Billings, Montana

With two-thirds of the city in the Yellowstone Valley, divided by the Rimrocks, and surrounded by no less than seven mountain ranges, Billings has everything a mountaineer can ask for. Billings is home to some of the best hiking trails in the country, a vibrant off-road biking community, ample sites for skiing and snowshoeing during the winter, and just as many spots for hunting and fishing in the off-season. This is only aided by the large amounts of agriculture in the region, and the plethora of both domestic and wild horses. The call of the wild, such as it is, comes from Billings, and if that appeals to you, then you will find it an excellent home.

Billings stirs up some controversy in Montana. It is an urbanized area in a state that prides itself on its reputation for the rugged outdoors. As such, other Montanans have been known to have friction with the people of Billings. This is somewhat exacerbated by its reputation as a high-crime city. While drug addiction is fairly widespread, the reputation it holds as a criminal hive is largely overblown, and out-of-staters from bigger metros will find the city pretty tame.

Microbreweries and casinos can be found by the dozens in Billings. If beer and poker are your preferred recreational activities, then you’ll have plenty to do. Billings’ historical museums, dedicated to preserving its frontier town past, are also top-notch, as are the myriad local theater houses. In addition, stand-up comedians will often come through town to perform at the local venues. And of course, there are the aforementioned outdoor activities. Be it drink and entertainment, culture and comedy, or the simple pleasures of the great outdoors, Billings has you covered.

If you want to see what kind of fun the locals get up to in Billings, check out the calendar of events.

We highly recommend visiting Billings and staying in the community in a VRBO rather than a hotel to get a feel for what it's like to live among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our partnership with Expedia as well.

Billings is fundamentally an industrial town. Coal, oil, and natural gas all provide opportunities in the energy business; the beet refinery and construction in the city provide factory and building jobs; and large amounts of agriculture and ranching provide work for those in the farming sector. This is in addition to three universities, a strongly centralized medical industry that provides for much of the state, and of course, the aforementioned casinos and breweries. Billings has a diverse and booming economy that works for most who take a shot here.