“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 ...”
–John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley

The Last Best Place. Big Sky Country. The Treasure State.

Montana is celebrated for many things, among them its grand mountains, vast prairies, wide-open sky, cool clear rivers, abundant wildlife and friendly, independent people. The fourth-largest state in the nation, Montana has a population of just more than 900,000, for an average of only 6.2 people per square mile. There are three cows for every person.

American Indians were the first inhabitants of the land we now call Montana, and comprise about 6 percent of the state’s current population. The Lewis and Clark Expedition spent more time in Montana than in any other state during its historic 1803-1806 journey. Montana became a state in 1889, uniting the Rocky Mountains on the western side of the Continental Divide with the heartland prairies on the eastern side.

With an economy once based largely on agriculture, timber and mining, the state’s industries are becoming more diversified. Tourism in particular is on the rise as people discover Montana’s incredible natural beauty, rich culture and excellent recreational opportunities.

Montana. There’s something special about this place.