Baker is a city in and the county seat of Fallon County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,802 at the 2020 census.

History

Baker was built along the transcontinental rail line of the Milwaukee Road near where the railroad created a lake to supply water to its steam locomotives. The city was known as Lorraine for a brief time before being renamed in honor of Milwaukee Road engineer A.G. Baker. A successful Milwaukee Land Company campaign to attract homesteaders to the area allowed the city to grow and serve a large community of dryland farmers. Additional growth occurred following the 1912 discovery of oil and natural gas deposits nearby.

In 2014, Baker was described as "a busy, noisy, traffic-jammed, bursting-at-the-seams boomtown on the edge of the oil fields." On June 11, 2016, an EF-3 Tornado struck Baker destroying several houses and damaging dozens more, killing multiple horses in the area and injuring six people.

Geography

U.S. Route 12 passes through town.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Sandstone rock is the predominant feature. Nearby Medicine Rocks State Park has many unusual sandstone rock formations.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Baker has a cold semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Baker was on July 23, 2007, June 26, 2012, and August 12, 2018, while the coldest temperature recorded was on February 14, 2021.

|source 2 = National Weather Service (mean maxima and minima 2006–2020)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Baker had a population of 1,802. The median age was 36.8 years. 28.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.8 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 738 households in Baker, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.7% were married-couple households, 20.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The city council has four members. Steve Zachmann was voted mayor in 2025.

Arts and culture

O'Fallon Historical Museum is home to the world's largest steer.

The Fallon County Library serves the town of Baker.

Education

Baker Public Schools educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Baker High School has an enrollment of 140, which places it in class B within the Montana high school sports system. The school mascot is the 'Spartan'. The Spartans have won 6 State Football Championships under long time coach Don Schillinger.

Media

The Fallon County Times is the local newspaper. It is published weekly.

Two radio stations are licensed in Baker: KFLN AM, a country station, and KJJM FM, featuring classic rock music.

Infrastructure

U.S. Route 12 passes through town from east to west. Montana Highway 7 runs north to south through town.

The Baker Municipal Airport is located southeast of Baker's central business district.

Notable people

  • Bill Bowman, North Dakota state senator
  • Irene Lentz, Hollywood costume designer
  • Tyler Lyson, paleontologist (from North Dakota but attended Baker High School)
  • Shann Schillinger, NFL player for the Atlanta Falcons
  • Jack Westrope, Hall of Fame jockey

See also

  • List of cities and towns in Montana

References

  • Chamber of Commerce page
  • Baker schools