Montana

Montana is a  in the  and  regions of the. The central and western thirds of the state have numerous mountain ranges (approximately 77 named) of the northern ; thus the state's name, derived from the word montaña (""). The state nickname is the "Treasure State." Other nicknames include "Land of Shining Mountains," "Big Sky Country," and the slogan "the last best place." The state ranks fourth in area, but 44th in, and therefore has the third lowest in the United States. The economy is primarily based on and significant  and  extraction. is also important to the economy, with millions of visitors a year to, the site, and three of the five entrances to.

Geography
With a land area of 145,552 mi² (376,978 km²) the state of Montana is the fourth largest in the United States (after, , and ). To the north, Montana and Canada share a 545 mile (877 km). The state borders the of, , and , more provinces than any other state. To the east, the state borders and. To the south is and to the west and southwest is.

The topography of the state is diverse, but roughly defined by the, which runs on an approximate diagonal through the state from northwest to south-central, splitting it into two distinct eastern and western regions. Montana is well known for its mountainous western region, part of the northern. However, about 60% of the state is actually prairie, part of the northern. Nonetheless, even east of the and the, there are a number of isolated "Island Ranges" that dot the prairie landscape.

The divide the state from Idaho to the west with the southern third of the range blending into the Continental Divide. Mountain ranges between the Bitterroots and the top of the Continental Divide include the Cabinet Mountains, the Missions, the Garnet, Sapphire, Flint Creek, and Pintlar ranges.

The northern section of the Divide, where the mountains give way rapidly to prairie, is known collectively as the and is most pronounced in the  located primarily in. Due to the configuration of mountain ranges in Glacier National Park, the (which begins in Alaska's ) crosses this region and turns east in Montana at. Thus, the Waterton, Belly, and Saint Mary rivers flow north into Alberta, Canada, joining the and ultimately emptying into.

East of the Divide, several parallel ranges march across the southern half of the state, including the Gravelly Range, the Tobacco Roots, the Madison Range,, Big Belt Mountains, , , and the. The Beartooth Plateau is the largest continuous land mass over 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in the lower 48 states and contains the highest point in the state,, 12,799 feet (3,901 m) high.

Between the mountain ranges are many scenic valleys, rich in agricultural resources and rivers, and possessing multiple opportunities for tourism and recreation. Among the best-known areas are the, , Big Hole Valley, and. East and north of this transition zone are expansive sparsely populated, with rolling tableland prairies, "island" mountain ranges, and scenic extending into the Dakotas, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Wyoming. The isolated island ranges east of the Divide include the Castle Mountains,, Little Belt Mountains, Snowy Mountains, , Bull Mountains. The Pryor Mountains South of Billings and, in the southeastern corner of the state near Ekalaka, the Long Pines and Short Pines.

The area east of the divide in the north-central portion of the state is known for the dramatic and other significant rock formations. Three stately s south of are familiar landmarks. These buttes, Square Butte, Shaw Butte, and Crown Butte, are made of, which is dense and has withstood weathering for many years. The underlying surface consists of. Many areas around these buttes are covered with clay surface soils. These soils have been derived from the weathering of the. Farther east, areas such as near Glendive, and  State Park near Ekalaka also highlight some of the most scenic badlands regions in the state.

Montana also contains a number of rivers, many of which are known for "blue-ribbon" trout fishing, but which also provide most of the water needed by residents of the state, as well as being a source of. Montana is the only state in the union whose rivers form parts of three major North American watersheds: The, the , and which are divided atop  in Glacier National Park.

West of the divide, the of the Columbia (not to be confused with the  of the Yellowstone River) rises in the Rocky Mountains near Butte and flows northwest to. There it is joined by the and  and further downstream by the  before entering  near, becoming part of the , which flows to the. The Clark Fork discharges the greatest volume of water of any river exiting the state. The and Kootenai River also drain major portions of the western half of the state.

