Montana

Montana

Capital	Helena
Nickname	The Treasure State
Official Language	English
Governor	Brian Schweitzer, D
Senator	Max Baucus, D (202) 224-2651 Contact
Senator	Jon Tester, D (202) 224-2644 Contact
Ratification of Constitution/or statehood	November 8, 1889 (41st)
Flag of Montana	Motto: "Oro y Plata" (gold and silver)

Montana is located in the Northwestern region of the United States and on November 8th, 1889 became the forty-first state to enter into the union. The capital of Montana is Helena and its largest city is Billings. The current governor of Montana is Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat.

Geography

The eastern 60% of the state is flat prairie and is slowly losing popualtion, It is filled with cattle ranches, wheat farms, and oil and gas wells. The leading city is Billings, a medical and commercial center. The climate is especially harsh in the wintertime.

The western 40% is mountainous and is growing rapidly. Its economy is based on tourism and retirement centers, with Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park as prime attractions. The old copper minining industry that made Butte notorious has disappeared, and the logging industry is fading in importance. The very long border with Canada is becoming economically important, as oil from Alberta is nrought by pipeline to refineries in Billings and points as far south as Houston. The western 40%

Notable people from Montana

• Burton K. Wheeler, Democratic Senator
• Max Baucus, Democratic Senator is the powerful chairman of the Senate Finance Committee
• Evel Knievel, a famous motorcycle daredevil, was from Butte.
• Charley Pride, perhaps the most successful black country musician of all time, grew up in Helena and Great Falls.
• Jeannette Rankin, a Republican from Missoula, was the very first Congresswoman in the United States
• The freemen, a religious group famous for an 81 day stand off with federal agents near Jordan.

See also

• State Governors