[7] In August 1893, twenty-six people voted to incorporate Havre as a city on September 5 of that year.

The townsite was platted south of the railroad tracks on parts of Descelles’ and Simon Pepin’s ranches.

The buildings in Havre during the 1890s were typical first-generation structures and mainly consisted of tar papered wood-framed shacks.

Along with its annex, the Windsor, at two stories, was the tallest building on First Street until brick structures were constructed in the mid-1890s.

Havre had many businesses typical of a frontier town including saloons, barbers, restaurants, Chinese laundries, cobblers, bakeries, mercantiles, hardware stores, and hotels.

Havre was founded primarily to serve as a major railroad service center for the Great Northern Railway built by James J. Hill with the city's location midway between Seattle and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The original settlers were given the final decision, and due to a strong French influence, the town was renamed "Havre".

Pepin became a major contributor to Havre's economic growth through his cattle, real estate, and banking enterprises.

With the nearest larger city, Great Falls, about 120 miles (190 km) to the south, Havre serves as a medical and business center for the Montana section of the Hi-Line.

Throughout much of the twentieth century, BNSF was the most prominent employer in the city, but the company scaled back its workforce in Havre in the 1990s.

Throughout its history, this underground area has been host to a brothel, a Chinese laundromat, a saloon, a drugstore, at least three opium dens, and rooms used for smuggling alcohol during Prohibition.

The underground area, now designated "Havre Beneath the Streets", currently operates as a tourist attraction.

[11] The Wahkpa Chu'gn buffalo jump, or bison kill, is located behind the Holiday Village Shopping Center near the northwest corner of Havre.

In prehistoric times, Native Americans would drive bison over the edge of the cliff, killing or severely injuring the animals.

Small fossils, including seashells and petrified wood, can be found in the limestone sediment in this area.

The fort was one of many used by the United States to protect against potential attacks from Native Americans and to block incursions from Canada.

Chief Joseph surrendered to the Cavalry and made a famous speech ending with the line, "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."

In 2018, two natural-born U.S. citizens were detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents; in 2020, they settled with CBP for an undisclosed sum.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Havre has a total area of 3.28 square miles (8.50 km2), all land.

[15] Havre experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with long, cold, dry winters and hot summers with cool nights.

Winter weather can vary greatly from brutal cold when Arctic air moves in from Canada, to temperatures far above 32 °F or 0 °C due to chinook winds – for instance the coldest month (and only one to never top freezing) of January 1916 averaged −13.3 °F or −25.2 °C and February 1936 during a notorious cold wave −12.8 °F or −24.9 °C, but February 1954 averaged as high as 37.1 °F or 2.8 °C and January 1919, 34.1 °F or 1.2 °C.