King Ave W Live Cam

The Origins and Early Development

King Avenue West traces its roots to the early expansion of the city as a rail hub on the Yellowstone River. Billings was founded in 1882 by the Northern Pacific Railroad on land originally known as Clark’s Fork Bottom, quickly earning the moniker “Magic City” due to its rapid growth. As the town stretched westward from the original downtown area, what became King Avenue West emerged as a key east-west corridor facilitating movement of goods, people, and agricultural products. Initially, the stretch that would become King Avenue West was surrounded by farmland and was sparsely developed, serving more as a connecting route than a dense urban street.