Great Places for Tech in Montana: Great Falls
Globally renowned as Lewis and Clark country and a hub of Western art, Great Falls’s low cost of living and skilled workforce have helped fuel tech growth.
Updated April 1, 2025
By Samuel Boudreau, Martina Pansze, and Melissa Paulsen
Launched in 2019, the Alliance’s Great Cities for Tech series aims to help people find the right community when they’re looking at taking a job, starting a company, or locating a home or office in Montana. Our communications team is updating these articles regularly. Send questions or feedback to communications[at]mthightech.org. Check out our recent features on Billings, Bozeman, and Butte.
Nicknamed “The Electric City” due to its multiple hydroelectric dams, Great Falls is the third largest city in Montana and is known for its diverse economy. Photo via City of Great Falls.
Population: 60,442 (2020)
Nickname: The Electric City
Founded: 1884
Area: 22.26 square miles
Median rent: $1350 (March 2025)
Median home value: $320,000 (March 2025)
Unemployment rate: 2.8% (Dec. 2024)
Nearby towns: Dutton, Fort Benton, Choteau, Helena, Conrad, Augusta
What do you call the people: Great Fallsers
Great Falls is the capital of a region of North Central Montana known as the Golden Triangle for its bountiful wheat harvests. Underneath the region’s famous big sky, a long list of business assets makes it fertile ground for tech companies. Key sectors contributing to the city’s diverse economy include:
Advanced Manufacturing
Agricultural Technology
Business Services
Healthcare
Military Services (Malmstrom Air Force Base)
Great Falls is one of Montana’s most central cities and boasts close ties to Canadian businesses as the closest U.S. Metro to Calgary and Alberta. The city also has one of the shortest commutes in the country with an average of 15.1 minutes and was listed in the top 25 cheapest places to live in the United States among cities with 50,000 or more people by Kiplinger Personal Finance in 2024.
Combining big-city amenities with small-town charm, Great Falls provides a powerful broadband infrastructure, a myriad of outdoor recreation opportunities, and a robust hub for Western arts and culture in Montana.
Doing Business in Great Falls
Steady and Affordable Cost of Living
The cost of living in Great Falls is 89.7% of the national average, which is approximately 35% lower than Bozeman’s and 15% lower than Missoula’s.
“We are not a boom-bust community,” said Jolene Schalper, Executive Vice President of the Great Falls Development Alliance. “Great Falls has always enjoyed stability and predictability in our economy.”
The Development Alliance works closely with startups and companies looking to relocate to Great Falls and provides personalized support through their transition. Partnerships with contracted companies have helped the Development Alliance push to earn a spot on the affordability index and spur economic growth.
“We have a great tax base and work hard to keep it that way,” Schalper added.
In February 2025, the median house price costs $553,000 in Missoula and $700,000 in Bozeman. Compared to the median home value of $320,000 for Great Falls, affordability is a no-brainer for young professionals looking to set roots in Montana.
Business and Technology Services Fueled by Powerful Broadband
Great Falls lives up to its nickname as the “Electric City” in terms of its extensive broadband infrastructure.
The city’s outlying area, including towns like Conrad and Augusta, has invested in its fiber internet to support a high-tech economic foundation. Great Falls’s fiber routes flow into a former call center downtown that has been renovated into a 4-story “plug in and play” connectivity hub named “the Haute Hive.” Backed up with generator power, the Haute Hive is Great Falls’s first co-working space.
Inside the Haute Hive co-working space overlooking Great Falls. With open-concept workspaces, conference rooms, executive offices, and more, the Haute Hive is a “plug in and play” connectivity hub backed with generator power designed to be a professional, innovative, and synergetic space for business. Photo via Haute Hive.
Great Falls’s impressive broadband availability is thanks in large part to telecommunications firm Vision Net, which operates Montana’s largest independent internet network.
Vision Net was founded in Great Falls in 1995 by five telephone companies to provide advanced distance learning and internet services to rural Montana schools. Their 5,000-mile network connects to hubs in Chicago, Denver, and Seattle. With additional offices in Billings, Helena, and Missoula, Vision Net provides secure access to internet, VoIP, cloud services, and more supported by their world-class network operation center.
National investment and finance house D.A. Davidson’s back office is also headquartered in Great Falls. The employee-owned financial services holding company has expanded to several locations across Montana and the U.S. since its foundation in 1935. D.A. Davidson’s Great Falls-based technology team attracts a variety of professionals to help the company’s clients navigate an ever-evolving financial landscape.
Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor, and Branch Manager for D.A. Davidson, Lynda Morin, described Great Falls as “an affordable place to live, with a very strong school system and a lot of amenities that make it a wonderful place to raise a family.”
