Editing Virginia City, Montana

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Virginia City, Montana
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|motto                    =
|image_skyline            = Virginia City, Montana.jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = Virginia City from a nearby hillside
|image_map                = Madison_County_Montana_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Virginia_City_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in Madison County and the state of 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        = [[Madison County, Montana|Madison]]
<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =
<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2023">{{cite web |title=2023 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Montana |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2023_Gazetteer/2023_gaz_place_30.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=May 13, 2024}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 2.46
|area_land_km2            = 2.46
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 0.95
|area_land_sq_mi          = 0.95
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=&g=1600000US3077125&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1| title=P1. Race – Virginia City town, Montana: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=May 13, 2024}}</ref>
|population_total         = 219
|population_density_km2   = 89.05
|population_density_sq_mi = 230.53
<!-- 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             = 5919
|coordinates              = {{coord|45|17|46|N|111|56|13|W|type:city_region:US-MT|display=it}}
<!-- Area/postal codes and others -->
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 59755
|area_code                = [[Area code 406|406]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 30-77125
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2413436<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2413436}}</ref>
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
}}
'''Virginia City''' is a town in and the [[county seat]] of [[Madison County, Montana|Madison County]], [[Montana]], United States.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> In 1961 the town and the surrounding area were designated a [[National Historic Landmark|National Historic Landmark District]], the [[Virginia City Historic District (Virginia City, Montana)|Virginia City Historic District]].<ref name=nhlsum>{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=304&ResourceType=District
|title=Virginia City Historic District|access-date=July 15, 2008|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> The population was 219 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=November 2, 2021}}</ref>

==History==
===Founding===
[[File:Thomas Francis Meagher House Virginia City Montana.jpg|thumb|left|190px|Thomas Francis Meagher House, Virginia City]]
In May 1863, a group of prospectors were headed toward the [[Yellowstone River]] and instead came upon a party of the [[Crow people]] and were forced to return to [[Bannack, Montana|Bannack]]. On May 26, 1863, Bill Fairweather and Henry Edgar discovered [[gold]] near Alder Creek.<ref>{{cite book|last=Malone |first=Michael P. |title=Montana-A History of Two Centuries |author2=Roeder, Richard B. |author3=Lang, William L.  |publisher=University of Washington Press |location=Seattle, WA |isbn=0-295-97129-0 |year=1991 |pages=65–66}}</ref> The prospectors could not keep the site a secret and were followed on their return to the gold-bearing site. A mining district was set up in order to formulate rules about individual gold claims. On June 16, 1863, the township was formed under the name of "Verina" a mile south of the gold fields. The name was intended to honor [[Varina Howell|Varina Howell Davis]], the first and only [[First Lady]] of the [[Confederate States of America]] during the [[American Civil War]]. Verina, although in [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] territory, was founded by men whose loyalties were thoroughly Confederate. Upon registration of the name, a [[Connecticut]] judge, G. G. Bissell, objected to their choice and recorded it as Virginia City.<ref name=Dillion2>{{cite book |author=Dillion, Mark C. |title=Montana Vigilantes 1863-1870 Gold, Guns and Gallows |chapter=The Rise and Dominance of the "Fourteen-Mile City" at Alder Gulch |pages=8–20 |publisher=Utah State University Press |location=Logan, UT |year=2013 |isbn=9780874219197}}</ref>

