Home › Montana › Billings

Billings, Montana

Located in Yellowstone County, Montana, Billings was established in 1882. Billings is nicknamed the 'Magic City' for how quickly it grew after the railroad arrived. The Battle of Little Bighorn took place about 60 miles southeast of Billings.
Trending in Billings
Latest updates coming soon
2 hours ago
More local news on the way
5 hours ago
Founded 1882 | Population 119,000 | Peak 119,000 (2024) | County Yellowstone County

Top 10 Most Important Events for Billings, Montana

undefined
1876 Battle of Little Bighorn Nearby: Custer's Last Stand 60 miles southeast.
undefined
1882 Railroad Town Founded: Northern Pacific Railway creates Billings; named for railroad president.
undefined
1907 Sugar Beet Industry: Sugar refining becomes major industry.
undefined
1951 Oil Refinery Era: Petroleum refining drives postwar growth.
undefined
2000 Montana's Largest City: Medical and commercial hub for eastern Montana and Wyoming.
🧠
How Well Do You Know Billings?
5 questions • 2 minutes
Take the Quiz →

Latest News in Billings

Jan 13, 2016
Court Rules Montanas Big Mountain Jesus Can Stay
Whitefish, Montana – On January 13, 2016, a federal court delivered a decision that kept a towering statue of Jesus Christ perch…

Complete Historical Timeline

1876 Disaster
Battle of Little Bighorn Nearby
1882 Transport
Railroad Town Founded
1907 Industry
Sugar Beet Industry
1951 Industry
Oil Refinery Era
2000 Business
Montana's Largest City

Did You Know?

1
Billings is nicknamed the 'Magic City' for how quickly it grew after the railroad arrived.
2
The Battle of Little Bighorn took place about 60 miles southeast of Billings.
3
Billings serves as the commercial hub for a vast region covering eastern Montana and northern Wyoming.
4
Billings is located in Yellowstone County, Montana.
5
Billings was founded in 1882.

Famous People from Billings, Montana

BL
Bud Luckey
Screenwriter, Actor · Born Jul 28, 1934 · Died Feb 24, 2018 (age 83)
SA
Stanley Anderson
Actor, Television Actor · Born Oct 23, 1939 · Died Jun 24, 2018 (age 78)
CM
Cody Miller
Swimmer · Born Jan 9, 1992 · Age 34
JK
Jeff Kober
Television Actor, Film Actor · Born Dec 18, 1953 · Age 72
JD
John Dahl
Screenwriter, Television Director · Born Dec 11, 1956 · Age 69

Other Cities in Montana

View all Montana cities →
M
Missoula
Pop. 77,000
GF
Great Falls
Pop. 60,000
B
Bozeman
Pop. 56,000
H
Helena
Pop. 32,091
See something that needs correcting?
We take accuracy seriously. Help us keep Billings's history right.