The D.A. Davidson Great Falls branch’s month-long food drive for the Great Falls Public School pantries. Nearly 430 pounds of food was donated to help local students and families facing food insecurities. Photo via D.A. Davidson.
D.A. Davidson also encourages local community service among its employees. Every fall, on D.A. Davidson Day, the firm sets aside paid work time for employees to work on peer-selected non-profit initiatives.
Agricultural Technology
As a key point on Montana’s “Golden Triangle,” Great Falls has significant access to wheat, barley, and pulse crops including peas, lentils, and chickpeas. According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service, Montana’s crop value was $1.4 billion in 2022, with pulse crop production contributing $267.3 million of that total.
Due to the local cultivation of wheat and barley in Great Falls, Malteurop built the most technologically advanced malt processing plant in North America in the early 2000s. The majority of Montana’s 90+ breweries still receive their malt from the plant today.
Schalper says that the city’s agricultural resources have allowed Great Falls to be on the precipice of bridging the meat and vegetable protein-based industries together. Global food corporation Cargill, which constructed omega-3 canola fish food to stabilize the salmon harvest industry, worked with local farmers in Great Falls to trial their product in 2018.
Water is another important and abundant resource for Great Falls. Giant Springs, the largest freshwater spring in the U.S., encompasses almost 14 miles of the Missouri River shoreline and has a consistent temperature of 54 degrees. This pristine water is protected under robust spring water rights, ensuring exceptional water quality for future generations.
Military Presence
Malmstrom Air Force Base, formerly the Great Falls Army Air Base, sits on the east side of Great Falls in Cascade County. The base is home to the 341st Missile Wing of Air Force Global Strike Command. As a technologically advanced, combat-ready force, they provide strategic nuclear deterrence and global strike operations to the federal government.
The front of Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls. The regular influx of active duty and civilian employees generates huge economic growth and provides the Great Falls community with a buffer from recessions. Photo via the Montana Standard.
The regular influx of active duty and civilian employees generates huge economic growth and provides the Great Falls community with a buffer from recessions through increased local spending and stable government salaries, pensions, and other benefits.
Education and Workforce
Great Falls boasts an experienced and skilled workforce. The city’s three higher education institutions include:
The University of Providence (UP) – Offers four-year degrees in business administration, organizational leadership, and entirely remote graduate programs.
Montana State University’s Great Falls College – Boasts a variety of advanced trade degrees and 2-year technical programs, including computer programming and cybersecurity.
The Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine – Montana’s first nonprofit medical school that opened its Great Falls campus in 2023. The college uses a unique hybrid approach for its instruction and offers a master’s in interdisciplinary sciences and a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) program.
The main entrance of Montana State University’s Great Falls College. The college offers a variety of programs to train students for high-demand tech careers such as computer programming, cybersecurity, and information systems support. Photo via Great Falls College.
McLaughlin Research Institute is another asset to the local workforce. Established in 1954 by a single physician-scientist, Dr. Ernst Eichwald, McLaughlin is a nonprofit advancing rural Montana as a biomedical research center. The center specializes in immunology research and neurodegeneration such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Through a partnership with the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, McLaughlin helped launch the state’s only medical science training program (MSTP). Learn more about McLaughlin Research Institute’s pioneering work in our Montana biotech sector resource guide.
Transportation
Located along the I-15 Canamex Corridor between Calgary and Salt Lake City, Great Falls has plenty of travel and transportation options with an airport and access to the BNSF railway system. The Great Falls AgriTech Park was the first Montana industrial rail park to earn the BNSF Certified Site designation.
For traveling outside of Montana, the Great Falls International Airport offers direct flights to six major cities: Denver, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Seattle.
Whether commuting to work or exploring the city’s offerings, the Great Falls Transit and Paratransit Bus Service has seven distinct routes throughout town to help you get where you need to go. Locals also laud the city’s bike-friendly culture and plentiful recreational opportunities with the Great Falls Bicycle Club.
Amenities and Fun
The Lewis & Clark Expedition
Great Falls was named for a series of five waterfalls on the upper Missouri River basin that took Lewis and Clark’s Corp of Discovery 31 days to portage. Great Falls earned the nickname “The Electric City” due to its multiple hydroelectric dams including Montana’s first, the Black Eagle Dam, built in 1890.
Inspired by the adventures recorded in Lewis and Clark’s journals, Paris Gibson, a young engineer from Fort Benton, Montana, made the trek to Great Falls in the late nineteenth century. With financial support from railroad magnate James Hill, Gibson founded the city of Great Falls in 1884 with a vision to make north-central Montana an industrial giant. Great Falls soon became a city of “firsts” for Montana including having the first fire bell, elected African American, and female newspaper editor.
