Sweetridge

Sweetridge is the main setting of the Big Sky Country series. It is a fictional rural town located in Montana, USA. Sweetridge is described as a small town, with residents often needing to drive to neighboring cities such as Billings to go shopping.

Geography
Sweetridge is located in rural Montana. The reputation of the state for open fields (especially east of the mountain ranges that surround cities like Helena) is what gives the state, and therefore the series, the name "Big Sky Country." Sweetridge is surrounded by large areas of open fields used for ranching and farming. During the winter, it gets fairly heavy snow.

The fact that the characters drive to Billings to shop places Sweetridge somewhere in south-central Montana, likely in Yellowstone County. However, its exact location is unknown.

History
Sweetridge began to struggle economically as the agricultural industry became less lucrative, with many family ranches and farms being threatened. By cooperating with one another instead of competing, some businesses were able to avoid purchase and incorporation by large companies such as AgraCorp.

The town itself also struggles economically due to its small size and limited resources. Plans for improving the town infrastructure are an important campaign issue in the mayoral race, a key subplot of Book 2.

The town was a contestant to represent the state of Montana in an episode of Smalltown, USA, a fictional television show in the world of the series.

Trivia

 * In Book 2, Chapter 5, it is mentioned that Sweetridge used to trade with a neighboring town called Falconville until the 1860s, when the inhabitants found gold and refused to trade with Sweetridge anymore.