Overview of the Regional designations of Montana
Montana State Flag
The
Regional designations of Montana
vary widely within the
U.S
state of
Montana
. The state is a large geographical area (147,046 square miles (380,850 km
2
)) that is split by the
Continental Divide
, resulting in
watersheds
draining into the
Pacific Ocean
,
Gulf of Mexico
and
Hudson's Bay
. The state is approximately 545 miles (877 km) east to west along the
Canada?United States border
and 320 miles (510 km) north to south. The fourth largest state in land area, it has been divided up in official and unofficial ways into a variety of regions. Additionally, Montana is part of a number of larger federal government administrative regions.
Unofficial designations
[
edit
]
Various parts of Montana have been given a number of formal and informal names, including:
- Eastern Montana
, with varying definitions placing the western boundary anywhere from the Continental Divide to areas east of
Billings, Montana
.
- Western Montana
, with varying definitions placing the eastern boundary anywhere from the Continental Divide to the eastern edge of the
Absaroka Range
.
- Central Montana, with varying definitions.
- The
Hi-Line
, a region of northern Montana close to the
Canada?United States border
along which runs the main line of the
Great Northern Railway
and
U.S. Highway 2
.
[1]
- The "Golden Triangle," an area noted for grain growing, outlined by the cities of
Havre
,
Conrad
and
Great Falls
.
[2]
- Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
, which includes all or parts of
Gallatin
and
Custer National Forests
in addition to
Yellowstone National Park
- Many Glacier
, is a region within
Glacier National Park
. The region is located north of the
Going-to-the-Sun Road
, on the east side of the park.
- Medicine Line
, the name given the 49th parallel border between the U.S. and Canada between
Lake of the Woods
and the continental divide by
Native Americans
because of its seemingly magical ability to prevent U.S. soldiers from crossing it.
[3]
- The Flathead
, encompassing the area around
Flathead Lake
and surrounding communities
- Two Medicine
, is the collective name of a region located in the southeastern section of Glacier National Park.
- The Bitterroot, centered on
Ravalli County
and
Hamilton
, the county seat.
Official state regions
[
edit
]
Tourism regions
[
edit
]
The Montana Official Travel Site (
visitmt
.com
) has designated six distinct regions in the state for travel promotion.
[4]
- Custer Country, comprising
Big Horn
,
Carter
,
Custer
,
Dawson
,
Fallon
,
Golden Valley
,
Musselshell
,
Powder River
,
Prairie
,
Rosebud
,
Treasure
,
Wibaux
,
Yellowstone
counties. Includes the
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
.
[5]
- Glacier Country
, comprising
Flathead
,
Glacier
,
Granite
,
Lake
,
Lincoln
,
Mineral
,
Missoula
,
Ravalli
, and
Sanders
counties. Includes
Glacier National Park
.
[6]
- Gold West Country, comprising
Beaverhead
,
Broadwater
,
Deer Lodge
,
Jefferson
,
Lewis and Clark
,
Madison
,
Powell
, and
Silver Bow
counties.
[7]
- Missouri River Country, comprising
Daniel
,
Garfield
,
McCone
,
Phillips
,
Richland
,
Roosevelt
,
Sheridan
,
Valley
counties.
[8]
Includes major portions of the
Montana Dinosaur Trail
.
- Russell Country, comprising
Blaine
,
Cascade
,
Chouteau
,
Fergus
,
Glacier
,
Hill
,
Liberty
,
Meagher
,
Petroleum
,
Pondera
,
Toole
, and
Teton
counties.
[9]
The region is named for the influence on the area by cowboy artist
Charles M. Russell
.
- Yellowstone Country, comprising
Carbon
,
Gallatin
,
Park
,
Stillwater
and
Sweet Grass
counties. Includes northern and western gateways to
Yellowstone National Park
.
[10]
Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks regions
[
edit
]
The
Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks
has designated seven administrative regions for the purposes of fish, wildlife and parks management.