For those seeking to relive the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s historical journey and the important experiences of the Plains and Northwest Indigenous Americans, check out the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center. Built into a bluff with spectacular views of the Missouri River, the center’s exhibits and programs bring to life the intrepid spirit of exploration.
The First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park, where high-plains hunters drove stampeding buffalo herds off a mile-long sandstone cliff. Photo by Eric Henderson.
Honoring Indigenous Montana History
The First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park is another key historical site in Great Falls. For over a thousand years, hunters from tribes across the region traveled to stampede buffalo off the mile-long sandstone jump cliff. Tribes included:
Assiniboine
Bannock
Blackfoot Confederacy
Crow
Gros Ventre
Kootenai
Nez Perce
Pend d’ Oreille
Salish
Shoshone
Today, the top of the jump provides picturesque views of the Rocky Mountain Front, the Missouri River valley, and the buttes and grasslands that characterize this High Plains setting. In addition to the overlook, visitors can explore trails, an outdoor amphitheater, and fields with traditional games. Be sure to plan for at least a two-hour stop in this incredible day-use-only park.
Great Falls is also the headquarters for the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. In 2019, the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana became federally recognized. They have approximately 6,900 enrolled tribal members and no designated land base.
The Scenic Route is Everywhere
For adventure-seekers, Great Falls offers a plethora of opportunities for outdoor recreation. The city sits just two hours from Glacier National Park, but residents seeking immediate outdoor fun can kayak and float the Missouri River in the summer or shred powder at Showdown Montana in the winter.
There are also 57 official parks within Great Falls and a robust trail system, the pinnacle of which is the 56-mile River’s Edge Trail skirting the town’s riverfront.
Walkers and bikers on the River’s Edge Trail. The 21-mile paved urban trail links many local parks and attractions along both sides of Great Falls’s scenic and historic riverfront. Photo via City of Great Falls.
Home to one of the largest freshwater springs in the country, Giant Springs State Park sits just outside of Great Falls city limits. With 14 miles of shoreline along the Missouri River and over 30 miles of paved and singletrack trails, the park is popular with hikers, fishers, and birdwatchers.
Also popular with birders is The Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area, a prairie and wetland ecosystem popular for bird breeding and migration. Best visited in the Spring, Freezout Lake hosts a congregation of hundreds of thousands of waterfowl during migration season and over 200 species of birds have been spotted in the area.
An After-Work Haven
Any business or startup looking to relocate or establish themselves needs a place to host events or grab a drink—an aspect of business life with no shortage in Great Falls.
Much of the barley used by local craft breweries is grown in Montana’s ‘Golden Triangle’ and malted by the Malteurop Malthouse plant in Great Falls. Photo via Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Company.
The city has a flourishing craft brewery ecosystem, including Mighty Mo Brewing Company downtown; Harvest Moon Brewery, which uses water from the nearby aquifer; and Black Eagle Brewery with views of the river. Founded in Great Falls in 2018, Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Company has expanded into Whitefish, Montana, and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Additionally, no trip to Great Falls would be complete without a drink at the infamous Sip ‘n’ Dip Lounge, where swimmers donned in mermaid tails perform live in water tanks.
Another popular hangout is the Irish/American fusion restaurant The Celtic Cowboy, which channels Great Falls’s lively past through its connection to the Hotel Arvon downtown. Named after Welsh immigrant and first European settler in Cascade County, Robert Vaughn, or “The Celtic Cowboy,” the Hotel Arvon contains 33 rooms that mix the past with the present in their unique design and furnishings.
Family-friendly Activities
In addition to being an after-work haven, Great Falls also offers several great activities for the entire family to enjoy. In June, the Great Falls Chapter of Walleyes Unlimited provides 1,000 free fishing rods and reel combinations or tackle boxes for Kids Fishing Day to help them enjoy the abundance of fishing holes near the city.
For sports enthusiasts, Centene Stadium is home to the Great Falls Voyagers minor league baseball team. The Voyagers compete against local teams in the Pioneer League like the Billings Mustangs, Glacier Range Riders, and Missoula Paddleheads.
Another hotspot is the Scheels Aim High Big Sky Aquatic and Recreation Center. The center features a full-court gymnasium, eight-lane pool, sauna, cardio and weight machines, elevated walking track, a splash pad, group fitness, and a large water slide.
When a winter chill hits the air, families can stay warm ice skating at the Great Falls Ice Plex.
Cultural Events & Festivals
“Laugh Kills Lonesome” by ranch hand turned artist Charles M. Russell. Russell lived in Great Falls from 1892 until his death in 1926. Photo via Billings Gazette.