East of the divide, the, formed by the confluence of the , , and rivers, crosses the central part of the state, flows through the  and enters. The rises in Yellowstone Park in, flows north to Livingston, Montana, where it then turns east and flows across the state until it joins the Missouri River a few miles east of the North Dakota boundary. The Yellowstone River is the longest undammed, free-flowing river in North America. Other major Montana tributaries of the Missouri include the, , Tongue, and Musselshell Rivers. Montana also claims the disputed title of possessing the "world's shortest river," the, just outside. These rivers ultimately join the and flow into the.

Water is of critical importance to the state for both agriculture and hydropower. In addition to its rivers, the state is home to, the largest natural fresh-water lake in the United States west of the. Man-made s dot Montana's rivers, the largest of which is Reservoir, on the Missouri river, contained by the largest earth-filled dam in the world.

Vegetation of the state includes, , , , , , , , , , rocky mountain and  trees. Forests cover approximately 25% of the state. Flowers native to Montana include, s, , s, , , , , s and. Several species of and  and many species of es are common. Many species of s and s are also found in the state.

Montana contains and portions of, including three of the Park's five entrances. Other federally recognized sites include the, , , , and the. Montana has eight s and over 20 s. The Federal government administers 36,000,000 acres (146,000 km²). 275,000 acres (1,100 km²) are administered as s and forests.

Areas managed by the include:
 * near
 * near
 * at
 * near
 * near
 * near

Several Indian reservations are located in Montana:, , , , , , and the.

See also:, 

History
Native Americans were the first of many inhabitants of the state of Montana. Groups included the in the south-central area, the  in the southeast, the,  and  in the central and north-central area and the  and  in the west. The smaller and  tribes were found around  and the western mountains, respectively.

Montana east of the was part of the  in 1803. Subsequent to the and after the finding of gold and copper (see the ) in the state in the late 1850s, Montana became a   on, , and the 41st state on ,.

was established in the spring of 1867. It is located west of in the Sun River Valley and was one of three posts authorized to be built by Congress in 1865. The other two posts in the were Camp Cooke on the  and Fort C.F. Smith on the  in south central Montana Territory. Fort Shaw, named after Colonel, who commanded the , one of the first all regiments, during the , was built of adobe and lumber by the 13th Infantry. The fort had a parade ground that was 400 ft² (120 m²), and consisted of barracks for officers, a, and a trading post, and could house up to 450 soldiers. Completed in 1868, it was used by military personnel until 1891.

After the close of the military post, the government established Fort Shaw as a school to provide industrial training to young Native Americans. The Fort Shaw Indian Industrial School was opened on,. The school had at one time 17 faculty members, 11 Indian assistants and 300 students. The school made use of over 20 of the buildings built by the Army.

The revised of the early 1900s greatly affected the settlement of Montana. This act expanded the land that was provided by the from 160 acre to 320 acre. When the latter act was signed by, it also reduced the time necessary to prove up from five years to three years and permitted five months' absence from the claim each year.

In 1908, the Sun River Irrigation Project, west of was opened up for homesteading. Under this, a person could obtain 40 acres (16 ha). Most of the people who came to file on these were young couples who were eager to live near mountains where hunting and fishing were good. Many of these homesteaders came from the and.

Montana was the scene of the Native Americans' last effort to keep their land, and the of  Lieutenant Colonel  was fought near the present day town of Hardin. Montana was also the location of the final battles of the s.

Cattle ranching has long been central to Montana's history and economy. The in Deer Lodge Valley is maintained as a link to the ranching style of the late 19th century. It is operated by the but is also a 1,900 acre (7.7 km²) working ranch.

Demographics


As of 2006, Montana has an estimated population of 997,670, which is an increase of 8,750, or 0.9%, from the prior year and an increase of 33,475, or 3.7%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 13,674 people (that is 58,001 births minus 44,327 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 21,074 people into the state. from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 2,141 people, and within the country produced a net increase of 18,933 people. 16,500 of state residents are foreign-born, accounting for 1.8% of the total population.

