69 Fun & Interesting Facts about Montana

Being born and raised in Montana, and by now having explored practically every corner of the state, it’s safe to say we consider Montana to be a pretty special place. But what exactly makes it so special?

There are the famously vast skies and rugged mountains, of course. Montana also has some unusual laws and a fascinating history. It’s got some surprising statistics, too, and a few unlikely records have been there. Ultimately, as this list of Montana facts will show, it’s unlike any other state in a number of ways.

Read on to learn everything you could want to know about Montana history, its people, the land, and much more. You will be so ready for your next trivia night after this!

Basic Facts of Montana

Let’s kick this off with the most basic facts about the state of Montana. You might already know some of these, but a few of them will probably be a surprise.

1. The population of Montana is approximately 1.1 million people.

That makes it the seventh least-populated state in the country. But Montana has been growing rapidly in the past several years. Will we soon overtake the population of Maine and move up a spot?

2. Montana is the fourth-largest state by land mass.

At 147,000 square miles, Montana’s vast size is beat out only by Alaska, Texas, and California.

Montana is so big, it would take 14 hours to drive diagonally across the state. In fact, if you were standing in the southeast corner of Montana, you’d be closer to Texas than to Montana’s northwest corner.

3. The capital of Montana is Helena.

In 1892, three years after Montana became a state, Helena was voted as the permanent state capital, beating out Anaconda. This is a useful Montana fact to know, because many people mistakenly think the capital is Bozeman or Billings.

4. Speaking of which, the largest town in Montana is Billings.

With a population of 120,000 people (about 10 percent of the entire state!), Billings dwarfs Montana’s next largest towns: Missoula and Great Falls.

5. The abbreviation for Montana is MT.

No, it’s not MN (Minnesota), MO (Missouri), or MA (Massachusetts). This is something else many people get wrong!

6. The word “Montana” means “mountain.”

“Montana” comes from the word “montaña,”which is Spanish for “mountain.” With the Rocky Mountains running through western Montana, as well as some smaller mountain ranges in other parts of the state, it’s no surprise that “mountain” is the word early explorers used to describe this land.

7. Montana has several unofficial nicknames.

Montana’s main nickname is The Treasure State, thanks to its abundant supply of gold, silver, copper, and other valuable minerals. But you’ll even more frequently hear it called by other nicknames, like Big Sky Country or the Last Best Place.

8. Montana has one area code for the whole state: 406.

And that’s why “The 406” is also sometimes used as a nickname for the state (and why many Montana businesses and products have 406 in their name).

Fun Facts about Montana Geography

In such a massive state, there is a lot to learn when it comes to geography! From the towering mountains to the vast plains and everything in between, these are the most important and interesting facts about Montana geography.

9. Montana sits in the northwestern United States.

Where is Montana, really? It’s not considered part of the Midwest, and it’s not quite part of the Pacific Northwest, either.

The western third of the state is usually considered part of the Mountain West, while the eastern two thirds could reasonably be lumped with the Great Plains.

10. Montana borders four states and three Canadian provinces.

Idaho is to the west, Wyoming is to the south, and North Dakota and South Dakota are to the east. Montana also borders Canada, specifically the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.

11. Montana is divided into 56 counties.

It was only during the pandemic that I learned the names and locations of many of Montana’s counties. And some of them are confusing.

Missoula is in Missoula County, but there’s no Bozeman County or Billings County. Deer Lodge the town is not in Deer Lodge County, but Cascade the town is in Cascade County, although it’s not the main town. And Chouteau is a county, but Choteau is a town (which is not in Chouteau County). Whew!

12. Over one third of Montana is public land.

About 30 percent of Montana’s land is owned by the federal government, including all of the national monuments, national parks, national forests, and so forth. Another six percent is owned by the state, which includes all of the state parks.

People tend to associate Montana with public lands, but this portion is actually quite low compared to other western states (two thirds of Idaho and 80 percent of Nevada are public land!).

13. Over 60 percent of Montana’s land is used for agriculture.

Most of central and eastern Montana in particular is farmland, growing primarily hay, wheat, barley, lentils, and peas.

14. Montana has seven Native American reservations.

In northwest Montana are the Blackfeet and Flathead Reservations. In the southeast part of the state are the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations. And in the northeast are the Rocky Boy’s, Fort Peck, and Fort Belknap Reservations.

Altogether, the reservations make up just under 10 percent of the land within Montana’s borders. In addition, the Little Shell of Chippewa Indians, which does not have its own reservation, is headquartered in Great Falls.

15. Montana’s highest point is Granite Peak.

With a summit of 12,807 feet, this peak sits in the Beartooth Mountains in southcentral Montana. It’s an incredibly challenging climb to the top, and typically takes two to three days (with many climbers failing to reach the top).

16. The lowest point in Montana is the Kootenai River.

You might expect Montana’s lowest point to be out in the flat eastern part of the state. But it’s actually found in the far northwest corner, where the Kootenai River flows past the little town of Troy. Of course, at 1,820 feet, it’s still far higher than the highest point in many states!

17. Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi.

No surprise, this massive lake is one of Montana’s premier spots for boating, fishing, and camping.

18. Fork Peck Reservoir has more shoreline than the state of California.

How is that possible? California is huge! But the reservoir (which, unlike Flathead Lake, is man-made) is extremely long and oddly-shaped, giving it over 1,500 miles of shoreline.

19. The Yellowstone River is the longest undammed river in the Lower 48.

The Yellowstone stretches for over 670 miles across southern Montana – that’s a killer float trip!

20. Montana is not all mountains.

Despite the state’s name meaning “mountain,” as you learned above, Montana is hardly all mountainous. In fact, mountains cover only about the western third of the state; the rest of it is mostly flat! However, the majority of the population lives in the mountainous areas, and that’s also where most visitors to Montana choose to go.

21. Montana has the third lowest population density in the U.S.

With an average of just eight people per square mile (eight!), Montana is less densely populated than any other state, save for Alaska and Wyoming. Ask most Montanans, though, and they’ll swear the state is plumb full.

Facts about the People of Montana

We learned at the beginning that Montana has a little over a million people. But who makes up those million-odd residents? These Montana facts will shed some more light on the people who call this state home.

22. Montana is…lacking in diversity.

With a population that’s about 83 percent Caucasian, Montana is the country’s fifth least racially diverse state.

23. There are eight federally-registered Native American tribes in Montana today.

The tribes recognized in Montana are:

• Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes
• Blackfeet Tribe
• Chippewa Cree Indians
• Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes
• Crow Tribe
• Fort Belknap Indian Community
• Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians
• Northern Cheyenne Tribe

Seven of the eight tribes have a reservation within Montana. The Little Shell, who gained recognition in 2019, are the only one without a reservation, although their headquarters is in Great Falls.

24. About six percent of people in Montana are Native American.

This gives Montana one of the highest proportions of Native people of any state, following Alaska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Dakota.

25. Montana is home to 62 Hutterite colonies.

The Hutterites are a small Anabaptist sect that share some commonalities with the Amish, and they primarily live in rural areas of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, South Dakota, and Montana.

Hutterites live on colonies, usually of around 50-300 people each, which are removed from the rest of society. They speak a dialect of German and are easily recognizable by their traditional German-style dress and the polka dot headscarves often donned by the women. Unlike the Amish, Hutterites make use of modern technology.

The colonies are a rare example of communal living in the U.S. Most goods and property are owned collectively by the colony, and people do not earn an individual wage for their work. Agriculture is the only livelihood for most Hutterite colonies, which account for almost all of the eggs produced in Montana, as well as a large portion of dairy and produce. You’ll often find them selling their products at farmers’ markets around Montana.

26. About five percent of Montanans are Mormon.

The Latter-Day Saints are another prominent religious minority in Montana. Five percent may not sound like a lot, but it puts Montana easily in the top ten states for the portion of the population belonging to the LDS Church. There are Mormon temples in both Billings and Helena.

27. Montana has the highest high school graduation rate of any state.

Is this a bit biased because it’s based primarily on data from public schools, and Montana has very few private high schools? Yes. But we’ll still claim it! With a 95 percent graduation rate, Montana just edges out Maine and Vermont.

Facts about Montana History

Montana has a long and fascinating history, marked by Native American heritage, early explorers and pioneers, Lewis & Clark, the gold rush, mining, railroad expansion, the Homestead Acts, and so much more. It would be impossible to cover the whole timeline in this section, but these historical state facts about Montana will give you the highlights.

28. Montana was Native land long before settlers came here.

Indigenous people have been living in what is now Montana for an estimated 12,000 years. This map shows some of the many tribes that have held land in this area, which include the Kootenai, Pend d’Oreille, Salish, Blackfeet, Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, Hidatsa, Mandan, Arikara, Sioux, and Crow. The Cheyenne, Kalispel, Ojibwe, Cree, Lakota, Arapaho, and Shoshone are among other tribes that have had a presence in Montana.

