Belgrade, Montana

*"Polished to perfection of Montana."'*--Belgrade town motto

**Belgrade**is a city in Gallatin, Montana. It is the largest city in Montana that is not a county seat.

## Overview

Belgrade is a small town located in a valley some 30 miles west of Bozeman. It is a simple town populated by simple, salt of the Earth people. It's the kind of town that takes a week off for the start of hunting season and the sort of place where half the town fills the bars every night to share a brew after work and talk about sports. It's real big on sports, especially high school basketball.

Crime is next to non-existent. Yeah, you've got the odd robbery, and a definite drug problem, but no violent crimes. The worst that happens is catching the occasional criminal fleeing from a neighboring county or rounding up a herd of escaped cows.

Belgrade is a town filled with traditions and religious people, where everybody knows everybody. It's a primarily agricultural community; despite the weather and despite the fact that the soil in the valley is notoriously bad for farming, the crops in the area always turn out incredibly bountiful.

The Belgrade Fall Festival is an annual tradition (40 years) that takes place on Homecoming Weekend, typically the third weekend in September. The day's activities include a parade, community open-pit beef barbecue, arts and crafts fair at Lewis and Clark Park and the Belgrade High School Panthers varsity football game. Bozemen Yellowstone International Airport is located adjacent to the city boundaries.

### Climate

Belgrade's climate is dry and cold. The area tends to have cool summers and windy, frigid winters where exposure to the elements is a very real threat. Belragde tends to have more sunny days per year than the rest of the surrounding area, an anomaly that most meteorologists attribute to shielding from the surrounding mountains.

The valley gets an average of 14 inches of rain per year, less than half the national average. Snowfall, however, is 45 inches; double the national average.

### Education

The town has one high school, imaginatively named Belgrade High School and no colleges in town. The nearest colleges are on the other side of the mountains in Bozeman. Most citizens of Belgrade commute to school in Bozeman, as opposed to moving there.

### Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 7,389 people living in Belgrade. The racial makeup of the city was 94.2% White, 3.8% Hispanic/Latino, 2.5% from two or more races, 1% Native American, 0.5% Asian American, 0.4% African American and 0.1% Pacific Islander. The median age in the city is 31 years old.

### The Supernatural

Belgrade and the surrounding valley have always been quiet, supernaturally speaking. Few **spirits** reside in the simple town and monsters almost never venture out that way. It's quiet and safe.

## History

The original townsite of Belgrade was established and filed in the Gallatin County Clerk and Records office by Thomas B. Quaw, a businessman from the midwest in July 1881, originally named Quaw City. The town experienced a rough winter but was saved by European investors from Serbia. Thus, after the winter, the town's name was changed to Belgrade in their honor, Belgrade also being the name of the capitol of Serbia.

Belgrade was incoprorated in 1906.

## Points of Interest

### **Public Locations**

The Belgrade Special Events Center is a 4,800-seat indoor facility constructed by the Belgrade High School Panthers basketball, volleyball and wrestling teams as well as numerous other school and community events.

As one of the largest high school athletic facilities in the state, the Special Events Center hosts numerous district, divisional and state athletic events. These sporting events bring thousands of people to Belgrade from all over the state of Montana who not only attend the games, but shop in area stores, stay in local motels and eat in local restaurants.

The Gallatin Speedway is located on the outskirts of Belgrade northeast of Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport  on Tubb Road. The 3/8-mile dirt oval hosts stock car racing events from May to September.

### Businesses

**--A New Page:** A bookstore/coffee shop.

**--Blockbuster Video:** A video rental store.

### Other Locales

**--Quaw Hill:** A small hill in the foothills of town, overlooking the city. The former house of city founder Thomas B. Quaw. A centuries old oak tree stands on the property as well as the plots for the family graves. Teenagers often sneak onto the land and now-derelict Quaw house to drink and have unregulated parties.

## Trivia

--Belgrade was host to the 2001 Hotdog Eating Championships.