According to the, 1.52% of the population aged 5 and over speak at home, while 1.11% speak.

The of Montana is located in, in the city of.

While ancestry is the largest reported  ancestry in most of Montana, residents of n ancestry are prevalent in some of the farming-dominated northern and eastern prairie regions. There are also several predominantly counties, mostly around each of the seven Indian reservations. The historically mining-oriented communities of western Montana such as have a wider range of ethnic groups, particularly people of  and  ancestry, as well as people who originally emigrated from  mining regions such as. Montana is second only to in U.S.  population with several colonies spread across the state. Many of Montana's historic logging communities originally attracted people of n and descent. Montana's population is particularly concentrated around the  area in south-central Montana, and the highest density of  is located in.

Religion
The religious affiliations of the people of Montana
 * – 82%
 * – 55%
 * – 15%
 * – 8%
 * – 5%
 * – 4%
 * – 2%
 * Other Protestant or general Protestant – 21%
 * – 24%
 * (Mormon) – 3%
 * Other Religions – <1%
 * Non-Religious – 18%

Economy
The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Montana's total state product in 2003 was $26 billion. Per capita personal income in 2003 was $25,406, 47th in the nation. However, this number is rapidly increasing. According to the Missoulian, the economy has grown rapidly since 2003; in 2005, Montana ranked 39th in the nation with an average per capita personal income of $29,387.

The economy is primarily based on agriculture--,, s, , , seed es, , , cattle and sheep -- and significant  and  extraction (, , , , and ). is also important to the economy with millions of visitors a year to, , the headwaters, the site of the  and three of the five entrances to.

Montana's personal contains 7 brackets, with rates ranging from 1% to 6.9%. Montana has no. In Montana, household goods are exempt from es. However, property taxes are assessed on, farm machinery, heavy equipment, automobiles, trucks, and business equipment. The amount of property tax owed is not determined solely by the property's value. The property's value is multiplied by a tax rate, set by the Montana Legislature, to determine its taxable value. The taxable value is then multiplied by the established by various taxing jurisdictions -- city and county government, school districts and others.

Transportation
Major highways include:

In addition, 's train runs through the north of the state, stopping in the following towns:, , , , , , , , , , , and.

Law and government
The current Governor is (Democrat) who was sworn in on,. Its two U.S. senators are (Democrat) and  (Democrat). Montana's congressional representative is (Republican).

The state was the first to elect a female member of  and was one of the first states to give women voting rights (see ). Despite its sizable population, Montana is one of the most homogenous states — nearly 90% of its residents are of an descent, with a large number of immigrants of, , , , , ,  and n heritage arriving in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A significant portion of Chinese immigrants also came and left an indelible mark on the state, especially in the mining cities of, , and.

Politics
Historically, Montana is a of cross-ticket voters with a tradition of sending "conservatives to Helena (the state capital) and liberals to Washington." However, there have also been long-term shifts of party control. During the 1970s, the state was dominated by the, with Democratic governors for a 20-year period, and a Democratic majority of both the national congressional delegation and during many sessions of the state legislature. This pattern shifted, beginning with the 1988 election, when Montana elected a governor and sent a Republican to the U.S. Senate for the first time since the 1940s. This shift continued with the of the state's legislative districts that took effect in 1994, when the Republican Party took control of both houses of the state legislature, consolidating a party dominance that lasted until 2004. The state last supported a Democrat for president in 1992, 's first election.

In recent years, Montana has been classified as a Republican-leaning state, and the state supported President by a wide margin in 2000 and 2004. However, since the 2000 plan went into effect in 2004 the state currently has a Democratic governor, elected in 2004. In the, Democratic candidate narrowly defeated (by only 3000 votes) incumbent Republican Senator  , one of several crucial races that allowed the Democratic Party to win the majority in the U.S. Senate. Montana's lone US Congressman, Republican, easily won reelection in a landslide. The state Senate is (as of 2007) controlled by the Democrats and the State House of Representatives is controlled by the Republicans.

