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MTMontana rankings

Towns with the most conserved land in Montana

Ranked by the share of the town's area that is permanently protected: town forests, state and federal land, land-trust preserves and conservation easements (USGS PAD-US). 19 towns with 2,500+ residents.

U.S. Census ACS 2020–2024 5-year

Glendive
Montana · Most conserved land

Where Glendive lands: #5 of 19

17.2% · Visit Glendive →

Anaconda-Deer Lodge County 1 Anaconda-Deer Lodge County 61.7% Conserved acres 291,015 Shelby 2 Shelby 32.8% Conserved acres 1,241 Helena 3 Helena 23.9% Conserved acres 2,636
#TownConserved landConserved acresTrails
1 Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Anaconda-Deer Lodge County9,597 people 61.7% 291,015 409.4 mi
2 Shelby Shelby3,216 people 32.8% 1,241 10.6 mi
3 Helena Helena33,639 people 23.9% 2,636 74.6 mi
4 Map of Helena Valley West Central Helena Valley West Central8,056 people 22% 3,703 36.1 mi
5 Glendive Glendive4,810 people 17.2% 382 0.4 mi
6 Billings Billings119,434 people 14.5% 4,285 38.9 mi
7 Conrad Conrad2,618 people 13.7% 111 1.2 mi
8 Red Lodge Red Lodge2,502 people 13.5% 232 5.8 mi
9 Polson Polson5,428 people 11% 336 7.6 mi
10 Deer Lodge Deer Lodge3,021 people 10.1% 101 1.2 mi
11 Map of Kalispell Kalispell28,504 people 9.6% 809 12.3 mi
12 Bigfork Bigfork5,565 people 9.3% 2,197 15.3 mi
13 Miles City Miles City8,407 people 9.1% 195 0.3 mi
14 Livingston Livingston8,780 people 8.9% 349 5.1 mi
15 Great Falls Great Falls60,329 people 8.2% 1,225 11.7 mi
16 Laurel Laurel7,215 people 6.6% 109 0.9 mi
17 Columbia Falls Columbia Falls5,615 people 4.8% 69 3.3 mi
18 Map of Cut Bank Cut Bank3,028 people 3.3% 24 1.0 mi
19 Hardin Hardin3,742 people 2.5% 48 0.4 mi

How this ranking works

We rank every town by the share of the town's area that is permanently protected: town forests, state and federal land, land-trust preserves and conservation easements (USGS PAD-US). Easements protect land from development but are often private, so not all of it is open to visitors. The town with the highest figure ranks #1.

Only towns with at least 2,500 residents are ranked; Census estimates for smaller places are too uncertain. Population and income: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Trails, streets and parks: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Conserved land: USGS PAD-US. Measured within each town's Census boundary. Town photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each town’s page.

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