What Makes Helena The Third-Best State Capital In America?

State capital cities across the country are different kinds of towns. They are where state business takes place. Whether it's legislative sessions, governor's mansions, or lobbyists, state capitals attract different types of people.

Here in Montana our state capital of Helena seems to have a lot more attorneys than other places in Montana. Most people I have met there are either attorneys, work for attorneys, or know someone who is an attorney.

For a few months during the year the state capital is a hotbed of activity when our legislature is in session. Representatives from across the state converge on Helena to discuss and debate issues that affect all of us.

Helena, Montana Is the Third Best Capital In the U.S.

The television show Yellowstone was partially set in Helena, the mansion used in the show as the Governor’s Mansion was actually the Daly Mansion in Hamilton, Montana. It looks like in future seasons of Yellowstone, they won't even be using Montana as their backdrop for the show anymore as they are moving production down to Utah.

According to PinkStorage, Helena, Montana is one of the best capitals in the country to live in. They have Helena ranked as the third best capital in the country for overall quality of life.

PinkStorage examined 14 metrics across the cities that included crime, cost of living, childcare costs, median home prices, and more. One metric where Helena scored the highest possible score was in "safety perception", with a perfect score of 100. Helena also scored very high in high school graduation rates and average commute time.

The capital city that has the highest rank is Montpelier, Vermont. The lowest ranking capital is Trenton, New Jersey.

Even though I have never lived in Helena, I can tell you that it's the home of Montana Valley Hams. That alone should rank Helena in the top five best capitals in the country, if not the world.