Welcome to Big Sky ...
Big Sky is primarily located in Gallatin County<1>. A portion of Big Sky extends into Madison County.
Big Sky is 7,210 feet [2,198 m] above sea level.<2> In other words, the altitude of Big Sky is about 1¼ mile [or ~2¼ km] above sea level.
Time Zone: Big Sky lies in the Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Code for Big Sky: 406
The ZIP code for Big Sky: 59716<3>
Communities Also Named Big Sky ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are two Montana communities named Big Sky: This one is located in Gallatin County and the other is located in Rosebud County.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Big Sky.
Websites for Big Sky ...
Chamber of Commerce: www.bigskychamber.com/
Although we don't have any websites that are specific to Big Sky, the following might be of interest:
Communities near Big Sky ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Big Sky.
- Ennis
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ennis have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ennis
- Ennis is located in Madison County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,042 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ennis <5>
- Big Sky Canyon Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Cameron
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- McAllister
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Gallatin Gateway
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Red Bluff
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Red Bluff. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bluff
- Red Bluff is located in Madison County
- Norris
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Virginia City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia City
- Virginia City is located in Madison County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
- Former names for Virginia City:
- Varina
- Verina
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Virginia City <5>
- Central City ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central City have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
- Central City is located in Madison County
- Four Corners
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
- Four Corners is located in Gallatin County
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Big Sky. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Big Sky.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Big Sky. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Big Sky.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Sky. See our Newspapers Page for Big Sky.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Big Sky ...
Looking for more information about Big Sky? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Big Sky, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Big Sky.
Adding Big Sky to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Big Sky in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found (so far) for Big Sky was in the book titled North American Railroad Atlas - Mountain Plains.
For more details, see References and Mentions for Big Sky.
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Montana's counties, including Gallatin, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Big Sky - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <3> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Big Sky). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Big Sky or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <4> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |