Bozeman

A #2 "dreamtown" ranking in a 2008 Bizjournals study of US micropolitan communities proves Bozeman's lifestyle is hard to beat. The folks here and in the surrounding valley are a unique blend of cowboys, retirees, college students, entrepreneurs, backpackers, and anyone else who loves wide-open spaces and a Rocky Mountain lifestyle.

It’s a place where businessmen sit down with farmers at the diner for coffee and the weather report; where gourmet cooks shop for artisan cheeses from local organic dairies; and where vacationers go on float trips with Bozeman-native fishing guides in the morning and catch an evening performance of Shakespeare in the Parks in the evening. With this many recreational, educational, and cultural opportunities, it’s no surprise that Bozeman is considered one of the most appealing towns in the West.

Montana State University was ranked #5 on Outside magazine’s list of "40 Best College Towns" in 2003. With roughly 13,000 students, MSU is considered a mid-sized public university with 826 instructional faculty and is the region's only Carnegie-I-classified research institution—a designation that gives it equal footing with highly prestigious universities like Yale, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins. And, it’s hard not to get hooked on the NCAA Division I sports teams at Montana State University, especially when passions are stirred and all eyes are focused on the annual Bobcat-Grizzly football game.