Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Bear Dance

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Montana›Lake County

Bear DanceMT

A town of 220.

Is Bear Dance a good place to live?

71% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Bear Dance, above both the Montana town median (30%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Among 43 Montana towns, just 1 have a higher median age than Bear Dance. Bear Dance has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

220 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Getting set up

Moving to Bear Dance: who provides what

Bear Dance is unincorporated, so Lake County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerNorthWestern Energy14.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet3 providers83% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesLake CountyLake County provides services here
SchoolsBigfork Elementary School DistrictBigfork High School DistrictPolson Elementary School District3 districts serve Bear Dance; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteIn personMontana has no online registration; you can register in person up to and including Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereLake County Election AdministratorLake County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code5991159911 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Bear Dance.

Natural hazards

Very high risk in Bear Dance, with avalanches at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 81% of U.S. communities.

81risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
81Very high riskLowerHigher
AvalanchesInland floodingEarthquakes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commute

With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Bear Dance’s workers commute out

Most working residents leave Bear Dance for work: only 0% work in town. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Bear Dance, against 10% in Montana’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. The top destinations are Kalispell (27%), Bigfork (13%) and Missoula (9%).

0%work in town
Bear DanceMontana townsU.S. towns
Below the poverty line20%10%9.6%
Median household income$85,000$67,000$80,000

Where working residents work

In Bear Dance0%
Kalispell27%
Bigfork13%
Missoula9%
Polson6%
24 mi
median commute distance
21
jobs based in Bear Dance
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

In Bear Dance, expect four seasons and pleasant summers

Bear Dance has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Bear Dance’s July high is 81°F.

34″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter21–33°
Spring33–54°
Summer49–77°
Fall35–54°
Oct 15
typical first frost
May 1
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

Fewer of Bear Dance’s adults report frequent mental distress than in the typical Montana or U.S. town

13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Bear Dance. Only 2 of the 42 Montana towns we compare have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Bear Dance. 15% of adults report frequent physical distress in Bear Dance.

Bear DanceMontana townsU.S. towns
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)13%18%17%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)26%31%33%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)27%32%36%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)42%32%35%
32 measures vs. Montana
13 better11 too close to call8 worse
What stands outBear DanceMT
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity5.6%9.1%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity7.6%11.7%
More adults with heart disease10.4%6.6%
Providence St. Joseph Medical Center
16.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Outdoors

Bear Dance has set aside 9.3% of its land for conservation

0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.

9.3%conserved
9.3%
conserved · 163 of 1,762 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Flathead Lake State Park - Yellow Bay Unit—6

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Bear Dance

15pages on Bear Dance
After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Bear Dance; the nearest are

A commuter town

100% of working residents leave Bear Dance for work

Where Bear Dance’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

27% → Kalispell Kalispell 27% 13% → Bigfork Bigfork 13% 9% → Missoula Missoula 9% 6% → Polson Polson 6% 6% → Whitefish Whitefish 6% 3% → Lakeside Lakeside 3% Bear Dance · 0% stay
21jobs based in Bear Dance
0%of working residents work in town
24 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Bear Dance

Census-designated place in Montana, United States

Bear Dance is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lake County, Montana, United States. The population was 275 at the United States 2010 census, and was 281 at the 2020 census. It is located on Montana Highway 35 on the east bank of Flathead Lake, 22 miles northeast from Polson, and 11 miles south from Bigfork.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
2.8 sq mi
Elevation
3,107 ft

Questions about Bear Dance

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Bear Dance, MT a good place to live?

Bear Dance has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.