Montanans do a lot of things well, and one of those things includes drinking.

Each year a city or two from Montana will make the list of the drunkest cities in America (normally Bozeman or Missoula), it seems that most of the towns that make the national list are all in the northern part of the country. I'm guessing part of this is because up north, we have winter 6 months out of the year and sometimes that's enough to drive someone to drink.

But what if we were to break it down to a local level? Which Montana towns rank near the top?

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The website Road Snacks came out with a list of the Top 10 Drunkest Montana Cities a while back and before we reveal the list, let's go over some of the data used to determine the information.

  • The number of bars and pubs per capita
  • The number of wineries per capita
  • The number of liquor stores per capita
  • The divorce rate in each town
McConnell Adams, Townsquare Media Lansing
McConnell Adams, Townsquare Media Lansing
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So which Montana towns make the list? Let's count them down.

#10 Bigfork

Bigfork is located in Flathead County and has a population of under 5000, but don't let the limited number of people fool you, the folks in Bigfork know how to have a good time.

#9 West Yellowstone

Maybe it's the tourists, or maybe it's the workers at Yellowstone, either way, this Montana town makes the Top 10 with a large number of bars per capita.

Huntstock
Huntstock
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#8 Great Falls

Home of one of the most famous bars in the world (Sip-N-Dip), it's no surprise to see this Montana city on the list.

#7 Whitefish

Another popular tourist destination makes the list as there are plenty of places to partake in either one of the local bars or breweries. Folks travel to Whitefish all year round, and when they do, they enjoy a beverage or two...or three...or four.

Draft beer
Aksakalko
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#6 Whitehall

Whitehall doesn't have a whole lot of bars, but they don't have a whole lot of people either.  So, when you mix those two together, but with a high divorce rate, this little Montana town makes the list.

#5 Bozeman

Bozeman is home to Montana State University, and let's be honest a University town has its fair share of places to drink. However, it's not just for the college kids, Bozeman has a wide range of places to enjoy yourself with a beverage from dive bar all the way to super fancy.

PaulBiryukov
PaulBiryukov
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#4 Red Lodge

Red Lodge doesn't have a big population, but what they do have is a whole lot of bars in their downtown. In fact, when you look at the numbers, Red Lodge leads the state when you compare the amount of alcohol per person.

#3 Billings

Billings is the biggest city in the state, so it's not a shock to see that they're on the Top 10 list. Not only does the city have more bars per capita than any other Montana town, but they also have a growing number of breweries.

Composition with bottles of assorted alcoholic beverages.
monticelllo
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#2 Missoula

Just like Bozeman, Missoula is home to a University which means there are plenty of places to enjoy yourself.  Plus, Missoula is also the second biggest city in the state and has a large number of breweries.

#1 Hamilton

Hamilton, which is located in the Bitter Root Valley tops our list, which may come as a surprise since it's a smaller town and for the most part, a relatively safe place to live.  However, when you combine all of the bars with the divorce rate, it's enough to catapult this beautiful little town to the top.

Credit: Roadsnacks.com

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