Best Places59474, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 59474, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
59474 ranks 14,704th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 59474
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.
59474's strengths and weaknesses
Where 59474 ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Short commute14.1 minutes each way, better than 97% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 149 pleasant days a year, better than 89% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 87% of zip codes
Where 59474 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Household income$55,684 median, better than only 18% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 59474
A household needs to earn about $57,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 59474 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $55,684; 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 59474's effective rate of 0.63%, 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 59474
59474's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 59474.
Who works in 59474, and how
Work in 59474 centers on public administration and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 9%
Life in 59474
59474 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 85% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 93% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 59474 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 59474, month by month
59474 sees roughly 149 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 13. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 23° | 13° |
| April | 55° | 40° | 27° |
| July | 85° | 67° | 49° |
| October | 57° | 42° | 29° |
Flying in and out of 59474
The nearest airport, Great Falls International, is about 74 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field, about 400 miles away.
The best schools in and around 59474
Schools across 59474 average a C, better than 34% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Valley View Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Sunburst ElementaryB · 45% proficient
- Shelby Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Utterback 4-6B− · 43% proficient
- Shelby 7-8C− · 30% proficient
- Sunburst 7 - 8D− · 16% proficient
Top high schools
- Sunburst High SchoolA · 75% proficient
- Conrad High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
- Shelby High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 59474 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
59474 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 59474 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 59474
Is 59474 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 59474 ranks 14,704th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on clean air, low disaster risk, and short commutes, and lowest on distance from a big city and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 59474 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $224,498. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $55,684 median income, cost of living beats 28% of zip codes.
Is 59474 safe?
59474 is safer than 38% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $490 per resident a year.
Compare 59474 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 59474. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 59474 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.
59474 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 59474: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 59474: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 59474: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 59474: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
59474 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.