The 2020 United States census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it Montana's fourth-largest city.

[7] It is the principal city of the Bozeman, Montana, Micropolitan Statistical Area, consisting of all of Gallatin County, with a population of 118,960.

[9][10] For many years, indigenous people of the United States, including the Shoshone, Nez Perce, Blackfeet, Flathead, Crow Nation and Sioux traveled through the area, called the "Valley of the Flowers".

William Clark visited the area in July 1806 as he traveled east from Three Forks along the Gallatin River.

The party camped 3 miles (4.8 km) east of what is now Bozeman, at the mouth of Kelly Canyon.

The journal entries from Clark's party briefly describe the future city's location.

John Bozeman, with Daniel Rouse and William Beall, platted the town in August 1864, stating "standing right in the gate of the mountains ready to swallow up all tenderfeet that would reach the territory from the east, with their golden fleeces to be taken care of.

"[13] Red Cloud's War closed the Bozeman Trail in 1868, but the town's fertile land still attracted permanent settlers.

In 1866, Nelson Story, a successful Virginia City, Montana, gold miner originally from Ohio, entered the cattle business.

[15] Fort Ellis was established in 1867 by Captain R. S. LaMotte and two companies of the 2nd Cavalry, after the murder of John Bozeman near the mouth of Mission Creek on Yellowstone River,[16][17] and considerable political disturbance in the area led local settlers and miners to feel a need for added protection.

The fort, named for Gettysburg casualty Colonel Augustus Van Horne Ellis, was decommissioned in 1886 and few remnants are left at the actual site, now occupied by the Fort Ellis Experimental Station of Montana State University.

[19] In 1864, W.W. Alderson described Gallatin County as "one of the most beautiful and picturesque valleys the eye ever beheld, abounding in springs of clear water."

[21] Bozeman's main cemetery, Sunset Hills Cemetery, was given to the city in 1872 when the English lawyer and philanthropist William Henry Blackmore purchased the land after his wife Mary Blackmore died of pneumonia in Bozeman in July 1872.

The Center receives approximately 5,000 visitors a year observing biologists working on diet testing, feed manufacturing technology, fish diseases, brood stock development and improvement of water quality.

[30] In the early 20th century, over 17,000 acres (69 km2) of the Gallatin Valley were planted in edible peas harvested for both canning and seed.

To promote the area and celebrate its prosperity, local business owners began a "Sweet Pea Carnival" that included a parade and queen contest.

Many years later, while unused, it became a film location, along with downtown Bozeman, in A River Runs Through It (1992) by Robert Redford, starring Brad Pitt.

[33] The Museum of the Rockies was created in 1957 as the gift from Butte physician Caroline McGill and is a part of Montana State University and an affiliate institution of the Smithsonian.

[40] That same year, city officials were criticized for requesting job applicants provide their user names and passwords to social networking sites.

Bozeman and the surrounding area receive significantly higher rainfall than much of the central and eastern parts of the state, up to 24 inches (610 mm) of precipitation annually vis-à-vis the 8 to 12 inches (200 to 300 mm) common throughout much of Montana east of the Continental Divide.

[46] Bozeman has cold, snowy winters and relatively warm summers, though due to high elevation, temperature changes from day to night can be significant.

[citation needed] In 2019, Bozeman experienced unusually warm and dry temperatures during the month of December.

Montana State University campus reported a daily average of 0.2 inches (5.1 mm) of precipitation for the month, some of the lowest numbers seen in over 120 years.

Notable non-profit organizations based in Bozeman include the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) and Eagle Mount.

[74] [80] [80] [81] Movies filmed in Bozeman include: Highways include: Freight rail service is provided by Montana Rail Link, a privately held Class II railroad that connects Spokane, Washington, with Huntley, Montana.

The city was last served by passenger rail in 1979 by the North Coast Hiawatha at Bozeman Depot.

Sports personalities: Military and pioneers: Arts, culture and entertainment: Science and academia: Politics, government and business: Philanthropy: Religion: Architecture: In the film Star Trek: First Contact, Bozeman was the launch site of the first warp ship and location of first contact 5 April 2063.

[106] The members of the noise rock group Steel Pole Bath Tub are originally from Bozeman.

[citation needed] The Bozeman area is one of the settings in Robert Pirsig's novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.