29. Lewis & Clark crossed through Montana with the Corps of Discovery.

If you grew up in Montana, you grew up thinking Lewis and Clark were the most important figures in U.S. history. Well, not quite. But their 1804-1806 expedition did cross the entirety of Montana – twice.

30. The first pioneer settlement in Montana was established in 1841.

When Catholic missionaries founded St. Mary’s Mission in the Bitterroot Valley, it was the first permanent non-Indigenous settlement in the state. The mission is still standing in Stevensville, and houses a small museum and gift shop (open April-October).

31. Montana became a state in 1889.

Prior to that, it had existed as the Montana Territory since 1864, and most of what’s now Montana was originally acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1802. Today, you’ll find many products and businesses across Montana with 1889 in their name.

32. Montana was the 41^st state to join the Union.

Its accession came right between South Dakota and Washington (makes sense, geographically!).

33. Montana sent the first woman to Congress.

Not only the first female Representative, Jeanette Rankin was the first woman to hold federal office of any kind. Montana elected her to two non-consecutive terms in the House of Representatives, first in 1916 and again in 1940.

A dedicated pacifist, Rankin was famously the only member of Congress to vote against the U.S.’s entry into World War II.

34. Montana’s current constitution was ratified in 1972.

Replacing the document that had existed at statehood, the current constitution was drafted by the Montana Constitutional Convention and then passed by the voters. It includes some provisions that make Montana unique compared to other states (which you can learn more about in the podcast Shared State).

Our constitution recognizes “the right to a clean and healthful environment” as an inalienable right, and it guarantees the right of individual privacy. It also requires that Native American culture and history be taught in schools, making Montana the only state with such a mandate.

In the intervening years, various amendments have been added, including to protect hunting and fishing rights, to limit the search and seizure of electronic data, and in 2024, to guarantee the right to abortion.

Montana Laws & Policies

In addition to the ones outlined in the state’s constitution, Montana has a few more interesting laws that set it apart from most other states.

35. Montana has no sales tax.

Montana is one of only five states with no sales tax. The others are Alaska, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Oregon.

While there is no statewide sales tax, however, a few Montana towns do levy a resort tax (which, let’s be honest, is just a sales tax by a different name). Resort taxes are mostly collected in very touristy areas, including Big Sky, West Yellowstone, and Whitefish.

36. Montana does have a speed limit.

When people in other places find out we’re from Montana, one of the first things they usually ask is, “Does Montana have a speed limit?” And that’s because, at one time, it didn’t (sort of).

Before 1974 (when a federal speed limit was passed) and again from 1995 to 1999 (after the federal limit was repealed), most highways in Montana had no numerical speed limit for non-commercial vehicles during the daytime. Instead, the official speed limit was “reasonable and prudent,” which effectively gave any ticketing officer the power to set the speed limit at any time.

This ended in 1999, not because it was dangerous, but because the Montana Supreme Court deemed it too vague. Today, the maximum highway speed limit in Montana is 80mph.

37. Montana is the only state without at-will employment.

In the other 49 states in the country, employees can be fired at any time and for any reason. In Montana, employees can only be fired for cause.

38. Montana is the only state that allows double-proxy marriages.

A few states allow for proxy marriages, in which only one partner is physically present at the wedding ceremony. But only Montana allows for marriages without either partner being present.

How does that work? Both parties fill out paperwork beforehand, and their designated proxies attend a ceremony on their behalf. Proxy marriages are largely used by members of the military, as well as in instances of illness, immigration complications, or financial difficulty.

39. Recreational marijuana is legal in Montana.

Montana voters passed a ballot initiative in 2020 to legalize marijuana for adults over 21. It remains illegal (or medical-only) in all surrounding states.

40. Montana breweries can only serve three drinks per person.

There are some very specific brewery laws in Montana, which regular bars are not beholden to. Unless they have a special license, Montana breweries must close at 8:00pm, can only serve 48 ounces to each person, and are limited in their ability to serve food.

Useful Montana Facts for Visitors

What are the things to know about Montana that will be especially relevant to visitors? That’s what this section is for.

These fun Montana facts will highlight some of the best things to do in the state and provide some useful information for planning your trip.

41. Montana has 13 commercial airports.

However, five of them have only in-state service, exclusively operating flights to Billings. The Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport is by far the largest and busiest in Montana, followed by Billings, Missoula, and Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell. (Despite the misleading names of several of them, no Montana airports currently operate international commercial flights.)

