Butte is in Silver Bow County. It is the county seat. The community was named for a nearby peak.
Butte, Montana, is a town full of history. Few other towns anywhere in the US can claim such a spectacular boom and then bust as Butte, MT, can.
Unsurpisingly, Butte has a higher than average number of 'copper' gift stores. If you're looking for something a little different and made out of copper, this might be the place for you.
One would think that Butte, Montana, is nothing but a bunch of empty buildings and dirty streets that is surrounded by an environmental nightmare of unequaled proportions. Yet, Butte is far from that. In fact, considering how far and how fast Butte fell following the decline of the mining industry; it is quite amazing how far Butte has come in rebuilding its downtown, restoring its environment, and in general transforming itself from a resource extraction town to a town built on other industries.
Butte also has something few other cities can claim – a rich and incredible history. Visiting Butte, even today, one can literally step back into time. Butte is also one of only two cities to be recognized as a National Historic Landmark (the other is Lowell, MA) – with more than 4000 historic buildings of one kind or another. Butte is literally teeming full of historic buildings – and makes other “restored” historic towns seem rather lame in comparison. And if all the historical buildings and “ghost signs” aren’t enough, there is always the every present old mining rigs (over 40 of them dot the sky in Butte) to help remind visitors what built Butte into the town that it is today.
Butte now claims the dubious distinction of being home to the Berkeley Pit and being part of the largest Superfund site in the United States.
For this reason, it’s highly recommended that anyone who plans on visiting Montana, whether it is for fishing or something else, make plans to stop by and check out the town. It’s a unique town that is well worth spending time to poke around in.
Housing Cost
Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $79,800
Demographics
As of the 2000 census, Butte's population was 33,892. Butte covers 171.9 square miles. It sits at an elevation of 5,549 feet above sea level.
Zip codes: 59701, 59750 - Area code: 406
Weather
Butte, MT climate is mild during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 60's and extremely cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 10's.
The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 79.80 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 5.40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Temperature variations between night and day tend to be relatively big during summer with a difference that can reach 35 degrees Fahrenheit, and moderate during winter with an average difference of 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
The annual average precipitation at Butte is 12.78 Inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is June with an average rainfall of 2.07 Inches.
Information provided by idcide.com and city data.com
