What comes to mind when you think of a great place to live? Good schools? Thriving economy? Active social scene? Affordable housing? Safety? Friendly neighbors?

Several factors determine which towns and cities are best and according to one source, two Montana towns have just made the Top 20 Best Ran Cities in America.

First, that's quite the feat. Out of the thousands of towns and cities across the United States, the fact two Montana cities made it into the Top 20 is impressive. Second, do most Montanans agree with the two cities representing The Treasure State?

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WalletHub came out with their Best Run Cities list for 2024 and the popular site showed lots of love to Montana.

Montana wasn't the only state with multiple entries in the top 20, our neighbors in Idaho also have a couple of cities mentioned with Nampa ranked 1st overall and Boise just behind them ranking 3rd.

Which two Montana cities are ranked in the Top 20 for best run for 2024?

Before we tell you which two cities made the Top 20 list, here's a list of the best "Montana" towns in Montana.

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

Source: WalletHub

According to WalletHub Billings and Missoula made the Top 20 list for best-run cities for 2024, with The Garden City just edging out The Magic City. Missoula is ranked 15th in the nation while Billings is ranked 16th.

While many Montanans might not agree with those rankings, the factors determining the outcome include the quality of city services and total budget per capita. While neither city ranked high in the quality of city services category, both did very well in the total budget per capita.

Now keep in mind, that this is for the best ran cities that doesn't necessarily translate into the best places to live. Both cities have their issues including high housing prices, homeless issues, and crime. However, compared to several other cities on the list, you could do worse.

The 7 Most Dangerous Towns In Montana

Based on information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, these are the most dangerous towns in Montana according to population and the number of violent and property crimes.

Gallery Credit: Derek Wolf

Montana's 7 Poorest Cities Ranked

For many Montanans, it's a struggle to make ends meet. With the high cost of housing, several locals have found themselves between a rock and a hard place when it comes to just getting by. Throw in the fact that prices are on the rise in almost every aspect of our lives and it's not too hard to see why so many Montanans are frustrated and are looking to leave The Treasure State.. Let's take a look at the state's 7 poorest cities according to Stacker.

Gallery Credit: Derek Wolf