Welcome to Chinook ...
The city of Chinook is located in Blaine County<1> (at the time of its founding, Chinook was located in Chouteau County) and is the County Seat for Blaine County.
The pronunciation of Chinook: shih-NUK<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Chinook, you might get a feel for it by knowing that during our research the earliest mention that we found (so far) was in a book dated 1895.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Chinook has a population of 1,256 people<3> (see below for details).
Chinook is 2,420 feet [738 m] above sea level.<4> In other words, the elevation of Chinook is about ½ mile above sea level.
Time Zone: Chinook lies in the Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT) and observes daylight saving time
Chinook lies within the (406) area code.
The ZIP code for Chinook: 59523<5>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Chinook had an population of 1,256 people. This is an increase of 4.41% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 9.38% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Chinook had a population of 1,203 people (or 18.53% of the total population of Blaine County). This makes Chinook the county's most populous community.
The population of Chinook represents 0.12% of the total population of Montana (which has 989,415 people), making it the state's 49th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 1,203 people, the population of Chinook decreased 13.2% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 1,386 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Chinook.
Communities Also Named Chinook ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 3 communities that are also named Chinook - they are located in Alberta, Indiana and Washington.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Chinook.
Communities near Chinook ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Chinook.
- Zurich
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zurich
- Zurich is located in Blaine County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Zurich <6>
- Saddle Butte
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saddle Butte have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saddle Butte
- Saddle Butte is located in Hill County
- Harlem
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlem
- Harlem is located in Blaine County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 778 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harlem <6>
- Havre
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havre
- Havre is located in Hill County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,706 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Havre <6>
- Lloyd
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lloyd
- Lloyd is located in Blaine County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lloyd <6>
- Fort Belknap Agency
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Belknap Agency have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Belknap Agency
- Fort Belknap Agency is located in Blaine County
- West Havre
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Havre have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Havre
- West Havre is located in Hill County
- Cherry Ridge ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Ridge
- Cherry Ridge is located in Blaine County
- Cherry Ridge has also been known as:
- Cherry Ridge Ranch
- Beaver Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Creek
- Beaver Creek is located in Hill County
- Herron
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Chinook. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Chinook.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Chinook. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Chinook.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Chinook. Our list includes 4 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Chinook.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Chinook ...
Looking for more information about Chinook? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Chinook, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Chinook.
Adding Chinook to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Chinook in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Chinook was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Chinook.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Chinook. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Montana: https://mt.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Montana's counties, including Blaine, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Chinook. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Chinook. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Chinook - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Chinook). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Chinook or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |