Hamilton, Montana, United States

🇺🇸 Hamilton is a city that serves as the county seat of Ravalli County, Montana, United States.

History Hamilton was founded by copper king Marcus Daly in the late 19th century. It was named for J.W. Hamilton, who provided the right-of-way to the railroad. Daly is said to have wanted to begin business in the then county seat of Grantsdale, but was denied the opportunity. He supposedly founded Hamilton out of his own pocket as a reaction to being rebuffed at Grantsdale.

In the summer of 2000, Hamilton made international headlines when forest fires throughout the Bitterroot Valley filled the area with smoke and prompted the evacuation of many residents. President Clinton declared a state of emergency in the area and dispatched National Guard troops to assist with fighting the fires.

Geography Hamilton has a total area of 2.57 square miles (6.66 km²), of which 2.53 square miles (6.55 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) is water.

Economy Hamilton is, as of 2004, home to two microbiological research and production facilities: the government-run Rocky Mountain Laboratories, and a branch of the Corixa Corporation (bought in the late 1990s from Ribi ImmunoChem Research, Inc.). The Corixa Corporation was bought by GlaxoSmithKline in 2005. NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) completed construction of a Biosafety Level 4 biohazard laboratory as part of the Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) facility in 2008. This facility has begun operations using highly-pathogenic organisms including the Lentivirus family of viruses.

Hamilton had one of the last remaining Kmart stores in the United States, which was the only remaining one in the state of Montana and the entire Mountain time zone. However, plans to close the Kmart store were announced in January 2022, with its final day of business conducted on March 6, 2022.

Government Hamilton's City Council has three Wards with two representatives from each Ward.

Arts and culture The Ravalli County Museum, founded in 1955, is located in the former Ravalli County Courthouse and focuses on county history, natural history and art. The Daly Mansion, home of Marcus Daly, offers tours. This luxurious mansion has over 50 rooms, 26 acres of lawns, and several outbuildings.

Being located in the dramatically scenic Bitterroot Valley Hamilton is a great place for outdoor activity. Nature hikes and wildlife viewing opportunities are boundless. River Park and Skalkaho Bend offer trails in town.

A large skatepark, Circle 13, is at Claudia Driscoll Park. It is one of the skateparks built by Montana Pool Service, a project founded by Jeff Ament.

Infrastructure Hamilton is located directly on U.S. Route 93. It is intersected by Montana Secondary Highway 269.

Ravalli County Airport is a public use airport 1 mile east of town.

Daly Hospital, part of Bitterroot Health, provides healthcare service in Hamilton.

Education • Hamilton High School • The Bitterroot College Program of the University of Montana is located in Hamilton. In May 2012, it was renamed Bitterroot College University of Montana.

The Bitterroot Public Library serves the town of Hamilton. It was one of the 17 Carnegie libraries built in Montana.

Media Hamilton's newspaper is the Ravalli Republic. It is a daily broadsheet offered as print or e-edition as well as having online news.

Five radio stations are licensed in Hamilton: KBAZ with mainstream rock, KHKM with adult hits, KLYQ is news/talk, KMZO is a religious channel, and KUFN public radio.