89
w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m
er, thanks to a land grant, the Agricul-
ture College of the State of Montana
was created. Today, that institution is
known as Montana State University.
By 1900, Bozeman had a population
of 3,500. The city has grown with each
successive census and is one of the
fastest growing areas in the state. Cur-
rently in fourth place among Montana
cities, Bozeman could soon take Great
Falls's place as third. The estimated
population in 2022 was 56,123. That's
a far cry from back in the late '50s
early '60s when as a child I remem-
ber seeing a sign reading "Welcome
to Bozeman, home to 13,000 happy
Galatinians and 1 old grouch." Boze-
man today is a metropolitan commu-
nity with fine restaurants, good coffee
shops, great shopping, and a beautiful
location. And a very quickly growing
tech industry. It has become a hub of
technical innovation.
While Bozeman is by far the most
important city in Gallatin County,
many communities dot the landscape.
The largest of these is Belgrade. Orig-
inally located about ten miles west
of Bozeman, both communities have
grown toward each other so that it's
hard to tell where Bozeman leaves off
and Belgrade begins. Belgrade today
serves largely as a bedroom communi-
ty for Bozeman. And in fact, the Boz-
eman airport is in Belgrade. With the
2020 census of 10,460, Belgrade is the
S U M M E R E V E N T S A T
Traveler's Rest
State Park
Friday, May 2
10am - 3pm
School groups and the
general public can visit
six education stations
to learn about the
language, games,
and life of Séliš-Ql ̓ispé
ancestors on the place
they named Tmsmli
(no salmon).
Indigenous
Demonstration Days
Thursdays June 12 - August 7
(except July 3) 11am - 3pm
Individual artists and
makers show off
traditional skills and
contemporary arts.
Saturday, May 3 10am - 3pm
Vendors and demonstrators share Indigenous art
and crafts. Food trucks, music, and more make
this day both fun and informative.
travelersrest.org
6717 Highway 12 West • P.O. Box 995
Lolo, Montana 59847 • 406-273-4253
