Plains
What’s happening
Weather
Forecast →Upcoming events
Put the next local happening — a market, a meeting, a concert — on the map.
Local news
Headlines via Google News · Articles belong to their publishers.
The Plains album
Outdoors in Plains
Parks & trails →Know a trail or park that’s missing? Anyone can add it to OpenStreetMap, and it shows up here on the next refresh.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
About Plains
Town in Montana, United StatesPlains (Salish: ncc̓kʷi) is a town in Sanders County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,106 at the 2020 census. It was founded as Horse Plains and sometimes called Wild Horse Plains, as the local Native Americans would winter their horses here to feed on the grasses in the valley. The name was later shortened to Plains when the US Postal Service established a presence in 1905. The town was established in 1883 as a Northern Pacific Railroad station.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Town numbers
Housing in Plains
The typical Plains home is worth about $450,000, up 4.6% in a year, close to the Montana typical home.
Safety in Plains
Safety Grade A
Plains reports less crime per resident than 87% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
Work & commute in Plains
Full picture →41% of Plains’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Missoula (6%), Thompson Falls (4%) and Kalispell (3%). Half commute less than 2 miles.
Health in Plains
Health Grade B−
Healthier than 45% of U.S. towns on seven CDC estimates, and 96% of towns with similar incomes.
Compared with Montana
of 32 measures CDC estimates. The other 21 are too close to call.
What stands out
Care nearby
Natural hazards in Plains
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 82% of U.S. communities.
Climate in Plains
Full climate →Plains has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
Schools in Plains
All Plains schools →School Grade B
The public schools Plains’s kids attend outperform 55% of Montana’s districts on state tests. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.
School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results, graded within MT. Ratings are from neighbors.
Plains’s library
Library details →Where Plains is
Explore map →
Location map