Butte is the county seat of Silver Bow County, one of 56 counties in the State of Montana. Butte is located on the western slope of the Continental Divide in southwestern Montana. Butte is located just a few miles east of the intersection of Interstate 90 and Interstate 15. Butte is located 225 miles west of Billings, 82 miles west of Bozeman, Butte is 153 miles south of Great Falls, 60 miles south of Helena, and 120 miles southeast of Missoula. Butte-Silver Bow has operated as a consolidated city-county government since 1977 and a city/county zoning ordinance is in effect. The specific Title 17 zoning district classification, permitted and conditional uses, setback and bulk requirements, height limitations, and any applicable overlay or development standards should be confirmed directly with the Butte-Silver Bow Planning Department prior to final valuation. For purposes of this appraisal, the property is presumed to be zoned for industrial use consistent with the surrounding park development pattern, and the highest and best use analysis is predicated on that presumption. Butte has enjoyed a colorful history with many of the buildings from its early development stages still standing. This community was born with the discovery of gold in Silver Bow Creek in 1864. During the 1880’s area mines became some of the world’s greatest copper producers and Butte earned the reputation as “the richest hill on earth”. Butte was a world leader in copper smelting technology and three of Montana’s richest individuals, Andrew Clark, Marcus Daly, and Augustus Heinz were copper barons. These three men were influential in establishing Helena as State Capitol. By 1955, high grade copper ore was almost gone and excavation began on the Berkeley Open Pit Mine to extract low grade ore. This mine was one of the largest truck operated pit mines in the world. The mine ceased operation in 1980 and limited mining started up again in 1985 by Montana Resources Inc. Residents of Butte have endured harsh economic times over the past two decades. A once powerful manufacturing and utility center for Montana, has seen many of these employment opportunities leave the area in recent years. The positive attribute to this area is its location at the junction of I-15 and I-90; both are major transportation routes. Butte has historically been considered one of the most aggressive, pro-development, pro-growth communities in Montana. Butte-Silver Bow County economic development has aggressively encouraged new industry with tax and financing incentives. An example of this is the silicone plant that was constructed in 1998 which produces material for silicon chip makers around the country.