Montana
From antelope-speckled, short grass prairies in the east to snow-capped mountain ranges and free-flowing rivers in the west, it’s no wonder Montana has been dubbed “the last best place.” Inspiring landscapes and easy-going, friendly towns combine to form Montana’s six distinct regions.
In fact, Montana has several nicknames, none official, including: "The Treasure State" and "Big Sky Country", and slogans that include "Land of the Shining Mountains" and more recently, "The Last Best Place".
The state ranks fourth in area, but 44th in population, and accordingly has the third-lowest population density in the United States.
Montana is well known for its mountainous western region, most of which is part of the Northern Rocky Mountains. About 60% of the state is prairie, part of the northern Great Plains.
The economy is primarily based on services, with ranching, wheat farming, oil and coal mining in the east, and lumber, tourism, and hard rock mining in the west. Millions of tourists annually visit Glacier National Park, the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, and three of the five entrances to Yellowstone National Park. The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Montana's total state product in 2003 was $26 billion.
Montana is a hub of beer microbrewing, ranking third in the nation in number of craft breweries per capita.
Montana's personal income tax contains 7 brackets, with rates ranging from 1% to 6.9%. Montana has no sales tax.
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