Editing Sun River, Montana

{{About|the designated place|the river|Sun River}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Sun River, Montana
|settlement_type          = [[Census-designated place|CDP]]
|image_skyline            = 
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = 
|image_map = Cascade_County_Montana_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Sun_River_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Sun River, Montana
<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = Country
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Montana]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Montana|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Cascade County, Montana|Cascade]]
<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =
<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 5, 2022}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 4.82
|area_land_km2            = 4.82
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 1.86
|area_land_sq_mi          = 1.86
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 95
|population_density_km2   = 19.71
|population_density_sq_mi = 51.05
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain (MST)]]
|utc_offset               = &minus;7
|timezone_DST             = MDT
|utc_offset_DST           = &minus;6
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 3416
|coordinates              = {{coord|47|31|32|N|111|44|44|W|type:city_region:US-MT|display=it}}
<!-- Area/postal codes and others -->
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 59483
|area_code                = [[Area code 406|406]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 30-72475
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2410027<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2410027}}</ref>
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
}}
'''Sun River''' is a [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in [[Cascade County, Montana|Cascade County]], [[Montana]], United States. The population was 124 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web| url=https://www.census.gov| title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Sun River CDP, Montana| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]| accessdate=January 27, 2012}}</ref> It is part of the [[Great Falls, Montana]] [[Metropolitan Statistical Area]].

==History==
The town is named after the [[Sun River]], by which it is located. The name was from the Indian word ''Nataeosueti'', translated by the English as "Medicine" or "Sun" river.  Artifacts have been found in the area related to native cultures dating back to 2000 B.C.  More recent Native tribes include Blackfeet and Crow.

The town was established in 1867 by John Largent, who laid out the town, sold lots, and opened a store and post office. Largent and Joe Healy also built a toll bridge across the Sun River to profit from the [[Mullan Road]] traffic between [[Fort Benton, Montana|Fort Benton]] and the new gold mines to the south.<ref name="mhs">{{cite web |title=Sun River|url=http://mtplacenames.org/ |website=Montana Place Names Companion |publisher=Montana Historical Society |access-date=9 April 2021}}</ref>

==Geography==
Sun River is located at the intersection of [[U.S. Route 89 in Montana|U.S. Route 89]] and [[Montana Highway 200]]. It is about 23 miles from [[Great Falls, Montana|Great Falls]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of 1.8&nbsp;square miles (4.7&nbsp;km{{sup|2}}), all land.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|2020= 95
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 500 people, 230 households, and 58 families residing in the CDP. The population density was {{convert|98.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 65 housing units at an average density of {{convert|35.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.95% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 2.29% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], and 0.76% from two or more races.

There were 58 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $25,357, and the median income for a family was $28,750. Males had a median income of $24,583 versus $19,531 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the CDP was $14,647. There were 13.5% of families and 10.2% of the population living below the [[poverty line]], including 14.7% of under eighteens and 14.3% of those over 64.

==Climate==
Like most of Montana outside of the highest mountains, Sun River has a cold [[semi-arid climate]] (Köppen ''BSk'') characterised by hot summers with chilly nights, and cold winters with very high temperature variability due to warming by [[chinook wind]]s contrasting with occasional severe chilling by polar air from Canada.

During winter, maximum temperatures exceed {{convert|50|F|C|disp=or}} on an average of 18.4 days between December and February, and a total of 26.7 days in November and March. During cold outbreaks minima fall below {{convert|0|F|C|1|disp=or}} on 25.5 nights in an average winter, though only seven such nights occurred during the very mild winter of 1999–2000 but as many as fifty-two in the cold winter of 1968–69. In the summer temperature exceed {{convert|90|F|C|1|disp=or}} on 14.2 days, although {{convert|100|F|C|1|disp=or}} is exceeded merely once in five summers on average.