Great Falls is considered the “Western Art Capital of the World.” Every year the town puts on a Western Art Week with around 14 shows and 800 artists, ranging from live music performances to interpretive dancing to watercolor and oil paintings.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, famed Western artist Charles M. Russell lived and worked in Great Falls, crafting over 2000 paintings of cowboys, landscapes, Native Americans, and wildlife. The C.M. Russell Museum displays a variety of work by the famous Western artist and annually hosts “The Russell,” a three-day auction and art experience to benefit the museum. With a dozen art and history museums, Great Falls has the most museums per capita in Montana.
For music lovers, the Great Falls Symphony is a public staple. The symphony presents scores of vibrant and dazzling works, including famous works by Mozart, music of the West paired with art from the C.M. Russell Museum, and sing-along holiday concerts. The youth orchestra program brings together talented student musicians from across Montana to learn life skills, build strong relationships, and create beautiful music.
Don’t forget to stop by the Great Falls Farmer’s Market, which hosts over a hundred vendors each week. The Great Falls Farmer’s Market provides something for everyone—including live music from local musicians, pony rides, and an assortment of delectable sweet treats.
Ready to start planning your trip to Great Falls? Check out Visit Great Falls to discover even more exciting amenities waiting to be explored in the Electric City.
Great Falls is considered the Western Art Capital of the World. Every year the town puts on a Western Art Week with around 14 shows and 800 artists, ranging from live music performances to interpretive dancing to watercolor and oil paintings.
In the late 18th and early 19th Centuries, famed Western artist Charles M. Russell lived and worked in Great Falls, crafting over 2000 paintings of cowboys, landscapes, Native Americans, and wildlife. The C.M. Russell Museum displays works by the famous western artist and annually hosts The Russell, a three-day auction and art experience to benefit the museum.
Built on a bluff along the Missouri River, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center is known as the ‘crown jewel’ of the Lewis and Clark Trail. The museum features an exhibit hall, digital escape room, and regular screenings and events.
The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians is a band of the Chippewa Indians headquartered in Great Falls, Montana. Since winning a long fight for federal recognition in December of 2019, members of the Little Shell Tribe are working to establish a land base. The Tribe has a robust Little Shell Tribal Traditional Language Program to preserve the Chippewa, Cree and Michif dialects with learning resources, visual and audio lessons, and an IOS/Android Mobile App.
For music lovers, the Great Falls Symphony is a public staple. Led by music director Grant Harville, the symphony has been performing safely through free concerts during the COVID-19 pandemic. In October 2020, the symphony featured black composers in an online String Orchestra Music of Black Composers. The Great Falls Youth Orchestra program includes 65 students from eight local schools.
The First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park is a historical site where high-plains hunters drove buffalo herds off a cliff for at least a thousand years before colonization. Hunters from the Salish, Pend d’ Oreille, Kootenai, Shoshone, Bannock, Nez Perce, Blackfoot Confederacy, Crow, Gros Ventre, and Assiniboine tribes all travelled to stampede buffalo off the mile-long sandstone jump cliff. The park has a visitors center, trails, and an archaeological site.
Northwest of Great Falls along the Missouri is Fort Benton, a small community that includes the historic site of Old Fort Benton, one of the first settler sites in Montana.
Giant Springs State Park is just outside of Great Falls city limits and is home to one of the largest freshwater springs in the country. With 14 miles of shoreline along the Missouri River and over 30 miles of paved and singletrack trails, the park is popular with hikers, fishers, and birdwatchers.
Also popular with birders is The Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area, a prairie and wetland ecosystem popular for bird breeding and migration. Best visited in the Spring, Freezout Lake can see congregations of hundreds of thousands of waterfowl during migration season and over 200 species of birds have been spotted in the area.
For more resources to plan your trip, check out our guide to visiting Great Falls.
About the Publisher:
Launched in 2014, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance is a nonpartisan nonprofit association of highly-engaged high-tech and manufacturing companies and affiliates creating high-paying jobs in Montana. For more information, visit MTHighTech.org or subscribe to our biweekly newsletter.
About the Authors:
Samuel Boudreau is the Writer and Digital Content Coordinator Intern at the MHTBA. He graduated from Middlebury College with a degree in Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies and Psychology and is currently pursuing his MFA at The University of Montana while teaching Introductory and Intermediate Writing Courses.
Martina Pansze is the Communications Director for the Montana High Tech Business Alliance. She graduated from Whitman College with a degree in Film and Media Studies, and has worked as a freelance journalist and grant writer.
Melissa Paulsen is the communications coordinator for the Montana High Tech Business Alliance. She graduated from the University of Montana in 2022 with a BFA in creative writing and a minor in history.