[11]
- Region 1, Northwest Montana, (
Kalispell, Montana
), includes
Flathead Lake
[12]
- Region 2, West Central Montana, (
Missoula, Montana
), includes the
Clark Fork
,
Blackfoot
and
Bitterroot
rivers.
[13]
- Region 3, Southwest Montana, (
Bozeman, Montana
), includes the
Madison
,
Gallatin
,
Jefferson
,
upper Missouri
,
upper Yellowstone
,
Beaverhead
, and
Big Hole
rivers.
[14]
- Region 4, North Central Montana, (
Great Falls, Montana
), includes the lower Missouri and
Smith
rivers.
[15]
- Region 5, South Central Montana, (
Billings, Montana
), includes the
Yellowstone
,
Stillwater
,
Bighorn
, and
Boulder
rivers.
[16]
- Region 6, North East Montana, (
Glasgow, Montana
), includes
Fort Peck Reservoir
on the Missouri River.
[17]
- Region 7, South East Montana, (
Miles City, Montana
), includes the Missouri, Yellowstone and
Tongue
rivers.
[18]
Federal government regions
[
edit
]
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
[
edit
]
The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
includes Montana in the Mountain-Prairie region which includes
Colorado
,
Kansas
,
Nebraska
,
North Dakota
,
South Dakota
,
Utah
, and
Wyoming
.
[19]
Bureau of Indian Affairs agencies
[
edit
]
Montana east of the continental divide and Wyoming make up the Rocky Mountain Region of the
Bureau of Indian Affairs
(BIA) which includes the following Indian agencies in Montana.
[20]
- Blackfeet Agency, services the
Blackfeet Indian Reservation
in
Glacier
and
Pondera
Counties.
[21]
- Crow Agency, services the
Crow Indian Reservation
in
Big Horn
,
Yellowstone
, and
Treasure
counties.
[22]
- Fort Belknap Agency, services the
Fort Belknap Indian Reservation
in
Blaine
and
Phillips
counties.
[23]
- Fort Peck Agency
, services the
Fort Peck Indian Reservation
in
Roosevelt
,
Valley
,
Daniels
, and
Sheridan
counties.
[24]
The agency administers off-reservation trust lands in Montana for the
Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation
.
- Northern Cheyenne Agency, services the
Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation
in
Rosebud
and
Big Horn
counties.
[25]
- Rocky Boy's Agency, services the
Rocky Boy Indian Reservation
in
Hill
and
Chouteau County
.
[26]
- The Flathead Agency is in the BIA Northwest Region and services the
Flathead Indian Reservation
in
Lake
,
Sanders
,
Missoula
, and
Flathead
counties.
Bureau of Land Management
[
edit
]
The
Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) includes Montana with North and South Dakota in its Montana-Dakotas region.
The BLM administers Montana through nine regional field offices.
[27]
- Billings office
- Butte office
- Dillon office
- Glasgow office
- Havre office
- Lewistown office
- Malta office
- Miles City office
- Missoula office
National Weather Service
[
edit
]
Montana is part of the Western Region of the
U.S. Department of Commerce
,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
's
National Weather Service
(NWS). The NWS maintains four regional offices in Montana.
[28]
- Billings
- Glasgow
- Great Falls
- Missoula
The NWS designates regional weather reports originating from these offices as Southeastern Montana, Northeastern Montana, Central Montana and Western Montana/Central Idaho.
[29]
Social Security Administration
[
edit
]
Montana is included in the Denver Region of the
Social Security Administration
along with Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Utah.
[30]
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
[
edit
]
Montana is included in the Omaha District of the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Northwestern Division.
[31]
Climate regions
[
edit
]
In the
Koppen climate classification
system, Montana is predominantly a
BSk
(Semi-arid or Steppe) climate, with the Mountainous areas, mostly in the western parts of the state, listed as Dfb (
humid continental
). Areas near
Granite Peak
and the highest elevations in Glacier National Park are
Dfc
(
Continental subarctic
), and a small area in the northwestern corner of the state near the Idaho border listed as
Dsb
(Warm summer continental).
