Just How Irish Is Butte, Montana? You Might Be Surprised.
Montanans love St. Patrick's Day.
All over Montana folks gather together to celebrate the "Luck of the Irish" by wearing green, attending parades, eating corn beef and cabbage, and having a beer or 4. Of course, nobody does St. Patrick's Day like the city of Butte where their St. Paddy's Day Parade is the stuff of legends.
Butte is by far the most Irish town in Montana, but where does it rank compared to the other Irish cities and towns across the United States?
The Los Angeles Times reported that the most Irish city in the United States isn't Boston or Chicago, it's the city of Butte. The old mining town located in Southwest Montana has a long history of Irish immigrants who left their homeland to come and work in the United States.
They worked the mines in Butte, eventually settling in and calling the town home.
According to the U.S. Census report, 25 percent of the population in Butte has Irish ties, making it the most Irish city in America. Many residents are 5th generation and while Butte, Montana is thousands of miles away from Ireland, the folks of Butte embrace that heritage in big ways.
From tens of thousands of folks showing up for the parade, to Irish Pubs around Uptown serving hundreds of gallons of beer, nobody does St. Patrick's Day quite like Butte.
Butte is not only the most Irish city in America, but it also has a history that rivals cities 50 times bigger. For many years, Butte was one of the most successful cities not only in America but the world, and of course much of that success comes from those hardworking Irishmen and women.
Of course, as the years have gone by, Butte isn't what it used to be, however, for a couple of days a year, the most Irish city in America will put on a show that would make their Irish ancestors proud.
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