National Geographic Adventure magazine has named Bozeman one of the three best cities in the United States for an adventurer to start a family.
In its October issue, which hit newsstands this week, the magazine cites Bozeman’s hiking and biking trails, its proximity to ski resorts and Yellowstone National Park, its highly ranked public school system, and its university culture as reasons why it makes a good backyard for kids and parents.

“Almost any neighborhood you live in, you can access a trail that can take you into state or public lands,” Swithin McGrath said Thursday as she dropped her 11-year-old son Nick off for climbing lessons at Spire Climbing Center. “It’s not like you have to get in your car and drive.”

Despite a 27 percent increase in population since 2000, the National Geographic article states, Bozeman hasn’t sacrificed its “self-sufficient, small-town past” or resorted to “gunslinger reenactments.”

The article highlights the surrounding 1.8 million acres of Gallatin National Forest - where 2,200 miles of biking and hiking paths connect the Gallatin, Beartooth, Bridger, and Madison ranges - and eight art and science museums within city limits. The lack of violent crime merited a mention, too.

Click here to read the article from Bozeman Chronicle.