Most precipitation comes from thunderstorms in late spring and summer, but even then it is less heavy than further into the Plains. The wettest recorded month has been May 1953 with {{convert|6.74|in|mm|1|disp=or}}, whilst in September 2012 not even a “trace” was reported. Snowfall is moderate due to the dry winters, with a mean of {{convert|39.2|in|m|2|disp=or}} and a median of {{convert|29.4|in|m|2|disp=or}}. The most snow in a month has been {{convert|28.8|in|m|2|disp=or}} in April 1967, whilst the most snow on the ground has been {{convert|19|in|m|2|disp=or}} on 17 February 1959 following a storm depositing {{convert|13.9|in|m|2}} over the previous two days.
{{Weather box
|location = Sun River 4 S, Montana (1971-2000; extremes 1912-)
|collapsed = N |single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 66
|Feb record high F = 73
|Mar record high F = 78
|Apr record high F = 88
|May record high F = 93
|Jun record high F = 99
|Jul record high F = 111
|Aug record high F = 102
|Sep record high F = 97
|Oct record high F = 91
|Nov record high F = 74
|Dec record high F = 65
|year record high F = 111
|Jan high F = 34.3
|Feb high F = 40.0
|Mar high F = 47.4
|Apr high F = 57.3
|May high F = 66.0
|Jun high F = 74.0
|Jul high F = 81.5
|Aug high F = 80.8
|Sep high F = 70.3
|Oct high F = 59.5
|Nov high F = 43.4
|Dec high F = 35.8
|year high F = 57.5
|Jan low F = 11.9
|Feb low F = 16.2
|Mar low F = 22.2
|Apr low F = 30.4
|May low F = 38.7
|Jun low F = 46.3
|Jul low F = 49.8
|Aug low F = 48.8
|Sep low F = 40.4
|Oct low F = 33.0
|Nov low F = 22.8
|Dec low F = 14.7
|year low F = 31.3
|Jan record low F = &minus;46
|Feb record low F = &minus;45
|Mar record low F = &minus;33
|Apr record low F = &minus;16
|May record low F = 8
|Jun record low F = 26
|Jul record low F = 33
|Aug record low F = 28
|Sep record low F = 16
|Oct record low F = &minus;19
|Nov record low F = &minus;40
|Dec record low F = &minus;51
|year record low F = &minus;51
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 0.42
|Feb precipitation inch = 0.36
|Mar precipitation inch = 0.67
|Apr precipitation inch = 1.24
|May precipitation inch = 2.18
|Jun precipitation inch = 2.08
|Jul precipitation inch = 1.47
|Aug precipitation inch = 1.51
|Sep precipitation inch = 1.06
|Oct precipitation inch = 0.81
|Nov precipitation inch = 0.49
|Dec precipitation inch = 0.42
|Jan precipitation days = 5.6
|Feb precipitation days = 4.6
|Mar precipitation days = 6.5
|Apr precipitation days = 7.6
|May precipitation days = 10.2
|Jun precipitation days = 9.2
|Jul precipitation days = 7.1
|Aug precipitation days = 7.8
|Sep precipitation days = 6.6
|Oct precipitation days = 5.1
|Nov precipitation days = 5.0
|Dec precipitation days = 5.0
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan snow inch = 7.0
|Feb snow inch = 4.6
|Mar snow inch = 6.9
|Apr snow inch = 4.2
|May snow inch = 0.8
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.1
|Sep snow inch = 0.3
|Oct snow inch = 2.7
|Nov snow inch = 4.3
|Dec snow inch = 8.3
|Jan snow days = 4.9
|Feb snow days = 3.8
|Mar snow days = 3.3
|Apr snow days = 2.0
|May snow days = 0.2
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.02
|Sep snow days = 0.2
|Oct snow days = 0.9
|Nov snow days = 3.1
|Dec snow days = 3.8
|year snow days = 22.2
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|source 1 = NOAA<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim20/mt/248021.pdf
  | title = Climatography of the United States No. 20: 1971-2000 – Station: ROY 8 NE, MT
  | publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
  | accessdate = September 14, 2016
}}</ref>
|source 2 = NWS (January and July record highs)<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=tfx
  | title = National Weather Service Forecast Office Great Falls, Montana
  | publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
  | accessdate = September 14, 2016
}}</ref>
|date=December 2011
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Great Falls, Montana}}
{{Cascade County, Montana}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Census-designated places in Montana]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Cascade County, Montana]]