How to Meet People if You're From Big Timber, Montana
If you're from Big Timber, Montana, you know the feeling: you open a dating app, scroll through the options, and you've seen everyone before. Big Timber is a city of about 1,700 people in Sweet Grass County, Montana, and a pool that size only goes so far.
Big Timber in numbers
| Population (2025 estimate) | 1,686 |
|---|---|
| County | Sweet Grass County |
| Change since 2020 | +2.5% |
| Size rank in Montana | 43 of 127 cities and towns |
| Larger than | 66% of Montana's cities and towns |
| Other cities and towns within 30 miles | 0 |
| Nearest city of 25,000 or more (OR, ID, WA, MT) | Bozeman, Montana: 54 miles (59,000 people) |
Population estimates by year:
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,642 | 1,658 | 1,669 | 1,697 | 1,711 | 1,686 |
Why dating close to home runs out
There's no other incorporated city or town within 30 miles of Big Timber. Within 60 miles there are 14 places with about 96,000 people between them (incorporated places only), and that's the circle a distance-sorted app starts from.
| Distance from Big Timber | Other cities and towns | People in them |
|---|---|---|
| Within 10 miles | 0 | 0 |
| Within 30 miles | 0 | 0 |
| Within 60 miles | 14 | 96,078 |
| Within 100 miles | 30 | 237,000 |
Why Bozeman is out of reach for you on the big apps
Say you live in Big Timber and want to meet someone in Bozeman, 54 miles away. On a distance-ranked app, that person is shown their own neighborhood first, then the next one out, and Big Timber is 54 miles down that line, behind a city of about 59,000. Tinuiti's analysis of Tinder's algorithm says proximity is a key factor in who it shows you, and any app that sorts by distance works the same way. You haven't done anything wrong. You live in the wrong place for the ranking.
Bozeman has about 35 times as many people as Big Timber, so a member from Big Timber is outnumbered there roughly 35 to 1 before the ranking even starts. There are 9 other incorporated places closer to Bozeman than Big Timber is, with about 32,000 people between them, and they tend to come ahead of you in Bozeman's deck.
On Amarbis, ranking isn't based on distance. Choose Montana as your region and Bozeman is in your pool with everyone else in Montana, so you aren't placed behind the person's next-door neighbor because of where you live.
Bigger places within reach of Big Timber, each with its own guide:
- Bozeman, MT: 58,814 people, 54 miles away
- Belgrade, MT: 13,107 people, 59 miles away
- Billings, MT: 121,239 people, 67 miles away
- Helena, MT: 35,138 people, 112 miles away
How region-based dating changes it
On dating apps that sort by distance, the people nearest you come first. On Amarbis you choose your region, so who you meet isn't decided by how close they live to Big Timber. Choose Montana and you're meeting people from a state of about 1.1 million. The nearest city of 25,000 or more to Big Timber is Bozeman (54 miles away).
Other places near Big Timber
- Livingston, MT: 9,290 people, 32 miles away
- Columbus, MT: 1,964 people, 36 miles away
- Bozeman, MT: 58,814 people, 54 miles away
- Red Lodge, MT: 2,723 people, 56 miles away
- Laurel, MT: 7,205 people, 58 miles away
- Belgrade, MT: 13,107 people, 59 miles away
Browse every city and town in Montana.
How to start from Big Timber
- Create a free profile with a clear photo of your face. Every photo on Amarbis is screened, and every profile is reviewed by a real person.
- Choose the region you want to meet people from. Starting with all of Montana gives you the widest local pool.
- Open with a specific question rather than "hey", then decide whether a meeting is worth the drive. When you're ready to meet, read how to meet safely first.
Amarbis is free to start: 25 likes a day, unlimited messaging with your matches, and no credit card. Join free on Amarbis, or see the plans and prices.
More from Amarbis
- Why Amarbis is the best dating app for small towns
- Singles in the United States
- International dating guide
- Overcoming language barriers in love
- Meeting someone safely for the first time
- Plans and pricing
Population figures are U.S. Census Bureau estimates for July 1, 2025. Distances are straight-line miles between place center points, so road distances are longer. Counts of nearby places include incorporated cities and towns in Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Montana only.