Great Falls is a city located in Cascade County, Montana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,690. It is the county seat of Cascade County. Great Falls is famous for having the shortest river in the world nearby, the Roe River. The city is home to Montana State University - Great Falls College of Technology, University of Great Falls and the Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind. The local newspaper is the Great Falls Tribune.
A Coldwell Banker Home Price Comparison Index listed Great Falls as the second most affordable area of 348 markets in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Great Falls is located along the Missouri River near several water falls on the Missouri. Great Falls is located at 47°30'13" North, 111°17'11" West (47.503657, -111.286299)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 51.6 km2 (19.9 mi2). 50.5 km2 (19.5 mi2) of it is land and 1.1 km2 (0.4 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 2.21% water
Founded in 1883 by entrepreneur Josef Hanson and railroad magnate James J. Hill, Great Falls began as a planned power city, situated to take advantage of the hydroelectric power of the water falls of the Missouri river. William J. Furdell described as "a businessman's town" and it was said that the city "couldn't pont to a boot hill or a hangin' tree."
Great Falls quickly became a thriving industrial center and, by the early 1900s, was on route to become Montana's fastest growing community. The rustic studio of famed Western artist Charles Marion Russell was a popular attraction, as were the famed "great falls", after which the city was named.
It prospered further with the opening of a nearby military base, but as rail transportation and freight slowed in the later part of the century, its population dwindled. It once had over 60,000 people, but as of 2000 had about 56,000.
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Great Falls, MT
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