Within weeks Virginia City was a [[boomtown]] of thousands of prospectors and fortune seekers in the midst of a [[gold rush]]. The remote region of the Idaho Territory was without [[law enforcement]] or [[justice system]], with the exception of [[miners' court]]s. In late 1863, the great wealth in the region, lack of a justice system and the insecure means of travel gave rise to serious criminal activity, especially robbery and murder along the trails and roads of the region. "Road agents", as they became known, were ultimately responsible for up to 100 deaths in the region in 1863 and 1864. This resulted in the formation of the [[Vigilance Committee]] of Alder Gulch and the infamous [[Montana Vigilantes]]. Up to 15 road agents were hanged by the [[vigilante]]s in December 1863 and January 1864, including the sheriff of [[Bannack, Montana|Bannack]] and alleged leader of the road agent gang, [[Henry Plummer]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Dillon, Mark C. |title=Montana Vigilantes 1863-1870 Gold, Guns and Gallows  |publisher=Utah State University Press |location=Logan, UT |year=2013 |isbn=9780874219197}}</ref>
[[File:Virginia City, Montana from Alder Gulch in the late 1890s by Charles Roscoe Savage (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|Virginia City, Montana, from Alder Gulch in the late 1890s, by Charles Roscoe Savage]]
The [[Montana Territory]] was organized out of the existing [[Idaho Territory]] by Act of [[United States Congress|Congress]] and signed into law by [[President Abraham Lincoln]] on May 26, 1864.<ref name="Montana Territory">{{cite web | url = http://courts.mt.gov/library/organic.pdf | title = An Act to provide a temporary Government for the Territory of Montana | publisher = [[Thirty-sixth United States Congress]] | date = May 26, 1864 | access-date = January 20, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070112223516/http://courts.mt.gov/library/organic.pdf <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = January 12, 2007}}</ref> Although Bannack was the first territorial capital, the territorial legislature moved the capital to Virginia City on February 7, 1865.<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Jeffrey J. |title=Montana Book of Days |publisher=Historic Montana Publishing |location=Missoula, MT |year=2003 |page=40 |isbn=0966335562}}</ref> It remained the capital until April 19, 1875, when it moved to [[Helena, Montana|Helena]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Parry |first=Ellis Roberts |title=Montana Dateline |publisher=Globe Pequot Press |location=Guilford, CT |year=2001 |isbn=156044956X |page=81}}</ref> Thomas Dimsdale began publication of Montana's first newspaper, the ''Montana Post'', in Virginia City on August 27, 1864.<ref>{{cite book |last=Parry |first=Ellis Roberts |title=Montana Dateline |publisher=Globe Pequot Press |location=Guilford, CT |year=2001 |isbn=156044956X |page=186}}</ref>  Montana's first public school was established in Virginia City in March 1866.<ref>{{cite book |last=Parry |first=Ellis Roberts |title=Montana Dateline |publisher=Globe Pequot Press |location=Guilford, CT |year=2001 |isbn=156044956X |page=51}}</ref>

[[File:Gilbert Brewery Virginia City Montana.jpg|thumb|right|190px|Gilbert Brewery, Wallace Street, Virginia City, founded in 1866 by Henry S. Gilbert (1833–1902)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv41728|title=Gilbert Brewing Company records - Archives West|website=archiveswest.orbiscascade.org}}</ref>]]

===Preservation===
Virginia City's population dwindled starting in the 1880s as the easily-extracted [[placer deposit|placer]] gold played out and miners moved away. Federal monetary policy in the 1930s reduced the gold content of the U.S. dollar, making gold relatively more valuable, which led to some gold mining revival across the west. However, in 1942, the National War Labor Board's Limitation Order 209 made nearly all gold mining in the United States illegal, practically shuttering the gold mining industry in the United States. By the mid- to late-1940s, the town's gold rush-era buildings were being abandoned or dismantled for their lumber.<ref name="Gruen">{{cite journal |last1=Gruen |first1=J. Philip |title=Staging the Past in Montana's Alder Gulch: Ruminations on History, Tourism, and Preservation |journal=Montana: The Magazine of Western History |date=Winter 2011 |volume=61 |issue=4 |page=22 |jstor=23127901 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23127901 |access-date=January 3, 2024}}</ref> Charles and Sue Bovey began buying the town, putting much needed maintenance into failing structures. The [[ghost town]] of Virginia City began to be restored for [[tourism]] in the 1950s. The Boveys operated the town as an [[open-air museum]] complete with artifacts and [[living history]] enactments. Of the nearly 300 structures in town, almost half were built before 1900. Buildings in their original condition with [[American Old West|Old West]] period displays and information plaques stand next to presently active restaurants, gift shops, and other businesses. The town received [[National Historic Landmark]] status in 1962, and many of its buildings have been added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="Dilsaver">{{cite journal |last1=Dilsaver |first1=Lary M. |last2=Wickoff |first2=William |title=Failed National Parks in the Last Best Place |journal=Montana The Magazine of Western History |date=Autumn 2009 |volume=59 |issue=3 |page=22 |jstor=40543651 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40543651 |access-date=February 10, 2021}}</ref>

