Chinook, Montana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chinook
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Location of Chinook, Montana
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| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Blaine |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.52 sq mi (1.35 km2) |
| • Land | 0.52 sq mi (1.35 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,425 ft (739 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,185 |
| • Density | 2,265.77/sq mi (875.33/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP codes |
59523, 59535
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| Area code(s) | 406 |
| FIPS code | 30-14575 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2409455 |
Chinook is a city in and the county seat of Blaine County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,185 at the 2020 census. Points of interest are the Bear Paw Battlefield Museum located in the small town's center and the Bear Paw Battlefield, located 20 miles (32 km) south of Chinook.
Contents
Name
The city is named for the Chinook wind, a warm wind on eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. Its Gros Ventre name is ʔaasíccóóútaanʔɔ, meaning 'thinker town'. It is said to be named after Thinker, a half-Assiniboine, half-white man and general store manager whose English name was Thomas O'Hanlon. O'Hanlon founded the town in 1871.
Geography
Chinook is located on Lodge Creek, where it empties into the Milk River, which flows south of town.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.51 square miles (1.32 km2), all land.
Climate
Chinook experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with long, cold, dry winters and hot, wetter summers.
| Climate data for Chinook, Montana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1895–present) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 69 (21) |
75 (24) |
82 (28) |
94 (34) |
98 (37) |
109 (43) |
110 (43) |
109 (43) |
104 (40) |
90 (32) |
82 (28) |
70 (21) |
110 (43) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 27.1 (−2.7) |
31.4 (−0.3) |
43.0 (6.1) |
56.9 (13.8) |
67.0 (19.4) |
75.4 (24.1) |
84.3 (29.1) |
83.3 (28.5) |
72.3 (22.4) |
56.9 (13.8) |
41.3 (5.2) |
30.5 (−0.8) |
55.8 (13.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 15.7 (−9.1) |
19.2 (−7.1) |
30.4 (−0.9) |
43.1 (6.2) |
53.5 (11.9) |
62.4 (16.9) |
69.0 (20.6) |
67.5 (19.7) |
56.8 (13.8) |
42.7 (5.9) |
29.2 (−1.6) |
19.0 (−7.2) |
42.4 (5.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 4.2 (−15.4) |
6.9 (−13.9) |
17.7 (−7.9) |
29.4 (−1.4) |
40.0 (4.4) |
49.3 (9.6) |
53.6 (12.0) |
51.7 (10.9) |
41.2 (5.1) |
28.5 (−1.9) |
17.0 (−8.3) |
7.5 (−13.6) |
28.9 (−1.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −50 (−46) |
−51 (−46) |
−38 (−39) |
−13 (−25) |
11 (−12) |
28 (−2) |
32 (0) |
30 (−1) |
13 (−11) |
−24 (−31) |
−38 (−39) |
−53 (−47) |
−53 (−47) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.45 (11) |
0.37 (9.4) |
0.59 (15) |
1.04 (26) |
2.42 (61) |
2.86 (73) |
1.62 (41) |
1.14 (29) |
0.99 (25) |
0.88 (22) |
0.69 (18) |
0.39 (9.9) |
13.44 (341) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 6.4 | 9.7 | 11.4 | 7.2 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 4.9 | 76.5 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 780 | — | |
| 1920 | 1,217 | 56.0% | |
| 1930 | 1,320 | 8.5% | |
| 1940 | 2,051 | 55.4% | |
| 1950 | 2,307 | 12.5% | |
| 1960 | 2,326 | 0.8% | |
| 1970 | 1,813 | −22.1% | |
| 1980 | 1,660 | −8.4% | |
| 1990 | 1,512 | −8.9% | |
| 2000 | 1,386 | −8.3% | |
| 2010 | 1,203 | −13.2% | |
| 2020 | 1,185 | −1.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,203 people, 599 households, and 313 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,358.8 inhabitants per square mile (910.7/km2). There were 697 housing units at an average density of 1,366.7 per square mile (527.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.4% White, 9.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population.
There were 599 households, of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.7% were non-families. 43.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.79.
The median age in the city was 46.7 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.4% were from 25 to 44; 29.1% were from 45 to 64; and 23.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.
Chinook High School Sugarbeeters
Chinook High School experienced national notoriety when a USA today contest was held to discover the nation's oddest mascot. Chinook's mascot, the Sugarbeeter, finished third in the voting and has since been the topic of multiple articles.
Chinook has been home to the Sugarbeeters ever since the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, which had a factory in the town, helped purchase the jerseys for the boys' basketball team in 1929. Ever since the team made their debut in the jerseys, which presented a Sugarbeet logo on the front, the nickname has been fully adopted.
Education
Chinook Public Schools serves students from kindergarten to 12th grade. Chinook High School is a Class C school (less than 108 students) which helps determine athletic competitions.
Chinook is home to the Blaine County Library.
Media
The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion is a local weekly newspaper. It is available in print or online.
The FM radio station KRYK is licensed in Chinook. The station airs a hot adult contemporary music format.
Infrastructure
U.S. Route 2 travels through the northern part of town from east to west.
Edgar G. Obie Airport is a public use airport 1 mile west of Chinook. The nearest commercial flights are at Havre City–County Airport.
One Health provides primary care to Blaine County. There are clinics in both Chinook and Harlem, Montana.
Transportation
Amtrak’s Empire Builder, which operates between Seattle/Portland and Chicago, passes through the town on BNSF tracks, but makes no stop. The nearest station is located in Havre, 22 miles (35 km) to the west.
Notable people
- Elliott Blackstone, sergeant of the San Francisco Police Department and longtime advocate for LGBT rights
- Chet Blaylock, former member of the Montana State Senate, taught at a school in the city
- U.S. Grant Sharp, Jr., former United States Navy four star admiral and Commander in Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet
See also
In Spanish: Chinook (Montana) para niños
