States. As of the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]] it had a population of 227.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US3079075| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), West Glacier CDP, Montana| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American FactFinder| access-date=June 9, 2016| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213052144/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US3079075| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref> The town is at the west entrance to [[Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park]] and is located on [[U.S. Route 2 in Montana|U.S. Route 2]] and a main line of the [[BNSF Railway]]. The headquarters complex for Glacier National Park is located nearby.<ref name="Park HQ">{{cite web|title=Glacier National Park|url=http://www.nps.gov/glac/contacts.htm|website=NPS.gov|access-date=5 June 2015}}</ref> |
'''West Glacier''' is an [[unincorporated community]] and [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in eastern [[Flathead County, Montana|Flathead County]], [[Montana]], United States. As of the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]] it had a population of 227.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US3079075| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), West Glacier CDP, Montana| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American FactFinder| access-date=June 9, 2016| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213052144/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US3079075| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref> The town is at the west entrance to [[Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park]] and is located on [[U.S. Route 2 in Montana|U.S. Route 2]] and a main line of the [[BNSF Railway]]. The headquarters complex for Glacier National Park is located nearby.<ref name="Park HQ">{{cite web|title=Glacier National Park|url=http://www.nps.gov/glac/contacts.htm|website=NPS.gov|access-date=5 June 2015}}</ref> |
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==Demographics== |
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{{US Census population |
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|2020= 221 |
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|footnote=<center>U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}</ref></center> |
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==History== |
==History== |
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[[File:West Glacier MT Post Office.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. post office at West Glacier]] |
[[File:West Glacier MT Post Office.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. post office at West Glacier]] |
Revision as of 20:17, 5 September 2022
West Glacier, Montana | |
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![]() Sign for West Glacier on US Route 2 | |
Coordinates: 48°30′0″N 113°58′43″W / 48.50000°N 113.97861°W | |
Land | Vereinigte Staaten |
State | Montana |
County | Flathead |
Area | |
• Total | 4.22 sq mi (10.92 km2) |
• Land | 4.14 sq mi (10.73 km2) |
• Water | 0.07 sq mi (0.19 km2) |
Elevation | 3,163 ft (964 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 221 |
• Density | 53.36/sq mi (20.60/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
ZIP codes | 59921, 59936 |
Area code | 406 |
FIPS code | 30-79075 |
GNIS feature ID | 0793105[2] |
West Glacier is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in eastern Flathead County, Montana, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 227.[3] The town is at the west entrance to Glacier National Park and is located on U.S. Route 2 and a main line of the BNSF Railway. The headquarters complex for Glacier National Park is located nearby.[4]
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | 221 | — | |
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/West_Glacier_MT_Post_Office.jpg/220px-West_Glacier_MT_Post_Office.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/West_Glacier_Train_Station.jpg/220px-West_Glacier_Train_Station.jpg)
Remote and almost inaccessible, the West Glacier area drew only limited attention by white settlers until the main line of the Great Northern Railway (GNR) reached the northern Rocky Mountains in 1890. The transcontinental GNR was completed on January 6, 1893, at Scenic, Washington.[6]
The railroad established a station named "Belton" at the current West Glacier site, and a small community slowly began to develop in the area.[7] A post office was established at Belton in 1900. The number of homesteaders and other settlers remained small, however, due to the region's rugged, heavily forested terrain.
The community, heavily dependent on tourism, has a small permanent population that expands significantly during the summer tourist season; most area businesses are likewise seasonal—including the 18-hole golf course—and are primarily geared towards travelers. The elevation is 3,169 feet (966 m).
The Swiss-style Belton Chalets in West Glacier, originally built in 1910, was the first Great Northern Railway hotel at Glacier National Park and would welcome guests arriving by train to the park, before they would travel into the park's back-country chalets and tent camps. During the Great Depression, the Belton Chalet housed the crews working on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Over the years, the chalet housed many businesses, while today it is one of Montana's grandest historic hotels.[8] The chalet survives today under new ownership and is a registered National Historic Landmark.
In 1949 the town changed its name from Belton to West Glacier to promote the tourism potential.[7]
Tourism
Railroad tourism
By the early twentieth century a small number of tourists had begun to visit the spectacular mountain landscapes east and north of Belton, and in 1910 that area was set aside as Glacier National Park.[9] As the railway station nearest the area, Belton became a primary gateway to Glacier, and the park headquarters was established there.[4] Presently Amtrak's Empire Builder makes stops daily at the West Glacier station.
Automobile tourism
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Alberta_Tourism_Centre_at_West_Glacier_Montana_USA.jpg/225px-Alberta_Tourism_Centre_at_West_Glacier_Montana_USA.jpg)
The growth of tourist traffic through Belton increased substantially in the 1920s and 1930s, largely due to the improvement of automobile routes through the area. U.S. Highway 2 was completed eastward from Belton over Marias Pass in 1930, and the Going-to-the-Sun Road[10] was completed across Glacier Park in 1932.[11] In 1938, a number of tourist-oriented businesses were constructed at the western end of the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Belton, forming the core of a new commercial district for the town. These businesses, owned by the Lundgren family since 1946, remain today.
The town of Belton was renamed "West Glacier" in 1949, to better reflect its geographic location and make it more identifiable to tourists, although the railroad station and chalet complex retained the Belton name.
References
- ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: West Glacier, Montana
- ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), West Glacier CDP, Montana". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ a b "Glacier National Park". NPS.gov. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- ^ Great Northern Railway 2013.
- ^ a b "West Glacier". Montana Place Names Companion. Montana Historical Society. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ "Belton Chalet - West Glacier". glaciermt.com. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
- ^ "Glacier National Park -- History and Culture". NPS.gov. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
- ^ "Going to the Sun Road - status". NPS.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
- ^ Carr, p. 186.