The [[National Park Service]] (NPS) considered adding the town to its system, conducting studies in 1937, 1980 and 1995. In the end, the state of Montana bought most of the historic buildings after the legislature authorized the purchase of the Bovey properties. Today, the Historic District of Virginia City and Nevada City is operated by the Montana Heritage Commission, with financial and technical assistance from the NPS.<ref name="Dilsaver" /> The commission operates [[gold panning]], the Nevada City Music Hall and Museum, and the Alder Gulch Railroad.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stay and Play in History - Explore Legendary Virginia City and Nevada City Montana |url=https://www.virginiacitymt.com/ |access-date=March 18, 2023 |website=www.virginiacitymt.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.virginiacityplayers.com/ |title = The Virginia City Players}}</ref>

Virginia City also has a [[Boot Hill]] cemetery, where the graves of Jack Gallagher, Boone Helm, "Clubfoot" George Lane, Hayes Lyons, and Frank Parrish—all road agents killed during Virginia City's vigilante era—are placed in a location neighboring Virginia City's main graveyard.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.interment.net/data/us/mt/madison/boothill/index.htm|title=Boothill Cemetery - Madison County, Montana|website=Interment.net|last=Rail|first=Maggie|date=July 5, 2004|accessdate=December 23, 2022}}</ref> The {{RailGauge|2ft6in|lk=on}} [[Narrow-gauge railway|narrow-gauge]] Alder Gulch Short Line Railroad transports passengers by rail to the nearby ghost town of [[Nevada City, Montana|Nevada City]] and back.

The backdrop as well as the staged bar photos used in fine art pieces by [[David Yarrow]] are located in Virginia City at the Pioneer bar.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://davidyarrow.photography/collections/the-last-chance-saloon/|title = THE LAST CHANCE SALOON - David Yarrow Photography|newspaper = David Yarrow Photography|last1 = Photography|first1 = David Yarrow}}</ref>

===Filmography===
* The film ''[[The Missouri Breaks]]'' (1976) was partly filmed in Virginia City.<ref>Maddrey, Joseph (2016). ''The Quick, the Dead and the Revived: The Many Lives of the Western Film''. McFarland. Page 184. {{ISBN|9781476625492}}.</ref>
* The bar scenes in [[Little Big Man (film)|''Little Big Man'']] (1970) were filmed in the Bale of Hay Saloon, a landmark and watering hole in Virginia City.
* [[Steven Seagal]]'s film ''[[The Patriot (1998 film)|The Patriot]]'' (1998) was partly filmed in Virginia City.

==Notable people==
* [[Sarah Bickford]], African American businesswoman, former slave<ref>{{cite web |url=http://montanawomenshistory.org/celebrating-sarah-gammon-bickford/ |title=Celebrating Sarah Gammon Bickford |website=montanawomenshistory.org |date=August 14, 2014 |access-date=August 31, 2020}}</ref>
* [[John Bozeman]], prospector, merchant, founder of [[Bozeman, Montana]]
* [[Calamity Jane]], resident for some time
* [[Helen M. Duncan]], geologist and paleontologist; grew up in Virginia City
* [[Boone Helm]], notorious gunfighter, serial killer
* [[Hezekiah Lord Hosmer (judge)|Hezekiah L. Hosmer]], first Chief Justice of Montana Territory Supreme Court
* [[Nathaniel P. Langford]], prospector, vigilante and first superintendent of [[Yellowstone National Park]]
* [[Thomas Francis Meagher]], Irish nationalist, Civil War general, Secretary of State
* [[Joseph Millard]], later a U.S. senator from Nebraska; lived and opened a bank here
* [[Wilbur F. Sanders]], founding member of the Vigilance Committee and U.S. senator from Montana<ref>{{cite book |author=Dillon, Mark C. |title=Montana Vigilantes 1863-1870 Gold, Guns and Gallows  |publisher=Utah State University Press |location=Logan, UT |year=2013 |isbn=9780874219197 |chapter=Formation of the Vigilance Committee |pages=119–134}}</ref>
* [[George Laird Shoup]], [[governor of Idaho]]; moved here after the Civil War
* [[Jack Slade]], Pony Express co-founder and gunfighter; lynched here
* [[Sam V. Stewart]], governor and Supreme Court justice of Montana; practiced law here
* [[Nelson Story]], prospector, merchant and cattleman
* [[Granville Stuart]], prospector, vigilante, merchant
* [[William Boyce Thompson]], founder of [[Newmont Mining]]; born here
* [[A. A. Townsend]], captain of the Townsend Wagon Train

