Great, Inexpensive Montana Town Ends Up On Outside Magazine List

Montana has a long relationship with Outside Magazine. Bozeman won "best ski down in the western U.S." in Best Towns 2010. Billings was named the Best Town of 2016. Missoula was ranked 9th in Outside's "16 Greatest Places to Live" in 2014. There's no shortage of love for our great state and the places in it.

Some will say that the continued attention on Montana is only making more people want to move here. That may have been the case a few years ago, but data from 2023 suggests there may have been more people moving out of the state than moving in.

Related: Is Montana Really Not As Popular As It Once Was? 

Given Montana's reliance on tourism revenue, much of Montana could still benefit from some positive press. I'm hopeful the most recent designation from Outside Magazine will do just that.

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Affordable Mountain Towns, According to Outside Magazine

This is not the first list to celebrate Montana mountain towns recently. Architectural Digest named Red Lodge, Montana as the #1 most attractive mountain town of 2023. For this list, Outside Magazine released the "7 Most Affordable Mountain Towns in America" and the Montana they named was sort of unexpected, but a worthy choice in my opinion.

Outside Magazine named Anaconda, Montana, as one of the cheapest mountain towns in America. While the article focused on affordability and proximity to mountains, there are a few other features that make Ananconda a fantastic town.

• My golfing friends rave about the Old Works golf course.
• Discovery Ski Area is roughly 30 minutes from town.
• Georgetown Lake is only 14 miles from town.
• Fairmont Hot Springs is nearby, too.
• Ample opportunities for hunting and fishing.

While it's known as a mining town, Anaconda is gaining a reputation for its recreational opportunities, and I'm sure this recognition will help with that. Congrats, Anaconda.