[4] Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, which had a population of 184,167 in the 2020 census.

The nearby Crow and Cheyenne peoples called the city Ammalapáshkuua[9] and É'êxováhtóva[10] respectively, meaning 'where they cut wood', named as such because of a sawmill built in the area by early white settlers.

[14][15] With more hotel accommodations than any area within a five-state region, the city hosts a variety of conventions, concerts, sporting events, and other rallies.

Over the last million years the river has carved its way down through this stone to form the canyon walls known as the Billings Rimrocks or the Rims.

The plan was to run freight up Alkali Creek, now part of Billings Heights, to the basins and Fort Benton on the Hi-Line.

Today, Boothill Cemetery sits within Billings' city limits and is the only remaining physical evidence of Coulson's existence.

[34] Perhaps the most famous person to be buried in Coulson's Boothill cemetery is H.M. "Muggins" Taylor,[35] the scout who carried the news of Custer's Last Stand at the Battle of Little Bighorn to the world.

[30] Billings became an energy center in the early years of the twentieth century with the discovery of oil fields in Montana and Wyoming.

[30] In the early 20th century, its served as regional trading center and energy hub for eastern Montana and northern Wyoming, an area then known as the Midland Empire.

[41] With the completion of large sections of the interstate system in Montana in the 1970s, Billings became a shopping destination for an ever-larger area.

In the 21st century, Billings saw the development of operations centers in the city's business parks and downtown core by such national companies as GE, Wells Fargo, and First Interstate Bank.

[49] The Yellowstone River bridge is being rebuilt as part of the Billings Bypass project, which will create a new arterial roadway from Lockwood to the Heights.

[53] Other new centers include Billings Town Square and West Park Promenade, Montana's first open-air shopping mall.

In the 2010s, Eastern Montana and North Dakota experienced an energy boom due to the Bakken formation, the largest oil discovery in U.S.

However, areas outside of downtown can have a hot-summer continental climate, even with the −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm, due to the urban heat island effect, as exemplified by the Billings Logan International Airport.

New growth is mainly concentrated on Billings West End, where Shiloh Crossing is a new commercial development, anchored by Scheels, Montana's largest retail store.

[68] The Heights, defined as the area of the city northeast of the Metra, is predominantly residential, and a new school was recently completed in 2016 to accommodate growth in the neighborhood.

[69] The tallest building in Billings and Montana as well as a five-state region is the First Interstate Center, which stands at 272 feet (83 m) and 20 floors above ground level.

[70] Billings is also home to the world's tallest load-bearing brick building,[citation needed] the DoubleTree Tower, which stands 256 feet (78 m).

Billings' future as a major trade and distribution center was basically assured from its founding as a railroad hub due to its geographic location.

[79] Billings is an energy center because it sits amidst the largest coal reserves in the United States, as well as large oil and natural gas fields.

[82] Several farm and ranch supply stores are located in Billings, providing for the large retail radius the city serves.

[86] The Alberta Bair Theater is a 1,400-seat performing arts venue noted for its 20-ton capacity hydraulic lift that raises and lowers the stage apron.

[87] Opened in 1931 and originally called the Fox Theater, it was renamed in 1987 in honor of Alberta Bair and her substantial donations that helped fund the building's renovation.

Built in 1950, the Eagle Seeker Community Center (formerly the Shrine Auditorium) is a smaller, cost-effective venue that has hosted national shows.

[96] The Billings Brew Trail[97] features all of the distilleries and breweries across the city, as well as a cider house and a winery.

[103] An effort to pass a non-discrimination ordinance in Billings failed in 2014, after then-mayor Tom Hanel cast a tie-breaking vote against it at the conclusion of a meeting that lasted 8.5 hours.

[127] It is published on a weekly basis and provides news and columns for "Yellowstone County and the communities of Lockwood, Shepherd, Huntley, Worden, Ballanatine, Pompey's Pillar, Custer and Billings.

[147] There is currently no service, though until 1979 Amtrak's North Coast Hiawatha stopped at the Billings Depot, serving a Chicago to Seattle route.

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority was formed in 2020 to advocate for restoring Amtrak's North Coast Hiawatha route.