Welcome to Butte, America!
We are a consolidated city-county government. We have an elected Chief Executive that leads the Executive Branch, along with twelve elected Council of Commissioners that represent each of our geographical districts. We are located in the heart of scenic Southwest Montana.
Butte was established as a mining camp in the 1860’s and quickly became the nation’s biggest supplier of copper. Our headframes still dot the landscape, a reminder of what made us who we are. Our nickname is “Butte America,” but we also go by, "The Richest Hill on Earth.” Immigrants from Ireland, China, Lebanon, Austria, Greece, Italy, Mexico, and numerous other countries came to Butte to work in the mines, they came to Butte, America.
We are known as the richest hill on earth because of all the rich mineral deposits from copper to gold mined from our area. We have the largest National Historic District. Aside from history, we have innumerable recreation opportunities, fine dining, sports, entertainment, a thriving small-business district, and many events throughout the year. If you would like to know more about our past, please check out the link to our Butte-Silver Bow Archives website. www.buttearchives.org
“I like Butte. I like the people of Butte. I haven’t had a heartier welcome or a happier time.”
-President Theodore Roosevelt, May 28, 1903.
“Even the people were paradoxical. One might pass in the course of a single block as many as 25 nationalities … At the corner of Park and Main on a Saturday afternoon one could brush elbows with the world.”
-Montana author Agnes Getty, 1934
“I’ve heard about you many times. When you feel bad and things aren’t going well in Washington, all you have to do is go to Butte.”
-Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Oct. 25, 1966
