Gallatin Valley Farmland
Photo courtesy: John Ansotegui
The community of Manhattan is located in south-central Montana, 20 minutes west of Bozeman. It is surrounded by wide open spaces and rural roadways, offering stunning views of small family potato and dairy farms, wheat fields, sweeping mountain ranges, and lots of wildlife.
In 1891 a group of New York investors started the Manhattan Malting Company in the area and the town adopted the name. The town developed as families moved to the area to grow barley for malters. Previous postal names were Moreland and Hamilton. Prohibition ended a profitable twenty-three years in the malting business for Manhattan, but the stone malt house still stands. (from Cheney's Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company)
Today Manhattan's most productive industries are seed potatoes, dairy and wheat farms, commercial beef, registered cattle, and some unique cottage businesses such as food specialties, woodcarving, artisans, and antiques.
Fishing is a great pastime with miles of "blue-ribbon" trout streams in the area. Public golf courses are within a short drive and nearby National Forests provide miles of hiking and biking trails in addition to high mountain lakes for camping and fishing. For history buffs, there is a wealth of information in local museums, libraries and state parks about the Lewis and Clark Expediton who explored this area in the summers of 1805 and 1806.
Look north to the Horseshoe Hills that border the town of Manhattan, east to the Bridger Range, and south to the snowcapped Spanish Peaks Wilderness. Enjoy special community events such as the Manhattan Potato Festival which celebrate the community's heritage and rural lifestyle.
Elevation: 4,243
