Up next in our Spotlight on States series: Montana!
Montana became a state on Nov. 8, 1889. It was the 41st state, and it’s the fourth-largest state in land area. Montana shares borders with Canada, North & South Dakota, Wyoming, and Idaho. The state’s name is derived from the Spanish montaña, meaning mountain or mountainous region.
Montana ranks 48th out of 50 states in population density. Its population as of 2024 is 1,137,233 people. Montana’s capital city is Helena, and its most populous city is Billings.
Official Montana State Symbols
Every state has their own unique symbols, from birds to flowers to songs and more! Here are some of Montana’s official state symbols:
– Animal: Grizzly Bear
– Ballad: “Montana Melody”
– Bird: Western Meadowlark
– Butterfly: Mourning Cloak Butterfly
– Fish: Blackspotted Cutthroat Trout
– Flower: Bitterroot
– Fossil: Duck-Billed Dinosaur
– Grass: Bluebunch Wheatgrass
Find more information about Montana’s state symbols here.
Fun Facts about Montana
Montana is home to the world’s shortest river, the Roe River in Great Falls.
Montana holds the world record for the greatest temperature change in 24 hours. On January 14-15, 1972, the temperature went from -54°F to 49°F, a whopping 103 degrees in Loma!
In 1888, Helena had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world.
Flathead Lake in northwest Montana contains over 200 square miles of water and 185 miles of shoreline. It is considered the largest natural freshwater lake in the West.
The most visited place in Montana is Glacier National Park, known as the crown jewel of the continent. It lies along Montana’s northern border and adjoins Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, forming the world’s first International Peace Park.
Montana has the largest grizzly bear population in the lower 48 states.
In Montana, the elk, deer, and antelope populations outnumber the humans.
Famous people from Montana include actors J.K. Simmons, Lily Gladstone, and Gary Cooper, singer Charley Pride, NBA coach Phil Jackson, and Evel Knievel.
NCP Panel Members in Montana
Want to learn more about your fellow panel members in another state? Here’s how our Montana panel members answered some of our survey questions!
How long have you been a panel member?
– 45% of survey respondents have been members for 15 or more years.
– 4% have been members for less than a year.
– 80% of respondents have lived in Montana for more than 15 years.
Is the area you live rural, suburban, or urban?
– 58% live in rural areas
– 23% live in suburban areas
– 19% live in urban areas
Do you have children?
– 75% of respondents have children
– Of those, 10% have children living in their home
Shopping habits of NCP Panel Members in Montana
Do you think peoples’ shopping habits differ based on where they live? We’re curious about this, so we asked our panel members questions about how, when, and where they shop, along with some other questions about their habits.
Here’s what our panel members in Montana had to say about their shopping habits:
– 56% of respondents shop both online and in-store, with 38% shopping in-store only.
– 65% of respondents tend to shop at the same stores.
– 75% of respondents mostly stick to their list when shopping, but sometimes make impulse purchases.
– 67% of respondents shop alone, with another 25% shopping with a spouse or partner.
When it comes to choosing where to shop, 42% of panel members shop mostly at grocery stores. Another 40% primarily shop at mass-merchandise retailers. Price, location, and convenience are the top factors that influence where people decide to shop. Other things that influence where panel members shop are whether or not the store offers free delivery.
Convenience while shopping
While ordering groceries and other items online has long been an option, the COVID-19 pandemic made delivery and pick-up a lot more common for people.
Here’s what Montana panel members had to say about it:
– 63% never order groceries online and pick up at the store, while 23% do sometimes.
– 73% never order groceries online to be delivered, while 19% do sometimes.
We also wondered if the weather influenced a person’s choice between online and in-person shopping. 41% of respondents said weather doesn’t impact their decision, with 33% saying they prefer in-person shopping regardless of the weather.
And finally: self-checkout. Some people love it, others hate it. According to our survey, 12% of respondents always choose self-checkout, with another 43% indicating they frequently choose it. 29% of respondents rarely use it, and 16% never do.
Interests of NCP panel members in Montana
Here are a few other fun facts about Montana panel members from our survey!
More than half of respondents engage in outdoor recreational activities regularly or occasionally. The most popular outdoor activities are hiking and walking – it was a favorite for 81% of panel members. A few of the unique answers panel members wrote in include camping, gardening, and hunting.
We asked panelists which sports they follow, and 31% said football, while 47% said none. Some of the other sports panelists follow are crossfit, skating, and grandchildrens’ sports.
We also wanted to know: what place would you recommend to visitors in your hometown or state? The most popular types of attractions panel members recommend in Montana are natural parks and reserves. Here are some of the answers we got from panel members:
– Glacier National Park
– Yellowstone National Park
– Montana State Fair
– Our Lady of the Rockies
– Hyalite Canyon Recreation Area
– Miles City Bucking Horse Sale
Did you learn anything new about Montana? How do your shopping habits compare to panel members in Montana? We hope you enjoy learning about panel members in other states. Stay tuned for the next one: Nebraska!
Join NCP!
If you’re not a NCP panel member and you’re interested in joining NCP to share your shopping experiences, earn great rewards, and influence what you see on store shelves, click here or go to the Join NCP section of the blog for more information.
Regards,
Taylor
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Love it! Thanks for the info :).