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GRAND HOTEL

Big TimberMT

A town of 1,611. Home to 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,611
+0.5% since 2010
Typical home
$449K
+9.2% in a year
Household income
$67K
median
Median age
43.6
years
Jobs based here
766
Balanced

What makes Big Timber stand out

The 3 things Big Timber does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Big Timber’s report card

See the data ↓

Now in Big Timber

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The data

Ordered by what stands out in Big Timber. Another town gets a different order.

Natural hazards

Very high risk, with inland flooding at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 81% of U.S. communities.

81risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
81Very high riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingWildfireCold waves
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →
Health

Healthier than 70% of U.S. towns

Big Timber beats the Montana average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.

B+Health Grade
32 measures vs. Montana
3 better28 too close to call1 worse
What stands outBig TimberMT
Fewer adults without reliable transportation6.4%7.5%
More adults treating high blood pressure77.2%73.4%
More adults who have had cancer11.1%9.3%
Pioneer Medical Center
0.5 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
61st
percentile among MT towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →
Outdoors

17.4% of Big Timber is conserved land

0.4 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves.

17.4%conserved
17.4%
conserved · 108 of 621 acres
0.4 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Lions Club Park—6
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →
Climate

Snowy winters, pleasant summers

Big Timber has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 55 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

55″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter18–39°
Spring31–57°
Summer50–82°
Fall33–60°
Sep 26
typical first frost
May 14
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →
Work & commute

About one in three working residents works right in Big Timber

About one in 3 of Big Timber’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Billings (7%), Bozeman (4%) and Livingston (2%). Half commute less than 3 miles.

35%work in town

Where working residents work

In Big Timber35%
Billings7%
Bozeman4%
Livingston2%
Columbus2%
3 mi
median commute distance
766
jobs based in Big Timber
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →
Housing

A typical Big Timber home is worth about $449K

The typical Big Timber home is worth about $449,000, up 9.2% in a year, close to the Montana typical home.

$449KZillow home value

Typical home value

Big Timber$449K
Montana$472K
+9.2%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →
Schools

Big Timber’s public schools outperform 52% of Montana districts

The public schools Big Timber’s kids attend outperform 52% of Montana’s districts on state tests. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

B−School Grade
SchoolGradesStudentsGrade
Big Timber SchoolPK–6222B−
Big Timber 7-87–869B
Sweet Grass Co High Schl9–12161C
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state testsAll 3 schools →
Wea03326 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library
2006 · Wea03326 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library · Wikimedia Commons
Big Timber’s story

Big Timber in pictures

15 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 4 places on the National Register.

MTMap-doton-BigTimberGRAND HOTELWea03328 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library
Explore the history →

Landmarks

4 places in Big Timber on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

Famous people from Big Timber

5 notable people were born in Big Timber.

See all 5 →

About Big Timber

City in Montana, United States

Official town website ↗

Big Timber is a city in and the county seat of Sweet Grass County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,650 at the 2020 census. Big Timber takes its name from Big Timber Creek, which was named by William Clark because of the large cottonwood trees. The post office was established in 1880, closed, then reopened in 1882 with Ella Burns as postmaster. In 1881 Charles McDonnell became the first person to drive sheep into Sweet Grass County and Big Timber. As a stop on the Northern Pacific Railroad, Big Timber became a major wool-shipping depot. It became the county seat in 1895. In 1902, rancher John F. Asbury was elected the first mayor of Big Timber. A fire in 1908 destroyed half the …

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Population
1,650
Area
1.0 sq mi
Elevation
4,091 ft
ZIP code
59011
Area code
406

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Photo of Big Timber

Big Timber, MT · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source ↗