It’s Not That Bright. Why is Laurel Nicknamed “The City of Lights”?

If you regularly drive between Billings and Laurel you've probably seen the small, yellow billboard on the side of I-90 that says something like, "Laurel, the City of Lights!", with painted Christmas lights on it and some other verbiage I can't really remember. I would have stopped to take a picture, but... that would be fairly reckless. My luck, I'd get a ticket.

What do they mean by "City of Lights"?

I've lived in Laurel since 2006, and when I first saw the sign I was a little confused. Our little holiday light display with Santa's workshop at Fireman's Park each Christmas is neat, but it's hardly extravagant. We have a handful of well-worn Christmas lights that the city hangs on the street poles down Main each year. They don't make anyone say "Wow!, this is really a city of lights!" Residents decorate their houses, but no more or less than other towns.

Is it trains, fireworks, or the refinery?

I thought maybe Laurel is nicknamed the City of Lights because of the trains. The railyard is frequently lit up brightly and in the winter it will make really cool-looking "light pillars" when conditions are right. And of course, the refinery (operating since 1930), is certainly bright.

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Supposedly, Laurel was the first town in Montana to have gas street lamps.

Historians! I need your help on this one. I once read somewhere that Laurel was called the City of Lights because it was one of the first towns in Montana to get gas street lamps, thanks to a railroad bigwig who lived here at the time. Or maybe it was electric lamps?? I can't remember the exact details and my search engine is failing me. If you know why the billboard calls Laurel the City of Lights, I would love to know! Email Michael.Foth@townsquaremedia.com and I'll update this story with the answer(s).