==Geography==
Virginia City is located in central Madison County. [[Montana Highway 287]] passes through town, leading east {{convert|14|mi}} to [[Ennis, Montana|Ennis]] and northwest {{convert|28|mi}} to [[Twin Bridges, Montana|Twin Bridges]]. The town sits in [[Alder Gulch]], between the [[Tobacco Root Mountains]] to the north and the [[Gravelly Range]] to the south.

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|0.95|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all land.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2023"/> Via Alder Gulch, the town is in the watershed of the [[Ruby River]], which flows northwest to the [[Beaverhead River]] and the [[Jefferson River]].

===Climate===
According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Virginia City has a borderline [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Dfb'') bordering on a [[semi-arid climate#Cold semi-arid climates|cold semi-arid climate]] (''BSk'') and a [[subarctic climate|subalpine climate]] (''Dfc'').<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=11042&cityname=Virginia+City,+Montana,+United+States+of+America&units=|title=Virginia City, Montana Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|website=Weatherbase}}</ref> The data below are from the Western Regional Climate Center over the years 1893 to 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?mt8597|title=VIRGINIA CITY, MONTANA - Climate Summary|website=wrcc.dri.edu|access-date=January 5, 2018}}</ref>

{{Weather box
 | width       = auto
 | collapsed   = yes
 | single line = yes
 | location    = Virginia City, Montana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present)
 | Jan record high F  = 65
 | Feb record high F  = 64
 | Mar record high F  = 71
 | Apr record high F  = 81
 | May record high F  = 91
 | Jun record high F  = 100
 | Jul record high F  = 103
 | Aug record high F  = 98
 | Sep record high F  = 99
 | Oct record high F  = 85
 | Nov record high F  = 74
 | Dec record high F  = 63
 | year record high F = 
 | Jan high F = 36.9
 | Feb high F = 38.9
 | Mar high F = 47.2
 | Apr high F = 54.3
 | May high F = 64.2
 | Jun high F = 72.6
 | Jul high F = 82.6
 | Aug high F = 81.3
 | Sep high F = 71.4
 | Oct high F = 57.6
 | Nov high F = 43.8
 | Dec high F = 35.3
 | year high F = 57.2
 | Jan mean F = 26.0
 | Feb mean F = 27.1
 | Mar mean F = 34.7
 | Apr mean F = 41.4
 | May mean F = 50.4
 | Jun mean F = 57.9
 | Jul mean F = 66.2
 | Aug mean F = 64.9
 | Sep mean F = 56.3
 | Oct mean F = 44.5
 | Nov mean F = 32.6
 | Dec mean F = 24.6
 | year mean F = 43.9
 | Jan low F = 15.0
 | Feb low F = 15.4
 | Mar low F = 22.1
 | Apr low F = 28.5
 | May low F = 36.6
 | Jun low F = 43.1
 | Jul low F = 49.8
 | Aug low F = 48.6
 | Sep low F = 41.2
 | Oct low F = 31.4
 | Nov low F = 21.3
 | Dec low F = 13.9
 | year low F = 30.6
 | Jan record low F  = -40
 | Feb record low F  = -39
 | Mar record low F  = -22
 | Apr record low F  = -11
 | May record low F  = 12
 | Jun record low F  = 23
 | Jul record low F  = 27
 | Aug record low F  = 24
 | Sep record low F  = 8
 | Oct record low F  = -10
 | Nov record low F  = -25
 | Dec record low F  = -38
 | year record low F = 
 | precipitation colour   = green
 | Jan precipitation inch = 0.67
 | Feb precipitation inch = 0.59
 | Mar precipitation inch = 0.93
 | Apr precipitation inch = 1.75
 | May precipitation inch = 2.37
 | Jun precipitation inch = 2.74
 | Jul precipitation inch = 1.33
 | Aug precipitation inch = 1.14
 | Sep precipitation inch = 1.19
 | Oct precipitation inch = 1.35
 | Nov precipitation inch = 0.82
 | Dec precipitation inch = 0.77
 | year precipitation inch = 15.65
 | unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
 | Jan precipitation days  = 5.9
 | Feb precipitation days  = 5.7
 | Mar precipitation days  = 6.4
 | Apr precipitation days  = 9.7
 | May precipitation days  = 11.4
 | Jun precipitation days  = 11.7
 | Jul precipitation days  = 7.6
 | Aug precipitation days  = 8.2
 | Sep precipitation days  = 6.3
 | Oct precipitation days  = 6.7
 | Nov precipitation days  = 6.5
 | Dec precipitation days  = 6.8
 | year precipitation days = 92.9
 | Jan snow inch = 11.2
 | Feb snow inch = 8.0
 | Mar snow inch = 6.6
 | Apr snow inch = 10.7
 | May snow inch = 4.3
 | Jun snow inch = 0.2
 | Jul snow inch = 0.0
 | Aug snow inch = 0.0
 | Sep snow inch = 0.2
 | Oct snow inch = 3.6
 | Nov snow inch = 7.7
 | Dec snow inch = 12.2
 | year snow inch = 64.7
 | unit snow days = 0.1 in
 | Jan snow days  = 5.5
 | Feb snow days  = 4.9
 | Mar snow days  = 4.0
 | Apr snow days  = 3.9
 | May snow days  = 1.8
 | Jun snow days  = 0.2
 | Jul snow days  = 0.0
 | Aug snow days  = 0.0
 | Sep snow days  = 0.1
 | Oct snow days  = 1.7
 | Nov snow days  = 5.1
 | Dec snow days  = 6.1
 | year snow days = 33.3
 | source = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]<ref name="NOWData">{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=tfx
|title = NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = December 14, 2023}}</ref><ref name="NCEI">{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00248597&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = December 14, 2023}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 624
|1890= 675
|1900= 568
|1910= 467
|1920= 342
|1930= 242
|1940= 380
|1950= 323
|1960= 194
|1970= 149
|1980= 192
|1990= 142
|2000= 130
|2010= 190
|2020= 219
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref><ref name="wwwcensusgov"/>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="2010 Census">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref> of 2010, there were 190 people, 102 households, and 55 families residing in the town. The [[population density]] was {{convert|200.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 171 housing units at an average density of {{convert|180.0|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 91.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.5% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.5% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 7.4% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.6% of the population.

