Sidney, Montana

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Sidney, Montana
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Sidney, Montana


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Montana
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Richland
government_footnotes =
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leader_title =
leader_name =
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established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 5.8
area_land_km2 = 5.8
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 2.2
area_land_sq_mi = 2.2
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 4774
population_density_km2 = 820.6
population_density_sq_mi = 2125.3

timezone = Mountain (MST)
utc_offset = -7
timezone_DST = MDT
utc_offset_DST = -6
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 594
elevation_ft = 1949
latd = 47 |latm = 42 |lats = 45 |latNS = N
longd = 104 |longm = 9 |longs = 41 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 59270
area_code = 406
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 30-67900
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0776533
website =
footnotes =

Sidney is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Montana, United States,GR|6 less than 10 mi (15.5 km) away from the North Dakota border. The population was 4,774 at the 2000 census. The city lies along the Yellowstone River and is in proximity to the badlands of the Dakotas. Sidney is approximately midway between Glendive and Williston, North Dakota.

History

Settlers began arriving in the area in the 1870s, and a post office was established in 1888. Six year old Sidney Walters and his parents were staying with Hiram Otis, the local justice of the peace, and Otis decided that Sidney was a good name for the town. The following year, Montana became a state and Sidney was incorporated in 1911. [http://www.sidneymt.com/history.htm]

Sidney was originally part of Dawson County, but became the county seat of Richland County at its inception in 1914.

Agriculture became an important part of the region after the [http://www.esidney.com/sugardays/lyipsmmry.html Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project] was completed in 1909. A dam was built on the river south of Glendive, which diverted water from the river into a 115.2 km (72 mi) main canal, which runs north-south, parallel to the Yellowstone, irrigating land from Glendive north up to Fairview, where it dumps into the Missouri River. This project irrigates 51,429 acres and serves water to 450 farms, according to the manager of the [http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/archives/106cong/water/99oct07/nypen.htm Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Districts] .

The area experienced an oil boom and bust in the late 1970s and early 1980s, bringing an influx of people to the town for a short period of time. At the turn of the century, the town started experiencing another surge in oil exploration activity.

In December 2006, a German tourist en-route to see his girlfriend in Sydney, Australia boarded a commuter flight in Billings, Montana that was headed to Sidney after making a typo in his travel plans. At that point he had realized the mistake and his family sent him 600 euros to continue the trip. [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/01/web_typo_tourist_snafu/]

Economy

Sidney relies heavily on farming, ranching, and oil production for economic stability. The surrounding countryside is populated with many farms and cattle ranches, plus oil exploration activity. The area's main cash crop are sugar beets, and Sidney is home to a sugar beet factory, built in 1925. The factory is the largest employer in the city, next to the [http://www.sidneyhealth.org Sidney Health Center] and [http://www.sidneyps.com/ Sidney Public Schools] . The town is served by Sidney-Richland Municipal Airport, one mile west of the central business district.

The city has a community newspaper, " [http://www.sidneyherald.com The Sidney Herald] ".

Education

Sidney has three public schools; one K-5 elementary school, a 6-8 junior high school, and a 9-12 senior high school. There are no institutions of higher education located within the city, however, [http://www.dawson.cc.mt.us/ Dawson Community College] has a Sidney campus, and Williston State College is within commuting distance. [http://www.msubillings.edu/ MSU-Billings] offers courses through telecommunication, and Sidney High School has a variety of adult education classes each year.

Geography

Sidney is in the northeastern part of the state, located at coor dms|47|42|45|N|104|9|41|W|city (47.712519, -104.161486)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.8 km²), all of it land.

Sidney is 432 km (270 mi) northeast of Billings, Montana, and 304 km (190 mi) south of Regina, Saskatchewan.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 4,774 people, 2,006 households, and 1,271 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,125.3 people per square mile (819.2/km²). There were 2,393 housing units at an average density of 1,065.3/sq mi (410.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.81% White, 0.10% African American, 1.89% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 1.01% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.43% of the population.

There were 2,006 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,109, and the median income for a family was $38,992. Males had a median income of $30,347 versus $18,517 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,911. About 8.5% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

*Brandon Eggum, born and raised in Sidney, won the 2001 World Freestyle Championships silver medalist at 85 kg/187.25 pounds.
*Florrie Fisher, former drug addict and motivational speaker, retired to Sidney.
*Donald Nutter, former Governor of Montana (1961-62), grew up here.

References

External links

* [http://www.sidneymt.com/ Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce] - official site