42. You can ride the train across Montana.

Amtrak’s Empire Builder, which runs from Minneapolis to Seattle and Portland, cuts straight across northern Montana. It makes stops along the Hi-Line, including at Wolf Point and Havre, before crossing the Blackfeet Reservation and then winding past the edge of Glacier National Park on its way toward Idaho. If you ask us, this is the best way to travel!

43. Montana has 13 border crossings with Canada.

This is important to know if you’re planning an international road trip. There are plenty of places to drive from Montana into British Columbia, Alberta, or Saskatchewan. By far the most commonly used crossing is the Sweet Grass Port of Entry on I-15, which will take you straight into Lethbridge.

44. Montana has a whopping 53 state parks.

The dozens of state parks in Montana vary dramatically in terms of size, accessibility, and amenities, but these are some of our favorites:

• Chief Plenty Coups: learn about the history of the Crow Tribe
• Elkhorn: explore a little-visited ghost town
• Finley Point: camp on a peninsula in Flathead Lake
• Lewis and Clark Caverns: take the one-of-a-kind cavern tour
• Makoshika: hike and camp among the badlands
• Pictograph Cave: see the 2,000-year-old pictographs

45. Montana has two national parks & three national monuments.

The two parks are, of course, Yellowstone (which we share with Wyoming) and Glacier, which is completely inside Montana. Then there’s the national monuments of Little Bighorn Battlefield, Pompey’s Pillar, and Upper Missouri River Breaks.

The National Park Service operates several additional sites in Montana:

• Big Hole National Battlefield
• Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
• Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
• Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
• Nez Perce National Historic Park (comprised of several sites in the northwestern U.S.)

Lastly, Montana contains portions of two national trails: the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail and the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, also managed by the National Park Service.

46. Three entrances to Yellowstone National Park are in Montana.

Kids in Montana grow up believing that Yellowstone is split about 50/50 between Montana and Wyoming. When you take a look at a map and realize that is not true, you may think Montana has no claim to it at all.

But, three of Yellowstone’s five entrances are in Montana – including the only two that are open year-round. AND the famous Roosevelt Arch is also in Montana, at the park’s North entrance in Gardiner.

47. Montana is part of the world’s first international peace park.

Glacier Park in Montana and Waterton Lakes National Park, just across the Canadian border in Alberta, joined to form Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park in 1932 (which is now also a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

48. Montana contains 800 miles of the Continental Divide Trail.

That means Montana has about a quarter of this 3,100-mile trail, which ends (or begins, depending on how you look at it) at the U.S.-Canada border in Glacier National Park.

49. Montana has 16 ski resorts.

You’ve probably heard of Big Sky and maybe Whitefish Mountain, but there’s so much more to skiing in Montana than just those big names.

50. Big Sky is the fourth-largest ski resort in the U.S.

Big Sky briefly held the title of the largest, but expansions at Powder Mountain (Utah), Park City (Utah), and Palisades Tahoe (California) have pushed it down to number four.

51. Montana even has a summer-only ski resort.

Beartooth Basin offers the unique experience of skiing in the summertime. Once the Beartooth Highway, which leads up to the ski area at the summit, is plowed for the summer, it’s open for skiing. And it stays open until the snow melts, usually about a month or so. (Yes, Beartooth Basin is technically in Wyoming – but it’s most easily accessible from Montana, and their own mailing address is in Red Lodge, MT.)

52. Montana has over 100 craft breweries.

You’ll find local breweries in every corner of Montana, even in some of the most remote areas. And that’s how we got to be the third state for breweries per capita, behind Vermont and Maine.

53. Montana has more grizzly bears than any state besides Alaska.

Grizzly bears can weigh as much as 500 pounds, stand up to eight feet tall, and run a shocking 35 miles per hour. That’s why it’s extremely important to practice bear safety whenever you’re camping or hiking in Montana.

More Fun Facts on Montana

Maybe this is the section you’ve been waiting for. This Montana trivia is the extreme, the quirky, and the things you probably wouldn’t have considered.

54. Montana has more cows than people.

You might have heard this and thought it was just an urban legend – but it’s true! There are currently about twice as many cows as people in Montana (yes, that means over two million cows).

55. You can tell where someone in Montana is from by their license plates.

Most Montana license plates begin with a number that identifies the county where it was issued. Numbers are ordered by the population of the county when this system was introduced in 1930 (that’s why Butte-Silver Bow County is 1).