On April 17th, 2007, Montana became the first state to pass legislation against the federal government's. Gov. Schweitzer signed a bill banning the Montana Motor Vehicle Division from enforcing the new regulations. 

Montana is an.

Important cities and towns


Some of the cities in Montana are:

Some of the major towns in Montana are:









Counties
The State of Montana has 56.

Sports
Montana is one of a select few states in America that lack a major sports team.

However, Montana does have these :

is also played in Montana, with teams such as the and the  playing under the jurisdiction of the.

Montana also has several junior teams such as the  (original use of Billings Bulls as a sports team name), the, the  (Butte having been home to the Butte Irish previously in junior A hockey, now defunct) and the  (formerly know as both the Helena Gold Rush and Helena Ice Pirates in Junior A tier hockey and the Helena Cutthroats in Junior B tier hockey). These teams are currently members of the. For the 2007-2008 season an expansion team the will join the league. The Rocky Mountain Division also includes the out of.

Miscellaneous topics

 * The state's name is derived from the word montaña (""). The state nickname is the "Treasure State." Other nicknames include "Big Sky Country," and the slogan "the last best place."


 * The planned  was named in honor of the state. However, the battleship was never completed, making Montana the only one of the 48 states during World War II not to have a battleship named after it. Additionally,  and  have both had nuclear submarines named after them. As such Montana is the only state in the union without a modern naval ship named in its honor. However, in August 2007 Senator  made a request to the Navy that a  be christened USS Montana.


 * The is a major source of  s. Paleontologist, of the  in , brought this formation to the world's attention with several major finds. For example,  was discovered in 2001 in Hell Creek and is the world's most complete juvenile tyrannosaurus rex.


 * In 1902, a group of female students from the Fort Shaw Indian Industrial School began playing and traveled throughout Montana, defeating high school teams and some college teams. In 1904, the girls' basketball team traveled by train to the . Over a period of five months, the team was challenged by numerous other basketball teams and won every contest, returning to Fort Shaw with the "world champion" trophy. On, , a monument in honor of the basketball team was unveiled at the entrance of the present-day Fort Shaw Elementary School.


 * In the movie 'Star Trek: First Contact', Montana is the location of the fictitious first contact between humans and an alien race, the Vulcans. Star Trek producer is originally from . However, no Montana locations were used in the shooting of the film.


 * Montana has the largest population in the lower 48 states.


 * Montana's triple divide allows water to flow into three oceans: the, the , and the  . This phenomenon occurs at  in Glacier National Park.


 * In 1888, (the current state capital) had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world.


 * Montana is one of two states in the continental United States which, in addition to not having a major metropolitan area over 1,000,000 in population, also does not border a state that does have one (Maine is the other). However, it does border the Canadian Provinces (population in 2005 of 3,237,000) and  (population in 2006 of 4,292,000, which have a combined three cities with a metro population of over 1,000,000 each.

State symbols

 * : (Lewisia rediviva), since 1895
 * :, since 1949
 * : (Ursus arctos horribilis), since 1862
 * : (Sturnella neglecta), since 1931
 * : Blackspotted Cutthroat, since 1977
 * State Song: "Montana", since 1945
 * State Ballad: "Montana Melody", since 1983
 * State Gemstones: Yogo &
 * Maiasaur ("Duck-billed Dinosaur") ( peeblesorum), since 1985
 * State Butterfly: (Nymphalis antiopa), since 2001
 * State Grass: Bluebunch, since 1973
 * State Motto: "Oro y Plata" (Spanish: Gold and Silver)

Ski areas
Montana has several ski areas including:
 * Bear Paw Ski Bowl near
 * near
 * near
 * Blacktail near
 * near
 * Discovery Basin near
 * near
 * Lost Trail near
 * Lookout Pass near St. Regis, Montana
 * Maverick Mountain near Dillon, Montana
 * Snowbowl Ski Area near
 * near
 * Red Lodge Mountain near
 * near
 * near
 * near