Great Falls, Montana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 CountyGR6 and the principal city of the 'Great Falls, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Cascade County, Montana. 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, as well as the Great Falls White Sox minor league baseball team. The local newspaper is the Great Falls Tribune.
A Coldwell Banker Home Price Comparison Index listed Great Falls as the most affordable area of 348 markets in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
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[edit] Geography
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.
[edit] History
Founded in 1883 by Paris Gibson and railroad magnate James J. Hill, Great Falls began as a planned power city, situated to take advantage of the hydroelectric power of the waterfalls of the Missouri River. Historian William J. Furdell described it as "a businessman's town" and it was said that the city "couldn't pont to a boot hill or a hangin' tree."
In 1884, the Great Falls post office was recognized by The United States Postal Service. In 1889, construction on the Black Eagle Dam began, which would provide the city with hydroelectric power by the following year.
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.
[edit] Military
Great Falls is home to Malmstrom Air Force Base and the 341st Space Wing. The 341st Operations Group provides the forces to launch, monitor and secure the wing's Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) and missile alert facilities (MAF).
These ICBMs and MAFs are dispersed over the largest missile complex in the Western Hemisphere, an area encompassing some 23,000 square miles (approximately the size of the state of West Virginia).
The group manages a variety of equipment, facilities, and vehicles worth more than $5 billion.
Great Falls International Airport is also home to the Montana Air National Guard's 120th Fighter Wing. The 120th is composed of F-16C/D fighter aircraft and associated support personnel.
Great Falls is also home to the 889th Army Reserve Unit.
[edit] The Mariana UFO Incident
In August 1950, the city of Great Falls was thrust into the spotlight of UFO enthusiasts worldwide when baseball manager Nicolas Mariana filmed two UFOs above the town with his personal 16mm camera. The footage, taken from the Legion Ball Park, was immediately submitted to the Great Falls Tribune and later shown to friends and family. At a friend's suggestion, Mariana submitted the footage to the Air Force and it was formally examined by Project Blue Book at nearby Malmstrom Air Force Base (then the Great Falls AFB). When the footage was returned to him, Mariana claimed that clearer footage featuring the ships rotating had been removed by the military.
The remaining footage has been featured in numerous UFO documentaries and, to this day, remains one of the strongest cases supporting the existence of UFOs ever captured on film. Since then, over 100 other UFO sightings have been made in Great Falls, making it one of the most active locations for UFO sightings in North America.
[edit] Notable people who have lived in Great Falls
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