Montana is a beautiful place, one of the magnificent 50 U.S. states. We're taking a look at some amazing Montana state facts that will enrich your knowledge of the state and perhaps even convince you to visit or move here one day.
1. Montana boasts the largest migratory elk herd in the U.S.
2. This is the location of the largest popular of trumpeter swans in the lower United States still breeding.
3. Across the state, each square mile of land contains 1.4 elk, 1.4 pronghorn antelope, and 3.3 deer.
4. You can visit Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge and see up to 1,700 nesting pelicans at one time.
5. The city of Helena has more millionaires per capita in 1888 than any other city in the world.
6. There are a total of 56 counties in the state, 46 of which are known as "frontier counties" with an average population of 6 people or less per square mile.
7. Henry Plummer, an infamous outlaw, was the first to built a jail in the state.
8. There are more species of mammals in Montana than in any other state.
9. The Yellowstone National Park is located in southern Montana and northern Wyoming. It was the first national park in the nation.
10. The town of Ekalaka is actually named for the daughter of the Sioux chief known as Sitting Bull.
11. Here you will find the largest population of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states.
12. Montana has several ghost towns: Combination, Comet, Keystone, Black Pine, and Pony are just some of them.
13. Montana has the nickname "The Treasure State."
14. The state flower is the bitterroot.
15. There are seven Indian reservations in the state.
16. One of the most scenic routes in America is the Sun Road in Glacier Park.
17. The state motto: "Oro y Plata" means gold and silver.
18. The name "Montana" comes from the Spanish word for mountain.
19. The elk, deer, and antelope population in Montana outnumbers the actual human population.
20. Glacier National Park has over 250 lakes within the boundaries of the park.
Clearly Montana is a wonderful state that still preserves much of the nature that inhabits it.