Montana is sparsely populated state in western United States, more exactly in the Mountain West division. Montana borders the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan in the north, North Dakota and South Dakota in the east, Wyoming in the south and Idaho in the west. Although there is no official nickname for Montana, it has several popular nicknames such as: “Big Sky Country”, “The Treasure State”, “Land of the Shining Mountains”, and “The Last Best Place”. In this article, we will talk more about 10 interesting Montana facts so that we know more about this “Treasure State”.
1. Montana is the Third-Least Densely Populated State
Montana is the fourth-largest state by area but it’s the eighth-least populous state. So, Montana becomes the third-least densely populated state in the United States. While there are 56 counties in Montana, most of the population (about 62%) live in only seven large counties (the largest one is Yellowstone County in which more than 15% of Montanan live).
2. The Capital City of Montana is Helena and Billings is the Largest City
Helena is the capital city of Montana, while its largest city is Billings. Billings is the only city that has more than 100,000 populations. The second largest city of Montana is Missoula that only has around 75,000 inhabitants. Billings is also the largest Metropolitan area in Montana. Billings is named after Frederick H. Billings, the president of Northern Pacific Railway from 1879 to 1881.
3. Montana Has the Largest Grizzly Bear Population in the Contiguous United States
Behind Alaska, Montana is the state with the largest Grizzly Bear population. There are around 1,800-2,000 grizzly bears in Montana. It’s still far behind the grizzly bear population of Alaska (around 30,000), but the population of Grizzly bears in Montana is still larger than the population of Grizzly bears in other contiguous states combined.
4. Fort Peck Dam is the Largest Hydraulically Filled Dam in the United States
The Fort Peck Dam is located in Fort Peck, Montana near Glasgow. It’s the largest hydraulically filled dam in the United States and one of the largest earthen dams in the world. Fort Peck Dam is the highest of six major dams along the Missouri River. Fort Peck Dam was built for hydroelectric power generation, flood control, and water quality management purposes.
5. The Most Extreme Recorded 24 Hours Temperature Change in the United States was Recorded in Loma, Montana
In Loma Montana, there was an extreme 24 hours temperature change in which the temperature rose from −54 to 49 °F (−47.8 to 9.4 °C) on January 15, 1972 because of a chinook wind. It became the most extreme recorded 24 hours temperature change in the United States and probably in the world. Loma is a census-designated place (CDP) in Chouteau County, Montana.
6. Montana is the Top Producing State of Lentils in the United States
Montana is ranked first in lentil production among all other states in the US. It also usually ranks in the top three in peas and chickpeas production. Pulse crop such as lentils, peas and chickpeas become increasingly important in Montana with the increasing demand from the other parts of the world (especially India). Honey, beef calves, winter wheat, alfalfa hay, garbanzo beans, sheep and lambs, wool and sugar beets are also important agricultural products of Montana in which It ranks on the top 10 in production by state.
7. Montana is Home to the Largest ICBM Field in the United States
The largest ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) field in the United States is located in Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. Malmstrom Air Force Base is United States Air Force base in Cascade County, Montana. It’s also a census-designated place (CDP) adjacent to the city of Great Falls. The ICBM field covers 23,500 square miles (61,000 km2) area.
8. Granite Peak is the Highest Natural Point of Montana
At 12,807 ft (3,903.5 m) elevation, Granite peak is the highest natural point in Montana. It also the tenth-highest state high point in the United States. Granite peak is located in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness in Park County, near the borders of Stillwater County and Carbon County. Granite Peak is also only 10 miles (16 km) north of the Wyoming border.
9. Western Meadowlark is the Official State Bird of Montana
In 1931, the western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) was designated as the official state bird of Montana. The western meadowlark is a medium-sized bird that can be found across western and central North America. It makes a nest on the ground in open grasslands and eats mostly bugs, but also can eat seeds and berries. The western meadowlark is a popular state bird as it’s a state bird of six states (behind the northern cardinal that represents seven states). Besides Montana, the western meadowlark is also a state bird of Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming.
10. The Official State Flower of Montana is Bitterroot
Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva) has been the official state flower of Montana for more than a century as it was designated in 1895. Bitterroot is a low-growing perennial plant that usually flowers from April through July. It’s native to western North America in low to moderate elevations. Bitterroot is able to regenerate from dry and seemingly dead roots as implies from its name rediviva (restored to life).
Do you know other interesting facts about Montana? It’s surely welcome if you want to share more interesting facts about Montana with us here.