Montana

Montana is a landlocked state in the Northwestern United States. Montana has several nicknames, although none are official, including "Big Sky Country" and "The Treasure State", and slogans that include "Land of the Shining Mountains" and more recently "The Last Best Place". Montana is the 4th largest in area, the 8th least populous, and the 3rd least densely populated of the 50 U.S. states. The western half of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller island ranges are found throughout the state. In all, 77 named ranges are part of the Rocky Mountains. The eastern half of Montana is characterized by western prairie terrain and badlands. Montana is bordered by Idaho to the west, Wyoming to the south, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan to the north. The economy is primarily based on agriculture, including ranching and cereal grain farming. Other significant economic resources include oil, gas, coal, hard rock mining, and lumber. The health care, service, and government sectors also are significant to the state's economy. The state's fastest-growing sector is tourism. Nearly 13 million tourists annually visit Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, the Beartooth Highway, Flathead Lake, Big Sky Resort, and other attractions. With an area of 147,040 square miles (380,800 km²), Montana is slightly larger than Japan. It is the fourth largest state in the United States after Alaska, Texas, and California; it is the largest landlocked U.S. state.

The given Montana location map shows that Montana is located in the north-western part of the US. Map of Montana also shows that it shares state borders with North Dakota in the east, South Dakota in the south-east, Wyoming in the south, and Idaho in the west. Montana map also illustrates that it also shares international border with Canada in the north.

Geographically, Montana comprises various mountain ranges along with Rocky Mountain Range. Interestingly, the state name i.e. Montana is derived from Spanish word montaña meaning mountain. Besides, it has also some of the common nicknames, such as - "The Treasure State," "Big Sky Country, Land of the Shining Mountains, and The Last Best Place.

Surprisingly, the one of the sparsely populated Montana states receives millions of tourists every year. Some of the most visited tourist points are Glacier National Park, the Battle of Little Bighorn site, and three of the five entrances to Yellowstone National Park. The climate type of Montana is semi-arid and continental climate.

Want to get up close with bison in the Rockies? Drive through the National Bison Range in Montana! You might also spot other wildlife, such as bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain elk.

The US State Montana occupies 376,965 m², about 4,12 % of the total territory of the USA of 9,148,020 m². The total population of the US State Montana with 1,050,493 inhabitants (in 2017) has already increased by 16,44 % in this millennium. Almost 40 years ago there were 971,824 fewer people. The capital Helena alone has 31,429 inhabitants.

Helena was founded after the discovery of gold (1864) in Last Chance Gulch (now Helena's main street) and grew rapidly. As the area's stores of gold and silver were depleted, other minerals, including copper, lead and zinc were discovered and exploited. Billings boasts a population of more than 110,300 residents.

The state's topography is roughly defined by the Continental Divide, which splits much of the state into distinct eastern and western regions. Most of Montana's 100 or more named mountain ranges are in the state's western half, most of which is geologically and geographically part of the Northern Rocky Mountains. The Absaroka and Beartooth ranges in the state's south-central part are technically part of the Central Rocky Mountains. The Rocky Mountain Front is a significant feature in the state's north-central portion, and isolated island ranges that interrupt the prairie landscape common in the central and eastern parts of the state. About 60 percent of the state is prairie, part of the northern Great Plains. Montana is one of few geographic areas in the world whose rivers form parts of three major watersheds (i.e. where two continental divides intersect). Its rivers feed the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and Hudson Bay. The watersheds divide at Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park. Vegetation of the state includes lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine; Douglas fir, larch, spruce; aspen, birch, red cedar, hemlock, ash, alder; rocky mountain maple and cottonwood trees. Forests cover approximately 25 percent of the state. Flowers native to Montana include asters, bitterroots, daisies, lupins, poppies, primroses, columbine, lilies, orchids, and dryads. Several species of sagebrush and cactus and many species of grasses are common. Many species of mushrooms and lichens are also found in the state. Montana is a large state with considerable variation in geography, topography and altitude, and the climate is, therefore, equally varied. The state spans from below the 45th parallel (the line equidistant between the equator and North Pole) to the 49th parallel, and elevations range from under 2,000 feet (610 m) to nearly 13,000 feet (4,000 m) above sea level. The western half is mountainous, interrupted by numerous large valleys.

Montana is known under different nicknames; aka Big Sky Country (previously used on license plates), or The Last Best Place, or Treasure State (used on license plates), or Land of the Shining Mountains and detailed official information about Montana can be found on the homepage at www.mt.gov.

Poverty and median household income estimates for 2021 in Montana, MT about 129,910 individuals poverty estimate - all ages, it's 0.12 estimated percent of the total resident population of all ages in poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) Program Release date: December 2022. SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and was formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. Estimated SNAP benefits recipients in Montana are about 98,171 individuals, for July of the reference year 2020. With a estimate of median household income = $63,357 by each individual family, with a 90% confidence interval lower bound of estimate of median household income = $61,990, with a 90% confidence interval upper bound of estimate of median household income = $64,724 in 2021.

The Air Quality index is in Montana = 63. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 38. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 87. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Montana = 3.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

The annual rainfall in Montana = 14.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 44.7 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 84. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 189. 84 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 9.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 70, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

The most recent state population of 1,122,867 individuals with a median age of 39.3 age the population grows by 7.61% in Montana population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 7.09/sq mi (2.73/km²) - residents per square mile of area.. There are average 2.69 people per household in the 390,043 households with an average household income of $56,539 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 5.90% of the available work force and has dropped -2.92% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 28.26%. The number of physicians in Montana per 100,000 population = 219.7.

The percentage of housing units in Montana which are owned by the occupant = 60.77%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 34 years with median home cost = $168,300 and home appreciation of -2.37%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $12.18 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

The local school district spends $6,961 per student. There are 10.5 students for each teacher in the school, 305 students for each Librarian and 267 students for each Counselor. 5.86% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 17.73% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.54% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).