Billings was first counted by the census in 1870, and 39 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 51% of U.S. towns · #22 of 42 in Montana. What drives it
Most of Billings was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. 39 places in town are on the National Register, among them six historic districts with 214 buildings between them. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1870.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Billings is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #22 of 42 in Montana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Billings’ overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Billings ranks #234 on History.
Montana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Montana town has 12.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Billings’ 20.7 sits near the middle of its state (64% of Montana towns have fewer) while its 247 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: the first census (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Billings’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The city is named for Frederick H. Billings, a former president of the Northern Pacific Railroad from Woodstock, Vermont. An earlier name for the area was Clark's Fork Bottom.
The Crow people from the nearby Crow Indian Reservation call the city Ammalapáshkuua. It means 'where they cut wood', and is named as such because of a sawmill built in the area by early white settlers. The Cheyenne from the nearby Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation refer to the city as É'êxováhtóva, 'sawing place' and the Gros Ventre from the nearby Fort Belknap Indian Reservation refer to it as ʔóhuutébiθɔnɔ́ɔ́nh (lit. 'where they saw lumber'), both also named for the sawmill, or translations of the Crow name.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Billings. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1954Billings sheet · 1:250,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Billings.
Every building
Billings, building by building, 1884–1912
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The Billings post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1877.
How does Billings rank for history?
Billings is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #22 of 42 in Montana. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Billings?
39 listings: 32 buildings, among them the Billings Chamber of Commerce Building (listed 1972, the first), 6 historic districts with 214 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 247 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Billings?
6% of Billings’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 13% for a Montana town; the median home was built in 1980.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (8), the National Register of Historic Places (39), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1908
1915