There were 102 households, of which 17.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.1% were non-families. 42.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.86 and the average family size was 2.49.

The median age in the town was 51.3 years. 15.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 39.6% were from 45 to 64; and 18.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 130 people, 72 households, and 32 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|140.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 122 housing units at an average density of {{convert|131.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 94.62% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 2.31% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.77% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.31% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.77% of the population.

There were 72 households, out of which 18.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 1.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.2% were non-families. 47.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.81 and the average family size was 2.52.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 14.6% under the age of 18, 0.8% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 46.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,000, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $37,500 versus $19,167 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $19,182. There are 5.7% of the population living below the [[poverty line]], including those under eighteens and over 64.

==Education==
It is in the [[Ennis K-12 Schools]]<!--UNI 09930--> school district.<ref name=2020CensusSDMap>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st30_mt/schooldistrict_maps/c30057_madison/DC20SD_C30057.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Madison County, MT|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-10-04}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st30_mt/schooldistrict_maps/c30057_madison/DC20SD_C30057_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

Thompson-Hickman County Library is a public library located in Virginia City.<ref>{{cite web |title=Thompson-Hickman County Library |url=https://www.madisoncountymt.gov/295/Thompson-Hickman-County-Library |publisher=Madison County |access-date=April 13, 2021}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://virginiacity.com/ Virginia City Chamber of Commerce website]
* {{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Virginia City (Montana)|display=Virginia City, a city and the county seat of Madison co., Montana |short=x}}
{{Wild West}}
{{Madison County, Montana}}
{{Registered Historic Places}}
{{Montana county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Montana Territory]]
[[Category:Towns in Madison County, Montana]]
[[Category:County seats in Montana]]
[[Category:Former colonial and territorial capitals in the United States]]
[[Category:Mining communities in Montana]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1863]]
[[Category:Ghost towns in Montana]]
[[Category:American frontier]]
[[Category:1863 establishments in Idaho Territory]]