Why Butte, Montana, Is The Most Irish City In America

I love the holiday season.

It's something I look forward to all year long, and then POOF, it's gone. However, one of the best part about living in Montana is St. Patrick's Day and the best place to celebrate is Butte, America.

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Over the years, I've spent some time in Butte and while it might get a bad reputation from some, I love the history. I love the toughness. I love the pride. And I love how they honor tradition.

What is the most Irish city in America?

If you were to ask that question most people would say Boston, Chicago, or New York. And that would make sense. All three cities are known for their Irish heritage, however, the most Irish city in America based on the percentage of people with Irish heritage is none other than Butte.

Steven Cordes

Each year, Butte puts on the St Patrick's Day Parade and while it's not the biggest parade in the country, it's by far one of the best.

St. Patrick's Day is big business for Butte. It's not just a day's celebration. Oh no, it's multiple days, with multiple drinks, multiple songs, and multiple dishes. They go all out and that is why so many people that aren't from Butte, travel to Butte to help celebrate.

Why is St. Patrick's Day a big deal in Butte?

Well, as mentioned above, based on heritage, Butte is the most Irish city in the United States with over 30 percent of the population boosting some sort of Irish DNA. Mix that with a town known to be a bit rowdy with a taste for the drink, and you're going to have a good time. The celebration includes everything you would expect with bag pipes, pastys, Irish dancing, lots of beer, and a whole lot more. I've often heard it said that everyone needs to experience St. Patrick's Day in Butte at least once.

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This year, St. Patrick's Day is on a Tuesday, so if you're heading to Butte to celebrate, you might want to make sure you take the next day off to recover.

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It's not a big secret that Montana has a few issues with drinking. We have high rates of DUI incidents, and Gallatin County was named the drunkest county in the entire United States. However, according to some new data, when it comes to the drunkest towns in Montana, we seem to have a new number one.

Gallery Credit: Derek Wolf

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Gallery Credit: Derek Wolf

The Most "Montana" Towns In Montana

If you're looking for the best that Montana has to offer, you might want to start by asking a local and that is exactly what we did. We wanted to know which Montana towns were the most "Montana" and who better to ask than the folks who were born and raised in The Treasure State?

Gallery Credit: Derek Wolf