Montana

Montana, named after the Spanish word meaning mountain, is well known for their mountains. The state contains numerous mountain ranges, a total of seventy seven named ranges can be found within the Rocky Mountains that split up the state. The official nickname for the state is the treasure state but it is also known as Big Sky Country, the Mountain State. Because of the numerous mountain ranges, large portions of the state are not lived in. Montana ranks fourth in area, but forty fourth in population, making Montana one of the least populated states in the United States. Montana's economy is primarily made up of farming, mining, tourism, and lumber. Montana is a completely land locked state, meaning that there is no major body of water touching it.

Because there is so much wide open spaces all throughout Montana, ranching and farming are not uncommon things to see. A piece of land could be over one hundred acres and all belong to the same person. There are many instances that this is the case. Some towns are completely devoted to farming and there will be an entire community of farmers and ranch hands. Other areas of the state are devoted to coal mining. Butte has the largest abandoned coal mine in the West. You can take tours all throughout the upper part of the mine to see the mines and even go to the little museum that is attached to learn all about the history of the coal mines. If you are not familiar with any coal mining history, it is very fascinating information and definitely something worth seeing at least once. Due to safety reasons, you cannot actually go into the mine as it has been abandoned for quite some time, and due to the chemicals and other contaminants in the air, it is not safe.