Best Places59477, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 59477, 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.
59477 ranks 9,602nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 59477
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.
59477's strengths and weaknesses
Where 59477 ranks high
- QuietBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 87% of zip codes
Where 59477 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 59477
A household needs to earn about $70,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 59477 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $80,203, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 59477's effective rate of 0.60%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 59477
59477 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 59477.
Who works in 59477, and how
Work in 59477 centers on education and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 16%
Life in 59477
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 59477.
What the weather is like in 59477, month by month
59477 sees roughly 108 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 24° | 16° |
| April | 53° | 40° | 28° |
| July | 85° | 68° | 52° |
| October | 57° | 43° | 33° |
Flying in and out of 59477
The nearest airport, Great Falls International, is about 26 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field, about 342 miles away.
The best schools in and around 59477
Schools across 59477 average a C, better than 35% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Cascade SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Fort Shaw Elem SchoolB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Cascade 6-8B · 45% proficient
- Sun River Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Cascade High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Simms High SchoolF · 10% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 59477 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
59477 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 59477 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 59477
Is 59477 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 59477 ranks 9,602nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on quiet, low disaster risk, and heat safety, and lowest on tree cover and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 59477 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $275,110. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $80,203 median income, cost of living beats 64% of zip codes.
Is 59477 safe?
Yes, 59477 is safer than 75% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $309 per resident a year.
Compare 59477 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 59477. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 59477 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.
59477 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 59477: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 59477: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 59477: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 59477: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
59477 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.