Wisdom, Montana

Wisdom was named for the Wisdom River, which is now named the Big Hole River, that passes through the town.[http://goldwest.visitmt.com/communities/wisdom.htm "Welcome to Wisdom, Montana"]. [http://goldwest.visitmt.com Montana's GoldWest Country]. Accessed May 2010.] The post office opened in 1884.{{cite web |title=Wisdom|url=http://mtplacenames.org/ |website=Montana Place Names Companion |publisher=Montana Historical Society |access-date=11 April 2021}}

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of {{convert|2.56|km2|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|2.54|km2|disp=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.02|sqkm|disp=flip}}, or 0.82%, is water. Wisdom's average elevation is {{convert|6245|ft}}, about 1.2 miles above sea level.[http://www.wisdomrivergallery.com/wisdom-montana-home-page/who-and-where-we-are/ "Wisdom, Montana - About"]. [http://www.wisdomrivergallery.com Wisdom River Gallery]. Accessed May 2010.

Wisdom is located along Montana Highway 43. Tweedy Mountain is nearby as is West Goat Peak.

Wisdom, owing to its high altitude and northerly location, has a subalpine climate (Köppen Dfc) with long, cold, dry winters and short summers with very warm afternoons and cold, clear mornings. With over 277 mornings each year below freezing and only July ever completely frost-free, Wisdom is in terms of frequency of frost one of the coldest places in the United States. During major cold waves, Wisdom’s location in an enclosed valley can make for exceptionally low temperatures: {{convert|−55|F|C|1}} was reached during a great cold wave on December 23, 1983, and {{convert|−50|F|C|1|disp=or}} has been reached during seven years, though not since February 4, 1989. Typically there are 47 mornings falling to or below {{convert|0|F|C|1|disp=or}}, and as many as seven fall as low as {{convert|−25|F|C|1|disp=or}}, whilst 69.8 afternoons do not top freezing, a tally twice as large as central Montana areas affected by warm chinook winds.

Minimum temperatures during spring do not typically stay above freezing until well into June, although the average last spring ice day date is April 1 and the first fall ice day November 1. Low winter precipitation limits both snowfall and snow depth: the annual mean fall is {{convert|42.3|in|m|2|disp=or}}, and the mean peak snow cover {{convert|11|in|m|2|disp=or}}, with the most snow on the ground being {{convert|32|in|m|2}} on January 2, 1943. Snow cover is usually gone by the end of March, and despite occasional light snowfalls in May, snow on the ground in that month has not been recorded since 1953. Precipitation is heaviest during the spring, but the enclosed valley location means most moisture is always captured before reaching Wisdom: the wettest month since records began in 1923 has been May 1981 with {{convert|4.32|in|mm|1}}, whilst the wettest calendar year has been 1967 with {{convert|15.74|in|mm|1}} and the driest 1974 when only {{convert|5.60|in|mm|1}} fell.

Although summer nights are chilly and even frosty, days can be very warm or even hot, although only 1.3 afternoons typically rise above {{convert|90|F|C|1|disp=or}} and {{convert|100|F|C|1|disp=or}} has never been recorded: Wisdom’s hottest temperature is {{convert|98|F|C|1|disp=or}} on July 13, 2002, and the hottest minimum {{convert|62|F|C|1|disp=or}} on July 23, 1936. On average only two mornings remain above {{convert|50|F|C|disp=or}} each summer, and Wisdom has never recorded so high a minimum between October 20 and May 4 inclusive. By the end of August mornings fall to freezing in five-eighths of all years, and in seven-eighths by the end of September, with the weather continuing to cool into winter with the first minimum under zero expected on November 10.

{{Weather box

|location = Wisdom, Montana 1991–2020 normals, 1923-2020 extremes: 6060ft (1847m)

