[3] The founding of the small historical railroad and ranching town of Livingston is a direct result of the Northern Pacific Railway (NPR).

Livingston also became the first gateway town to America's first national park, Yellowstone, which the NPR promoted heavily to visitors from the East.

The NPR also operated a branch line running 50 miles south through Paradise Valley, first to Cinnabar station and later to Yellowstone's north entrance in Gardiner.

Downstream the Yellowstone River, about 3 miles from present-day Livingston, an old fisherman named Amos Benson built a log cabin in 1872.

[4] Across the river from Benson's Landing in June 1882 was the camp of about 40 tents of the Northern Pacific survey crew.

On July 14, 1882, a man who worked for the Northern Pacific named Joseph J. McBride arrived with orders to find another site to build the store.

On July 16, George H. Carver, who became a major local businessman and political leader, arrived at the site of present-day Livingston.

All of Benson's Landing encampment moved up the river to Carver and McBride's camp within 10 days of the train's arrival.

Clark City was on the southeast side at the East end of Lewis St. just southwest of the KPRK, and is now part of Livingston.

As Clark City was growing, nobody realized that the Northern Pacific had marked on its maps a town called Livingston at the same place.

Crawford bought the real estate after the survey and on July 17, 1883, established the First National Bank in the city.

Often he spoke of Livingston as "his town," and he apparently enjoyed the publicity of supposedly having a city named for him.

[5] Livingston is along the Yellowstone River, where it bends from north to east toward Billings and in proximity to Interstate 90.

The Livingston Depot, built in 1902 after two predecessors, is a restored rail station that houses a railroad museum open from May to September.

The International Fly Fishing Federation's museum is an extensive introduction to a popular game sport and hosts annual enthusiast meetings.

The city was inhabited for two decades by Calamity Jane and visited by a number of traveling members of European royalty.

Recently the city has invested in attractions and accommodation for tourists visiting during the Lewis and Clark bicentennial years.

Livingston has some of the warmest winters in the state, but the temperature can feel cold because Livingston is also one of the windiest places in the United States, having the 2nd highest average wind speed among airport/AMOS stations from 2000 to 2010,[11] after Guadalupe Pass, a highway station near Pine Springs, Texas.

According to Livingston's Fiscal Year 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[15] the top private employers in Park County (the city's website refers to approximately a hundred public employees) are: The CDP is almost entirely in the Livingston Elementary School District.