You Won’t Believe How Small MT’s Smallest Town Really Is

BUTTE, MT - In a state known for its massive sky, vast ranches, and wide open roads, Montana’s cities often feel more like neighborhoods.

Even our largest city, Billings, clocks in at just over 100,000 people—about the size of a mid-tier suburb elsewhere.

But if you think small-town charm is where Montana stops, think again. There's one town that makes all others look like bustling metropolises.

This place doesn’t have a traffic light. It doesn’t have a school. It barely has a zip code. Blink and you'll miss it—literally.

It’s the kind of town where if you see someone walking down the street, you assume they’re either lost or related to everyone else who lives there.

There's no gas station, no grocery store, no Main Street coffee shop. What it does have is a jail—and a surprising amount of history.

At its peak, this town boasted about a hundred residents, a post office, and enough local pride to rename itself after an NFL quarterback for a single summer (more on that in a moment).

And yet, there it sits—quiet, remote, and stubbornly hanging on.

In a world where people are constantly chasing bigger, faster, more, this town is a living monument to less. Less noise, less traffic, less stress… and, yes, fewer people.

So what’s the name of this Montana micro-town?

Ismay. Population: 19.

Yes, you read that right—19 people live in Ismay, making it the smallest incorporated town in Montana.

Once known as Burt, it briefly changed its name to Joe in honor of NFL quarterback Joe Montana when the Kansas City Chiefs were gaining popularity in the '90s. While the name didn’t stick, the legend did.

Ismay may not be booming, but it isn’t forgotten either.

It represents the fiercely independent spirit that runs deep in Montana’s DNA—and proves that sometimes the smallest places leave the biggest impressions.

Up next, we’re taking a journey across America to uncover the smallest town in every U.S. state. Some are ghost towns with a single resident; others are holding on thanks to a few stubborn souls and a whole lot of grit.

Let’s see how the rest of the country stacks up against Ismay, Montana.