Best Places59863, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 59863, 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.
59863 ranks 25,569th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 59863
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.
59863's strengths and weaknesses
Where 59863 ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 121 pleasant days a year, better than 76% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 70% of zip codes
Where 59863 ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- School gradeD, better than only 5% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 15% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 59863
A household needs to earn about $127,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 59863 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $79,240, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 59863's effective rate of 0.62%, 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 59863
59863's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 59863.
Who works in 59863, and how
Work in 59863 centers on manufacturing and construction. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 66%
- Work from home 27%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 59863
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 59863.
What the weather is like in 59863, month by month
59863 sees roughly 121 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 33, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 24° | 16° |
| April | 60° | 45° | 31° |
| July | 91° | 71° | 51° |
| October | 60° | 44° | 32° |
Flying in and out of 59863
The nearest airport, Missoula Montana, is about 25 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field, about 275 miles away.
The best schools in and around 59863
Schools across 59863 average a D, better than 5% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Arlee ElementaryD+ · 23% proficient
- Dixon ElementaryD− · 16% proficient
- St Ignatius Elementary SchoolD− · 15% proficient
Top middle schools
- Dixon 7-8D+ · 25% proficient
- St Ignatius Middle SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Arlee 7-8D− · 18% proficient
Top high schools
- Charlo High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- St Ignatius High SchoolF · 10% proficient
- Arlee High SchoolF · 10% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 59863 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
59863 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 59863 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 59863
Is 59863 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 59863 ranks 25,569th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on clean air, low taxes, and a strong job market, and lowest on internet speeds and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 59863 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $497,100. The overall cost of living runs about 1% above the national average. Set against a $79,240 median income, cost of living beats 40% of zip codes.
Is 59863 safe?
59863 is safer than 21% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $595 per resident a year.
Compare 59863 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 59863. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 59863 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.
59863 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 59863: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 59863: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 59863: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 59863: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
59863 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.