Colstrip Montana Map

About Colstrip, Montana

Colstrip is a locality in Rosebud County, Montana, United States. It has a population of approximately 2,096. The population density is 200.0 people per km². Colstrip is located at 45.8945°N, 106.6284°W. It observes the Mountain Time (America/Denver) timezone. Colstrip is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 59323.

Colstrip rises from the high plains like a sudden, industrial island amidst a sea of sagebrush and wide, amber-hued grasses. It lies 90.6 miles east of Billings, MT (from Billings, MT: bearing 85°T), and is situated 52.1 miles southwest of Miles City. The East Fork Armells Creek traces a quiet, winding path near the outskirts, its presence a thin ribbon of moisture through the parched, sun-bleached earth. To the west, the silhouette of Eagle Rock anchors the horizon, standing as a silent sentinel over the vast, open expanse that stretches toward the Montana State Trust Lands. The air here carries a dry, sharp clarity, especially as the late afternoon light deepens into a bruised purple, casting long, dramatic shadows that exaggerate the gentle, rhythmic swells of the terrain.

Colstrip owes its very existence to the deep, dark veins of coal buried beneath the topsoil, a resource that has dictated the rhythm of life and the shape of the local economy for generations. The legacy of the railroad and the subsequent rise of power production define the character of the place, creating a distinct landscape where massive machinery and the raw, quiet prairie coexist in an uneasy, functional tension. Away from the heavy industry, the proximity to the rugged, quiet reaches of Emile Coulee offers a stark reminder of the wilder, untouched topography that predates the arrival of the power plants. Life here moves with the steady, deliberate cadence of a working community, where the immense, cloud-strewn sky provides a constant, humbling backdrop to the daily industry of the people.

About This Colstrip Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Colstrip, Montana. Coordinates: 45.894514, -106.628419. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.

Detailed location data for Colstrip includes the ZIP code (59323), telephone area code (406), county seat of Rosebud County (Forsyth), and school district assignment (Colstrip Elementary School District).

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.