Three Montana Towns Named Among America’s Best Mountain Places to Live

It’s not surprising to see Montana towns on lists of some of the best places to live. After all, our state has a lot to offer. What is surprising is when you see a top-ten list, and three Montana towns are on it.  

Travel + Leisure has put together a list of the top ten best U.S. mountain towns to live in, and Montana is well represented.  

Montana Towns Gain National Recognition

Most of the mountain towns that made Travel + Leisure’s list are located in the West, but not all of them. Asheville, North Carolina, is the lone town in the eastern part of the country to make the list, coming in at number four.  

READ MORE: Attractive Montana Town Ranks #1 for Mountain Towns in 2023

The Montana towns that made the list are beautiful, but also among the most expensive places to live in the state.

Why Bigfork Made the List

Coming in at number ten on the list is Bigfork. Travel + Leisure notes that the average home price in Bigfork is “around $760,000.” They also point out access to Flathead Lake and the Swan River as bonuses. 

READ MORE: Bigfork, Montana Gets Even More Accolades 

Number eight on the list is Whitefish. With average home values around $835,000, they note: “Although buying a home in Whitefish will cost you a pretty penny, the average home value (around $835,000) is about $1 million less than the average in Big Sky.” 

Bozeman Ranked the Best Mountain Town

The best mountain town on the list is Bozeman. The key to living in Bozeman is being able to afford it. They acknowledge affordability challenges, noting that the cost of living is 29 percent higher than the national average.

Bigfork, Whitefish, and Bozeman aren’t the most expensive places to live in Montana, but they are close, and now they have made a list of some of the best mountain towns in the country.