46. Butte, MT

Butte (pronounced byoot, not butt) is set in the middle of the mountains, so it definitely looks appealing as you drive in. Apparently, it is an old mining town. What does this mean? From what I've heard, this makes the town a very rough place (and the land is hollowed out underneath it).The only time that I actually spent time in Butte was on St. Patrick's Day. A bunch of Irish people decided to settle into the town for mining, so it has become "one of the biggest St. Patty's Day celebrations in the world" (that is according to the locals... being from Syracuse, I quickly realized differently). It is certainly one of the biggest parties in the state of Montana. The entire city (as small as it is) basically shuts down for the day, except for the restaurants, bars, and street vendors. Our day started early with the parade and moved to the bars. You can pay one fee to cover all door charges at the downtown bars. The people were amazingly friendly (especially to others sporting green). The more drunk and Irish you are in this town, the better off you will be for socializing. Besides a pepper-spray incident at the dance club and the ridiculous amount of people gathering in the streets at the end of the night to throw beer bottles at cop cars, I would say that there isn't really anything to worry about in Butte. Of course, a large amount of people head into the area for that day alone, so I probably do not know the town as it rests on an average day. On the other hand, how can you know a people better than when they are celebrating their heritage?