56. The coldest-ever temperature in the continental U.S. was recorded in Montana.

On January 20, 1954, the temperature at Rogers Pass in western Montana dropped to -70 degrees. More than seven decades later, that national record still stands.

57. The largest snowflake ever recorded was found in Montana.

An even longer-standing record is the largest snowflake ever recorded, which fell near Missoula in 1887. It was a whopping 15 inches across!

58. The unpredictability of Montana weather is also record-breaking.

Montana is known for having extreme variations in temperature from day to day, and even within the same day. And one event even holds the record for the largest temperature swing ever recorded.

In 1972, the northcentral Montana town of Loma saw the temperature rise 103 degrees within less than 24 hours, from -54 degrees on the evening of January 14 to 49 degrees the following morning.

59. The U.S.’s oldest Chinese restaurant is in Montana.

The Pekin Noodle Parlor has been operating in Butte since 1911, and still serves noodles, soups, and chop suey in its original location. Dining there is a can’t-miss experience in Butte. Just…go there for the atmosphere and the history, less so for the food.

60. Montana is home to the world’s largest brick structure.

Built in 1919, the Anaconda Smoke Stack was originally used in mining the copper found in the area. Today, the 585-foot-tall tower (which is taller than the Washington Monument) stands above the town of Anaconda as a reminder of its history.

61. North America’s first dinosaur fossils were discovered in Montana.

A naturalist exploring the Missouri River Breaks in central Montana unexpectedly stumbled upon the first dinosaur remains in 1845, a discovery turned Montana into the epicenter of paleontology in the U.S.

Today, the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman houses the world’s largest collection of North American dinosaur fossils, and there are 14 museums on the Montana Dinosaur Trail.

62. Glasgow, MT, has been named the most isolated place in the U.S.

The little town of Glasgow sits on the Hi-Line in the northeast part of the state. Any Montanan knows that it’s extremely remote – but we didn’t realize just how remote until an Oxford University project determined that it’s farther from “civilization” (defined as a town of at least 75,000 people) than any other spot in America.

63. Montana is the only state with a Spanish motto.

This is such a good piece of Montana trivia that it recently appeared as a clue in the New York Times crossword! Montana’s motto, which is shown on the state flag, is “Oro y plata,” meaning “gold and silver.”

64. The Montana-South Dakota border is the only state border without a paved road.

You can still drive across the border, but it’ll be slow-going on a dirt road. Most travelers leaving Montana first cross into Wyoming or North Dakota instead.

65. The Unabomber lived in Montana.

This is in no way a fun Montana fact, but it’s certainly part of Montana’s history. Before he began his infamous bomb attacks, Ted Kaczynski built a cabin outside of Lincoln, MT – where he lived for 25 years without electricity, running water, or a car.

Lincoln residents say he kept to himself, but in a place where people often go to get away from it all, his lifestyle wasn’t all that unusual. After Kaczynski’s brother cooperated with the government, the FBI arrested him at the cabin in 1996.

66. Libby, Montana, was the site of one of the country’s worst man-made disasters.

This is another devastating piece of Montana history that can’t go unmentioned, a disaster that has repeatedly made national and international news.

For nearly 70 years, the chemical conglomerate Grace operated an asbestos-laced vermiculite mine in the northwest corner of Montana, poisoning its employees, their families, and most of the rest of the town of Libby.

When the mine finally closed in 1990, it was declared an EPA Superfund site, and the clean-up took another 30 years. Hundreds of people in the Libby area, even those who never worked in the mine, have contracted cancer and lung disease – the rate of which is still 50 times higher than the national average.

67. Many of the U.S.’s nuclear weapons are buried in Montana.

Along with Wyoming and South Dakota, Montana is the nuclear capital of the country. We love to say that if Montana were an independent country, it would be one of the world’s leading nuclear powers.

68. Montana houses one of the country’s most secure biomedical laboratories.

The NIH’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories in the Bitterroot Valley is one of just ten or so Biosafety Level 4 labs in the U.S. That means scientists study some of the most dangerous pathogens there (and store them very, very securely).

The lab is credited with finding the first vaccine for Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and has conducted groundbreaking research on yellow fever, Ebola, and more recently, Covid-19.

69. John Steinbeck has famous quotes about Montana.

There are a lot of popular quotes about Montana, but John Steinbeck’s are certainly the best-known, especially this one: “I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana, it is love. And it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.”

And there you have it: these are the most interesting Montana facts that I know of, and I hope you learned something from reading this post!

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