Polaris is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Beaverhead County Beaverhead County is the largest county by area in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,371. Its county seat is Dillon. The county was founded in 1865. Much of the perimeter of the county is the Continental Di ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, United States. Polaris has a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

with a ZIP code 59746. Polaris lies in the Grasshopper Valley, along the Pioneer Mountain Scenic Byway, southeast of

Wisdom Wisdom, sapience, or sagacity is the ability to contemplate and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight. Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion, experiential self-knowledge, ...

. This community takes its name from the Polaris Mine, which operated as a silver mine from 1885 until 1922. Attractions to the Polaris area include

Maverick Mountain Ski Area Maverick Mountain Ski Area is an alpine ski area located in the Beaverhead National Forest in southwestern Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, ...

, Montana High Country Tours Lodge, the Grasshopper Inn, Elkhorn Hotsprings,

Bannack State Park Bannack is a ghost town in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States, located on Grasshopper Creek, approximately upstream from where Grasshopper Creek joins with the Beaverhead River south of Dillon. Founded in 1862, the town is a National Hist ...

, and Crystal Park. Polaris is minutes from blue ribbon trout streams, hundreds of snowmobile and cross-country ski trails, and trail heads to mountain lakes. Hay, horse, and cattle production are among the major industries in Polaris, along with a rise in tourism and recreation. Originally, Polaris was a mining town with a general store, post office, and saloon. Hundreds of miners lived north of Polaris and worked the Elkhorn Mine and Coolidge Mine, among other smaller mines. Mail delivered to the Grasshopper Valley was processed at the Polaris post office and still is today.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Polaris has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. The average snowfall is 49 inches.

Education

Polaris provides elementary education. High school is at Beaverhead County High School.

References

Unincorporated communities in Beaverhead County, Montana Unincorporated communities in Montana {{BeaverheadCountyMT-geo-stub