Best Places59011, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 59011, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
59011 ranks 11,225th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 59011
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
59011's strengths and weaknesses
Where 59011 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 87% of zip codes
Where 59011 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 59011
A household needs to earn about $85,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 59011 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $79,820; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 59011's effective rate of 0.36%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 59011
59011 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 59011.
Who works in 59011, and how
Work in 59011 centers on construction and agriculture & forestry. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 9%
Life in 59011
59011 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 59011 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 59011, month by month
59011 sees roughly 114 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 40, with lows near 18. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 29° | 18° |
| April | 58° | 42° | 29° |
| July | 90° | 70° | 49° |
| October | 62° | 46° | 33° |
Flying in and out of 59011
The nearest airport, Bozeman Yellowstone International, is about 59 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field, about 346 miles away.
The best schools in and around 59011
Schools across 59011 average a C+, better than 40% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Reed Point ElementaryB · 50% proficient
- Melville SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Big Timber SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Powell Middle SchoolA · 65% proficient
- Tongue River Middle SchoolA · 60% proficient
- Shields Valley 7-8A · 60% proficient
Top high schools
- Shields Valley High SchlB− · 42% proficient
- Park High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Sweet Grass Co High SchlD · 21% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 59011 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
59011 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 59011 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 59011
Is 59011 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 59011 ranks 11,225th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, civic engagement, and a strong job market, and lowest on distance from a big city and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 59011 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $344,589. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $79,820 median income, cost of living beats 58% of zip codes.
Is 59011 safe?
Yes, 59011 is safer than 80% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $296 per resident a year.
Compare 59011 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 59011. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 59011 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
59011 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 59011: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 59011: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 59011: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 59011: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
59011 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.