The 5 Big Differences Between East And West Montana

Montana Is Almost 3 States In One

When you are state as big as Montana there are going to be some differences when it comes to the eastern half and the western half.

Heck there are even differences for central Montana as well, but we'll keep this simple with 5 major differences between the east and west halves of the state.

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1. - Economy

The first difference is where the money is made. Eastern Montana is a much more agriculture based economy, along with the coal and oil industries. Western Montana has the timber industry, mining and tourism to bring dollars into their coffers.

2. - Tourism

Speaking of tourism, western Montana dominates the conversation compared to eastern Montana. With Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park in the western half it's really no surprise. That doesn't mean eastern Montana doesn't have attractions like Makoshika State Park which is the largest state park.

3. - Geography

Honestly this might be the most obvious difference. When people think of Montana, what they envision is what the western half of the state looks like. Majestic mountains towering high into the skyline. Some people think eastern Montana is barren, but as someone who grew up on the great plains, after a hard day of work looking out on a field stretching for miles as the sun sets, there might not be anything more beautiful.

4. - The Culture

Western Montana has a bit more of a "granola" or "hippy" vibe to the people, while eastern Montana has more of a "salt of the earth" vibe. However, residents from both sides both enjoy being outdoors and rooting for either the Cats or Griz, so really, we're not that different.

5. - Population

As we mentioned earlier Montana is so big, you almost could make the case that there is eastern, central and western Montana. So where do you draw the line? Why not use the congressional district? It might not be perfect but it's what we've got.

Montana's Montana's 1st congressional district which includes Missoula, Bozeman, Butte & Kalispell has a population of 569,331.

Montana's Montana's 2nd congressional district which includes Billings, Great Falls and Helena has a population of 553,536.

While there may be differences with east and west Montana all that matters is at the end of the day we're all Montanans living in The Last Best Place.