Billings, MT Homes For Rent

Homes for Rent in Billings, MT: What You Need to Know

Billings is Montana’s most populous city, with 109,577 residents. It’s home to the Pictograph Cave State Park, which boasts of more than 100 prehistoric rock drawings.

Job Opportunities in Billings, MT

Agriculture is the pillar of the economy in Billings and Yellowstone County. Yellowstone Valley is a fertile region, with products such as sugar beets and grain, and livestock such as cattle and sheep. Billings is the region’s transportation, processing, and packaging center. Top employers in Billings include Talen Montana (electricity), Billings Clinic, First Interstate BancSystem Inc., Kampgrounds of America (privately held campgrounds), and Rocky Mountain College.

Cost of Living in Billings, MT

Montana is one of the 20 most expensive states to live in the United States. It’s no wonder the cost of living rate in Billings is 0.8% higher than the national average. At least, food and housing costs are 20.7% and 23.2% lower than the national average respectively. The median gross rent is $899. Montana doesn’t collect a sales tax. The state levies 1% to 6.9% in income tax. 

Things to Do in Billings, MT

The Pictograph Cave State Park is a National Historic Landmark because of its archeological significance. Prehistoric hunters who camped in the Pictograph Cave, one of the caves in the area, left behind artifacts and over 100 rock paintings. The oldest rock art in the cave is over 2,000 years old. The pictographs feature images of animals and warriors. You can view the pictographs by following a loop trail to the caves with interpretative displays identifying the natural features and vegetation along the route. The Yellowstone Art Museum is Montana’s largest contemporary art museum. Exhibitions include artworks by Montana modernists who adopted new ways of thinking and seeing and created their own version of place-based Modernism.

How Did Billings, MT Get its Name?

Billings was named after Frederick H. Billings, president of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Crow Indians originally lived in the area. Billings was founded in March 1882 as a western railhead for the railroad’s westward expansion. The new town grew almost overnight, earning the nickname Magic City. Captain William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through Billings in July 1806. He carved his signature and the date on a rock in nearby Pompey’s Pillar. It’s the only remaining on-site evidence of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. 

Does Billings, MT Get a Lot of Snow?

Yes. Billings receives about 46 inches of snow per year versus the national average of 28 inches. In the winter of 2017-2018, Billings received 106.1 inches of snow, making it the city’s snowiest on record. It broke the previous record of 103.5 inches in 2014.