Lifestyle.
Living in Anaconda
Anaconda is centrally located in the heart of Southwest Montana. While outdoor opportunities such as hiking, fishing, skiing and biking are in Anaconda’s back yard, the community is a half-hour from Butte, and about two hours from Missoula and Bozeman – all larger cities that offer metropolitan conveniences.
Anaconda is welcoming and accommodating to new businesses. It is an open-door community where people are always willing to help out and find better paths to do business.
Experience all of Montana’s greatness and splendor for yourself. Activities for everyone abound in the Big Sky State. Montana is an outdoor-lovers dream come true. We know with all of the natural wonder it’s easy to overlook the plethora of shopping, accommodations and activities.
Montana has a diverse population of seasonal and permanent residents who live by the Code of the West. Montanans are hard-working, caring and courteous people who take pride in living in the last best place.
Anaconda is a copper-smelting boom town founded in the early 1900s. Copper that was mined in Butte was processed in Anaconda, and the community grew up around those jobs. Anaconda’s blue-collar roots and melting-pot culture have helped create a colorful, tightly knit community. The historic smokestack, which greets visitors entering town from the east, breaks the sky-line as a locally beloved icon from days gone by.
History
Anaconda has emerged from a history of heavy industry and the effects of cutting-edge superfund remediation after the smelter closed in 1980 to imagining the possibilities for the future.
Moving Forward
Things To Do
Anaconda and the surrounding area are alive with possibilities for everything from business to recreation. Within the community is a growing walkable downtown business district. Main Street is the entrance to Anaconda’s historic district, where the U.S. Post Office, the Hearst Free Library, the Deer-Lodge County Courthouse, and the Washoe Theater are among the buildings listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Just beyond the city limits, outdoor opportunities abound. Anaconda is surrounded by national forest land with abundant hiking, skiing and snowmobiling trails. Bountiful fisheries are only a short drive from town, including the Big Hole River and Georgetown Lake. Just beyond Georgetown Lake is Discovery Ski Area, a hill to satisfy both hard-core skiers and families. Within Anaconda, many parks offer entertainment for families, and The Jack Nicklaus-designed Old Works Golf Course sits atop land reclaimed from Anaconda’s copper-smelting heyday.
Social and entertainment activities have grown in number in recent years in Anaconda. The community plays host to the Wayne Estes Basketball Tournament, Goosetown Softball Tournament, Art in the Park, summer concert series’ at several venues, a community market, and many more local events throughout the seasons. These events not only provide activities for locals but help maintain a tourist population that stimulates the economy.
School and Education
Anaconda has private and public pre-schools, K – 2 and 3-5 grade schools, 6-8 middle school, and a high school. Class sizes are small enough to give the teacher time with each student. School District #10 serves the county.
There are opportunities for employees to continue their education or retrain for new career paths near Anaconda. The Highlands College-Montana Tech and Montana Tech of the University of Montana are both 20 minutes away and offer a variety of options from certificates to doctoral degrees. Anaconda also has a Montana State University Extension Service Office, which provides access to the Montana University system.
There are grants available for both new and incumbent training programs, including one that provides $2,000 a year for education for workers who want to tap into additional training to meet the unique skill set required by an employer.
Workforce
Anaconda possesses a motivated, skilled workforce full of people willing to learn and prepare for new jobs.
While qualified workers live in Anaconda currently, others have left the community for work and want to return. Some of these folks are well-educated, highly trained and experienced professionals waiting for a chance to come home.
Healthcare
Anaconda is home to Community Hospital of Anaconda, ranked as one of the top 50 critical healthcare facilities in the country, which offers big-city healthcare conveniences in a small-town environment. The hospital staffs physicians for pediatrics, general family practice, orthopedics, neurology, geriatric services, and more.
New construction is underway to expand the surgical wing and serve a growing pool of some of the highly noted surgeons who attract patients from around the state.