Also out there, the 27m statue of the Virgin Mary that gazes down on the boom-and-bust city I am driving into. This is Butte, Montana - the most Irish city in the United States, per capita - and I was braving a winter weather warning to experience my first St Patrick's Day here. An expansion of open pit mining in the mid 1950s consumed many of the old neighbourhoods, such as Finn Town, Chinatown, the Italian area of Meaderville, as well as Corktown and Dublin Gulch. What to eat: Nancy’s Pasty Shop and Catering in Pine St is one of several places to try the famous Butte pasty, located near the Berkeley Pit entrance. Nancy’s Pasty Shop and Catering in Pine St is one of several places to try the famous Butte pasty, located near the Berkeley Pit entrance.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 18, 2018 17:03 UTC