|single line = Yes

|collapsed = yes

|Jan record high F = 53

|Feb record high F = 57

|Mar record high F = 68

|Apr record high F = 80

|May record high F = 89

|Jun record high F = 95

|Jul record high F = 98

|Aug record high F = 96

|Sep record high F = 90

|Oct record high F = 81

|Nov record high F = 66

|Dec record high F = 58

|year record high F =

|Jan avg record high F = 43.3

|Feb avg record high F = 45.0

|Mar avg record high F = 53.4

|Apr avg record high F = 66.8

|May avg record high F = 75.5

|Jun avg record high F = 82.8

|Jul avg record high F = 88.8

|Aug avg record high F = 87.7

|Sep avg record high F = 82.7

|Oct avg record high F = 71.8

|Nov avg record high F = 55.3

|Dec avg record high F = 43.1

|year avg record high F = 89.9

|Jan high F = 26.3

|Feb high F = 29.5

|Mar high F = 38.9

|Apr high F = 48.8

|May high F = 59.2

|Jun high F = 67.4

|Jul high F = 78.1

|Aug high F = 77.3

|Sep high F = 67.8

|Oct high F = 53.1

|Nov high F = 35.9

|Dec high F = 25.3

|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 14.7

|Feb mean F = 16.2

|Mar mean F = 25.6

|Apr mean F = 34.9

|May mean F = 43.8

|Jun mean F = 51.4

|Jul mean F = 57.8

|Aug mean F = 55.6

|Sep mean F = 47.8

|Oct mean F = 37.0

|Nov mean F = 23.2

|Dec mean F = 14.1

|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 3.1

|Feb low F = 3.0

|Mar low F = 12.4

|Apr low F = 21.0

|May low F = 28.4

|Jun low F = 35.4

|Jul low F = 37.6

|Aug low F = 33.9

|Sep low F = 27.7

|Oct low F = 20.9

|Nov low F = 10.5

|Dec low F = 2.9

|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = -27.8

|Feb avg record low F = -26.5

|Mar avg record low F = -10.4

|Apr avg record low F = 5.3

|May avg record low F = 15.1

|Jun avg record low F = 24.3

|Jul avg record low F = 28.6

|Aug avg record low F = 24.3

|Sep avg record low F = 14.2

|Oct avg record low F = 2.6

|Nov avg record low F = -12.9

|Dec avg record low F = -23.4

|year avg record low F = -35.7

|Jan record low F = −52

|Feb record low F = −52

|Mar record low F = -35

|Apr record low F = -20

|May record low F = 6

|Jun record low F = 16

|Jul record low F = 20

|Aug record low F = 11

|Sep record low F = 1

|Oct record low F = -23

|Nov record low F = -34

|Dec record low F = −55

|year record low F =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 0.59

|Feb precipitation inch = 0.59

|Mar precipitation inch = 0.77

|Apr precipitation inch = 1.12

|May precipitation inch = 1.75

|Jun precipitation inch = 2.12

|Jul precipitation inch = 1.20

|Aug precipitation inch = 0.79

|Sep precipitation inch = 1.09

|Oct precipitation inch = 0.84

|Nov precipitation inch = 0.77

|Dec precipitation inch = 0.67

|year precipitation inch =

|Jan snow inch = 9.0

|Feb snow inch = 10.4

|Mar snow inch = 8.0

|Apr snow inch = 5.3

|May snow inch = 2.7

|Jun snow inch = 1.2

|Jul snow inch = 0.0

|Aug snow inch = 0.0

|Sep snow inch = 0.8

|Oct snow inch = 1.5

|Nov snow inch = 8.5

|Dec snow inch = 10.0

|year snow inch =

|source 1 = NOAA

{{cite web

|url =https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00249067&format=pdf

|title = Wisdom, Montana 1991-2020 Monthly Normals

|access-date = September 3, 2023

}}

|source 2 = XMACIS2 (1999-2020 snowfall, records & monthly max/mins)

{{cite web

|url = https://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|title = xmACIS

|access-date = November 23, 2023

}}

}}

{{US Census population

|2020= 104

|2010= 98

|2000= 114

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}

}}

As of the 2000 census,{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}} there were 114 people, 61 households, and 32 families residing in the CDP. The population density was {{convert|120.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 88 housing units at an average density of {{convert|92.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.49% White, 1.75% Native American, 1.75% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.75% of the population.

There were 61 households, out of which 11.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 1.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.5% were non-families. It is unknown how many male householders with no wife present existed. 41.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.85 and the average family size was 2.47.

In the CDP, the population dispersal was 12.3% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 43.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 122.2 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $24,583, and the median income for a family was $41,875. Males had a median income of $27,500 versus $21,406 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,172. There were 11.1% of families and 12.9% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 33.3% of those over 64.

Wisdom schools provides education from kindergarten through 8th grade. In 2021, 7 students were enrolled.{{cite web |title=Wisdom School Profile (2021) |url=https://www.publicschoolreview.com/wisdom-school-profile |publisher=Public School Review |access-date=14 April 2021}}

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://www.americantowns.com/mt/wisdom Wisdom, Montana information] from Americantowns.com

{{Beaverhead County, Montana}}

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Category:Census-designated places in Beaverhead County, Montana

Category:Census-designated places in Montana