BUTTE-SILVER BOW
COMMUNITY PROFILE
Butte, Montana
With a highly educated and talented workforce, a top ten engineering college and a great commerce location, Butte has everything your business needs to thrive. There are industrial-zoned business parks with local, state and federal incentives available for developers. Moreover, living in Butte is affordable, so you can see why there is no better place to live, work and play.
Domestic growth, capital investment, entrepreneurship, international business relations, and corporate headquarters attraction are common interests of our membership. Their efforts in areas of workforce and K-12 development, high-tech manufacturing, information and communications technology, and recruitment, retention, and expansion directly impact the economic vision and success of Butte-Silver Bow.
Economic development results from the collaborative efforts of partners and members. We invite you to become a part of our business community, building a better future for us all, while enjoying the highest quality of life right at your doorstep. We welcome every opportunity to showcase our community, along with its unique history and exciting future, to let you know how you can build a wonderful future for your family, your employees, and your business.
Butte offers location, business, education and lifestyle advantages for your company. For more information on relocating or, expanding your business in Butte, please call us, we are eager to assist you!
HISTORY OF
BUTTE
THE RICHEST HILL ON EARTH
Butte, as the first major city in Montana and, at one time, the largest city west of the Mississippi River between Chicago and San Francisco, can accurately lay claim to the title of 'Montana's most historic city.' From its early days as a mining camp to the rise of the Copper Kings and the resulting birth of the labor movement, through the industrialization and decline of mining, and down to a presence marked by an environmental and urban renaissance, Butte's history is as colorful and diverse as the landscape of Montana.
Demographics
Southwest Montana and Montana's economy continues to grow and has steadily expanded since 2008. Since the 2009 economic recession, Butte’s economy has blossomed with most Butte-based companies sustaining themselves through the recession by leveraging Butte’s low cost of living with competitive salaries that are on average lower than more competitive regions in the US.
Single Tracks Magazine named Butte as #2 of the “10 Best US Mountain Bike Towns with the Lowest Cost of Living”, in March 2018.
RECREATION
OPPORTUNITIES
BUTTE'S BASECAMP TO THE OUTDOORS
Butte is the best place to revel in everything the Rocky Mountains have to offer. One of Butte’s most spectacular assets is the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) system. Local trail heads offer access to hiking, biking and cross-country skiing along 50 miles of urban and suburban trails. The CDT weaves through public lands at 8,000 feet above sea level, and connects with Thompson Park, the only “city park” located within a National Forest in the United States.
Just south of Butte, the Big Hole River Valley welcomes sportsmen with blue-ribbon trout fishing and rafting. And, a summer day isn’t complete without a drive through the Pioneer Mountains where hot springs beckon adventurous spirits. Learn more about Butte's extensive opportunities at www.basecampbutte.com.
Several pristine blue-ribbon trout streams surround Butte providing world-class angling opportunity.
QUALITY OF LIFE
BUTTE'S UNRIVALED & UNIQUE CHARACTER, CHARM & COMMUNITY
Butte is a city that values community connections and comes together frequently to celebrate and support its fellow residents. Anchoring this mindset are Butte’s vibrant neighborhoods. Nestled around vibrant commercial areas, each neighborhood in Butte is easily walkable to area grocery stores, elementary schools, and is accessible to public transit and bike routes.
Butte’s cultural district hosts a monthly art walk, a weekly farmer’s market, and nightly music and entertainment. Catch Butte’s Symphony Orchestra at the Motherlode Theater and youth performances at the Orphan Girl. During the summer, impress your friends with free festivals scheduled throughout the season - whether your kids love the adventure of winter activities or the sounds of zydeco music, you’re sure to find something for everyone.
The New York Times ranked Butte-Silver Bow in the TOP THIRD IN THE NATION for “Quality of Life" based on a variety of economic and health statistics.
Butte-Silver Bow & Montana have consistently ranked high in offering an EXCEPTIONAL “QUALITY OF LIFE.”
MONTANA WAS RANKED FIRST in the American Dream Composite Index based on economic, well-being, societal diversity, and environmental indices.
CRADLE TO CAREER
COMMUNITY VALUES
COMMUNITY VALUES
While Butte is historically known as the “Richest Hill on Earth” for local ore and mineral resources, we are also rich in community values. Butte has an extremely robust and active non-profit sector. Whether the cause is a housing initiative, youth focused campaigns, or the arts, Butte shows its support. This true sense of community is often witnessed at large gatherings for medical benefits or fundraising dinners. When need presents itself, Butte rises to the occasion.
Butte is also rich in educational resources. We have a wide range of quality education facilities including public and private K-12 schools, trade development/training programs, in addition to the higher education institutions of Highlands College and Montana Tech.
MAJOR EMPLOYERS
IN BUTTE-SILVER BOW
*Numbers provided to the Butte Chamber of Commerce for 2017-2018.
**FCR is the premier provider of outsourced live agent call center and business process solutions. FCR operates a call center in Great Falls and recently moved into the former JCPenny in the Butte Plaza Mall on Harrison Street. The company announced in November 2019 it would open a new facility in the Mining City in early 2019 and would bring up to 400 new jobs to the community.
Butte is the only location of its kind in Montana featuring dynamic transportation and shipping infrastructure connecting companies with the target markets of the Northwest US and Western Canada reducing transportation costs through the use of efficient transportation channels. Interstate 15 runs north-south and Interstate 90 is part of the CANAMEX corridor, these two interstates intersect just 5 miles west of Butte. The BNSF and the Union Pacific railways are the two largest freight rail networks in North America. Both BNSF and UP serve Butte through the Port of Montana located just five minutes outside of the Butte, connecting Southwest Montana to the world. This unique transportation infrastructure with both interstate and Class I rail options is not duplicated anywhere else in Montana and only a handful of places within the Northwest US.