[32]
The
United States Department of Agriculture
places most of Montana in
Plant Hardiness Zones
3 and 4, with limited areas in zone 5 with a small sliver of the state centered in Sanders County in zone 6. These zone boundaries correspond closely to the Koppen classifications.
[33]
For purposes of the 2009
International Energy Conservation Code
, which provides minimum insulation standards for home construction based on climate, the entire state is classified in climate zone 6, requiring higher levels of insulation than are recommended in more temperate climates.
[34]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Vichorek, Daniel N. (1993).
The Hi-Line, Profiles of a Montana Land
. Helena, Montana: American World and Geographic Publishing. p. 7.
ISBN
1-56037-021-1
.
- ^
"Montana's Golden Triangle"
.
American Profile
. Retrieved
7 January
2015
.
- ^
Rees, Tony (2007).
Arc of the Medicine Line-Mapping the World's Longest Undefended Border Across the Western Plains
. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. p. 5.
ISBN
978-0-8032-1791-1
.
- ^
"Montana Official Travel Site-Regions"
. Retrieved
2011-06-07
.
- ^
"Custer Country, Montana"
. Retrieved
2011-06-13
.
- ^
"Glacier Country, Montana"
. Retrieved
2011-06-11
.
- ^
"Gold West Country Communities"
. Retrieved
2011-06-07
.
- ^
"Montana's Missouri River Country"
. Retrieved
2011-06-11
.
- ^
"Montana's Russell Country-Area Map"
. Retrieved
2011-06-07
.
- ^
"Montana's Yellowstone Country-Map of Region"
. Archived from
the original
on 2012-03-07
. Retrieved
2011-06-07
.
- ^
"Fish and Wildlife Regions"
. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
. Retrieved
2011-05-29
.
- ^
"FWP Region 1"
. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
. Retrieved
2011-05-31
.
- ^
"FWP Region 2"
. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
. Retrieved
2011-06-07
.
- ^
"FWP Region 3"
. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
. Retrieved
2011-06-07
.
- ^
"FWP Region 4"
. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
. Retrieved
2011-06-07
.
- ^
"FWP Region 5"
. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
. Retrieved
2011-06-10
.
- ^
"FWP Region 6"
. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
. Retrieved
2011-06-10
.
- ^
"FWP Region 7"
. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
. Retrieved
2011-06-10
.
- ^
"Mountain-Prairie Region"
. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
. Retrieved
2011-05-29
.
- ^
"Indian Affairs-Rocky Mountain Region"
. U.S. Department of the Interior. Archived from
the original
on 2011-02-28
. Retrieved
2011-05-29
.
- ^
"Blackfeet Agency"
. Retrieved
2011-06-07
.
- ^
"Crow Agency"
. Retrieved
2011-06-07
.
- ^
"Fort Belknap Agency"
. Retrieved
2011-06-07
.
- ^
"Fort Peck Agency"
. Retrieved
2011-06-07
.
- ^
"Northern Cheyenne Agency"
. Retrieved
2011-06-07
.
- ^
"Rocky Boy's Agency"
. Retrieved
2011-06-07
.
- ^
"Montana-Dakotas"
. U.S. Department of Interior
. Retrieved
2011-05-29
.
- ^
"NOAA NWS Offices and Centers"
. Retrieved
2011-06-07
.
- ^
"National Maps - NOAA's National Weather Service"
. Retrieved
7 January
2015
.
- ^
"Denver Region"
. Social Security Administration
. Retrieved
2011-06-11
.
- ^
"U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Northwestern Division"
. Archived from
the original
on 2012-01-13
. Retrieved
2011-06-11
.
- ^
"World Maps of Koppen-Geiger climate classification"
.
koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at
.
- ^
"USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map"
.
planthardiness.ars.usda.gov
.
- ^
"2009 IECC Climate Zone Map - Montana"
.
energycode.pnl.gov
.