Glendive, Montana
Glendive is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Montana, United States, and home to Dawson Community College. Glendive was established by the Northern Pacific Railway during the building of the railroad line. The town of Glendive is an agricultural and ranching hub of eastern Montana sited between the Yellowstone River and the Badlands. Makoshika State Park is located just east of Glendive.
The population was 4,873 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 4,760 in 2024.
History
The land has been historically inhabited by the Crow people.Sir George Gore, a wealthy Irish "sportsman", named the local tributary to the Yellowstone River in his favorite hunting area "Glendive" in 1855. Gore killed 105 bears, 2000 buffalos and 1600 elk and deer over 11 months. The town took its name from the stream of the same name 25 years later.
The Montana territorial legislature had created Dawson County in 1869, but did not name a county seat, instead placing it administratively under Meagher County.
Glendive was established by the Northern Pacific Railway when they built the transcontinental railroad across the northern tier of the western United States from Minnesota to the Pacific Coast. The town was the headquarters for the Yellowstone Division that encompassed ; in main line and in branches with the main routes from Mandan, North Dakota, to Billings, Montana, and from Billings to Livingston. There was a steamboat landing for trade to Fort Buford and the Upper Missouri River.
The settlement mainly consisted of tents and log cabins covered with dirt roofs, until the train station was built from 1880 until 1881. The train station architect was O. M. Rognan.
With the arrival of first load of lumber in 1881 a building boom ensued.
That same year, Glendive citizens petitioned to name it the seat of Dawson county.
At the height of the Montana gold rush- fed cattle boom in 1884, 12,000 cattle arrived per week to stock the open range.
20th century
Glendive was briefly an oil boom town after the discovery of oil in the Williston Basin in the early 1950s. Moving the oil out of the area was difficult and expensive though; the boom ended by 1954 and only a small reserve existed locally.21st century
The community has been impacted in the 2000s by the North Dakota oil boom which spurred a modest increase in the population.On January 17, 2015, Glendive was the site of a major oil spill from a pipeline which contaminated drinking water. It was not until a day later when people complained about odor and taste of the water from the City of Glendive’s Water Treatment Plant that the spill was discovered.The Poplar pipeline by Bridger Pipeline, LLC, of Casper, Wyoming which crosses the Yellowstone River 6.5 miles North of Glendive had spilled 30,000 gallons Bakken crude oil, which were found as far as Crane, Montana about 60 river miles downstream. It stayed on shorelines until after the spring thaw in April 2015. It contaminated fish and impacted migrating birds. In 2022, Bridger paid $2,000,000 for restoration.
On October 24, 2023, a fire destroyed the Jordan Inn and the Rose Theater, both located in the Merrill Avenue Historic District. The Inn was a complete loss.
Geography
The elevation of the city is. Interstate 94 passes through town with access from exits 215, 224 and 231. Montana Highway 16 begins in West Glendive. The Yellowstone River cuts through town.According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Climate
Glendive experiences a semi-arid climate with long, cold, dry winters and hot, wetter summers. Together with Medicine Lake, Montana, the town holds the state's all-time-high record of, which was recorded on July 20, 1893, in Glendive and on July 5, 1937, in Medicine Lake.On June 29, 1961, an F4 tornado struck Glendive, causing between $500,000 and $5 million in damage.
Demographics
According to realtor website Zillow, the average price of a home as of October 31, 2025, in Glendive is $186,137.As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 1,975 estimated households in Glendive with an average of 2.24 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $71,063. Approximately 9.8% of the city's population lives at or below the poverty line. Glendive has an estimated 53.8% employment rate, with 25.8% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 92.3% holding a high school diploma. There were 2,279 housing units at an average density of.
The top five reported languages were English, Spanish, Indo-European, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Other.
The median age in the city was 44.1 years.
| Race / ethnicity | Pop. 1990 | Pop. 2000 | Pop. 2010 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | ||
| White alone | 4,701 | 4,581 | 4,585 | 4,253 | 97.90% | 96.87% | 92.91% | 87.28% |
| Black or African American alone | 0 | 14 | 23 | 35 | 0.00% | 0.30% | 0.47% | 0.72% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone | 40 | 54 | 108 | 133 | 0.83% | 1.14% | 2.19% | 2.73% |
| Asian alone | 21 | 5 | 22 | 41 | 0.44% | 0.11% | 0.45% | 0.84% |
| Pacific Islander alone | — | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 0.00% | 0.06% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.23% |
| Mixed race or multiracial | — | 27 | 74 | 195 | — | 0.57% | 1.50% | 4.00% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 40 | 48 | 119 | 204 | 0.83% | 1.02% | 2.41% | 4.19% |
| Total | 4,802 | 4,729 | 4,935 | 4,873 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 4,873 people, 1,953 households, and 1,093 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 2,323 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 88.73% White, 0.72% African American, 2.98% Native American, 0.84% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.33% from some other races and 5.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.19% of the population.2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 4,935 people, 2,060 households, and 1,190 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 2,267 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 94.45% White, 0.51% African American, 2.37% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from some other races and 1.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.41% of the population.There were 2,060 households, of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.2% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.84.
The median age in the city was 41.2 years. 19.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 12% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 18.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.4% male and 49.6% female.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 4,729 people, 1,983 households, and 1,229 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 2,204 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 97.38% White, 0.30% African American, 1.21% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from some other races and 0.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.02% of the population.There were 1,983 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,943, and the median income for a family was $40,313. Males had a median income of $30,977 versus $20,132 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,544. About 11.6% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Glendive Public Schools educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Dawson County High School's team name is the Red Devils.Glendive is home to Dawson Community College, a 2-year college formed in 1940 to meet the educational needs of eastern Montana. The college offers Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, and Associate of Applied Science degrees as well as certificate programs. Dawson Community College is an open-access college.
Glendive Public Library serves the area.