Big Sky

Zuzana Hathaway
Christies Great Estates of Montana
Phone: 800-587-7850

Web Site
Big Sky - as an exclusive affiliate of Christies Great Estates, we represent fine homes and resort properties throughou the area.

Libby

Livingston

Lynn Kinnaman
RE/MAX Real Estate Brokers
Phone: 406-556-2768 Cell: 406-579-3647

Finding a home has never been easier. I am experienced, knowledgeable, professional and interested in helping you find the home you seek in Montana.

Plains

Polson

Dick Matejovsky
Montana International Realty
Phone: 406-883-6700

Web Site
We cover the state through the Montana Association of Real Estate Exchangers.

Red Lodge

Dorothea Lowe
Sky Lodge Properties, Inc.
Phone: 406-818-5979
Toll Free: 888-514-5683

Complete resource for relocating to Montana, links include ranches, farms, MLS systems, employers, newspapers, and MORE!

Superior

Thompson Falls

Troy

Tracy Nicely
Nicely-Dunn Real Estate
Phone: 406-295-4600

Troy Real Estate
Find real estate in Troy, Libby, Yaak, Eureka, Noxon, Rexford, Kalispell, Marion, and Lincoln County. Browse the mls and my featured listings to help you find your perfect house.

Trout Creek

Wheat is Montana’s leading crop in terms of sales. Most of the high-quality wheat is grown in the plains section, with winter wheat being grown mainly in the area north of Great Falls and spring wheat in the area bordering Canada. In 1997 Montana ranked third among the states in wheat production, behind only North Dakota and Kansas.

Other important grain crops include barley and oats. In 1997 Montana trailed only one other state, North Dakota, in the production of barley, Montana’s third most valuable farm product. Hay was the fourth most valuable farm commodity and is grown throughout the state. Feed corn is raised in eastern Montana. Alfalfa, flaxseed, and mustard are also important crops.

Sugar beets are raised on irrigated lands around Billings and Sidney. Potatoes are grown in many parts of the state, and truck gardens near the larger towns supply part of the local need for vegetables. Beans are raised in large quantity near Billings. Cherry orchards are found in the Flathead Lake region, and apples are grown primarily in the valleys of western and south central Montana.

Cattle and calves play a central role in Montana’s farm economy and in 1997 were the second most valuable agricultural commodity. Beef cattle are raised in many parts of the state, while dairying is important in several western valleys. Some hogs are raised in the eastern areas. Montana raises a large number of sheep.

Forest lands in Montana cover 25 percent of the state’s area. Commercial timber grows mainly in the mountainous west and supplies Montana’s chief industry, timber processing. Most of the lumber produced is softwood. Major species include the ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, western white pine, spruce, lodgepole pine, and western larch. The forests provide wood pulp for paper, lumber for construction, mine timbers, telephone and telegraph poles, railroad ties, and fuel. Montana is also a major producer of Christmas trees, harvested both in the wild and on plantations.

Fuel resources, including petroleum, coal, and natural gas, are largely found in eastern Montana. Metallic minerals, including copper, silver, gold, lead, zinc, and tungsten, are found mainly in the western mountains. Nonmetallic minerals, including sand and gravel, limestone, phosphates, bentonite, fluorite, vermiculite, and gemstones are widely distributed, although more are found in the central and western regions.

The extraction of fossil fuels provides the largest share of Montana’s mining income. By far the most valuable fossil fuel is coal, which accounted for one-half of the state’s total energy production value. The petroleum produced in 1999 amounted to 14.9 million barrels. Production of natural gas remains important and totaled 1.7 billion cu m (61.2 billion cu ft) in 1999. Petroleum and natural gas deposits are found in several areas of the plains region, including the Bell Creek field in southeastern Montana, the Pine and Pennel fields in eastern Montana, and the Cut Bank field in the northwestern corner of Great Plains Montana. The major coal mines, located in south central Montana, are surface strip-mining operations that produce low-sulfur coal used for coal-fired electricity generation, especially in states in the Midwest.

Metallic minerals provide the largest share of Montana’s nonfuel mining income, with copper and gold leading the list of important metals. Most of the state’s metallic mineral production comes from mines which began operation since the early 1980s. Such mines include those producing gold and silver located near Whitehall, east of Butte; at Jardine, north of Yellowstone National Park; and north of Lewistown. The state’s largest producer of precious metals is a mine in Stillwater County near Nye that extracts platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold. Montana was the only U.S. state mining platinum and palladium in the late 1990s, and in the same period its production of zinc intensified. After several years of absence, copper mining began again in 1986 at the historic mining town of Butte. Other relatively large mines were in various development stages in the mid-1990s.

Portland cement is an important nonfuel mineral commodity. Montana leads the nation in the production of talc. Sand and gravel are obtained in all parts of the state. Phosphate rock is mined in several western and southwestern counties. Montana produces significant quantities of industrial-grade garnet.

The principal manufactures in Montana are wood products, foodstuffs, printed matter, and electrical and electronic devices. In the late 1990s the lumber and wood products industry provided more than one-fourth of the state’s income from manufactures. Lumber industries are concentrated in the mountainous west, where most of the commercial timber grows. Four large sawmills are situated at Bonner, Columbia Falls, Kalispell, and Libby. There are many small saw mills. Wood products are made in Missoula, Frenchtown, Libby, Kalispell, Thompson Falls, Whitefish, and Bonner. Most of Montana’s lumber and wood products are sold in other states or exported to foreign countries.

Food-processing plants provide about one-tenth of the manufacturing income in Montana. The plants are widely distributed in the state. Flour mills are located in Billings and Great Falls. Billings and Sidney have sugar refineries. Vegetable and fruit canneries are situated in the Bitterroot Valley. There are dairies throughout the state. The printing and publishing houses provide another one-tenth of Montana’s manufacturing income.

Large-scale metals processing is limited to two facilities, both of which process mostly ores produced in other countries. At Columbia Falls an aluminum reduction facility converts alumina from Australia and other countries to aluminum ingots. In East Helena a lead smelter processes ores mostly from South America.

A number of other raw materials, especially building materials and fuels, are processed in Montana. Cement is produced at Trident and Montana City. Petroleum refineries are located in Billings, Laurel, and Great Falls.

Montana’s vast power resources include swiftly flowing rivers, as well as coal, petroleum, and natural gas. In 1999 some 60 percent of Montana’s electricity was generated in power plants burning fossil fuels. Hydroelectric facilities were the other major source of power, providing 40 percent of the state’s total electricity. The first important hydroelectric plant was built at Black Eagle Falls, on the Missouri River near Great Falls, in 1890.

Tourism is a leading source of income to the Montana’s economy. Easterners were attracted to Montana as early as the late 19th century, and Montana’s dude ranches have been popular since they first opened in 1920. Today, Yellowstone and Glacier national parks are leading summer attractions, as are the numerous state parks and recreation and wilderness areas. More than 6 million tourists visit Yellowstone and Glacier national parks annually. The state has many popular winter ski resorts, including Red Lodge Mountain; Big Mountain, near Whitefish; Montana Snow Bowl, near Missoula; and Big Sky and Bridger Bowl, near Bozeman.

Real Estate: Idaho - Montana Relocation

Cottage Canada - USA
Montana Vacation Rentals: house, home, condo, cottage, and cabin rental
Flathead Lake - Glacier Country - Gold West Country - Russell Country - Yellowstone Country

Official Website for the State of Montana

www www.real-estate-2000.com