[nalabama]

brito, check the posts regarding Moulton, AL. It might be what you're looking for.

[montanamom]

Just a note about Montana weather. I think there is a big difference in the winters experienced in the Western part of the state, as opposed to the Eastern part. This is my second winter here (Western Montana, near Missoula), we have had some snow (not more than 5 - 6 inches), some days in the 20's to 30's but rarely below that, and I've never needed an engine heater or had a problem starting my little car. Of course, we're just in December, I'll let you know what the weather is like in January and February!

[chj]

I am thinking about moving to montana or wyoming. are the two similar and how much of a culture shock will it be to move there from alabama? are the people very religious?

[AboveAllAutoTransport]

I like Alabama when I visit family there. I'm headed to Huntsville area in January. My aunt used to live in Gulf Shores. How cold will it be in Huntsville in January? I'm a little worried about that!!!

[Southlander]

Huntsville winters are pretty mild, although you might have some snow or ice. You never know - it could be 60 degrees one day and 25 the next. If you are travelling south on I-65 there is usually no problem. If you are traveling U.S. 72 or...uh, 431 or 231, I think...you'll be driving over a small mountain and sometimes there is ice on the road. Usually there's plenty of warning. Check the weather before you leave...Godspeed!

[marmac]

regarding snowfall amounts in Montana, here are the averages from a 50 year period----1947-1997

Billings---------57.1
Glasgow--------28.6
Great Falls------58.5
Helena----------47.1
Kallispelj---------65.6
Missoula---------46.7

[ZenRN]

Yup! True that, lol! I loved living in western South Dakota, beautiful place, but could no longer deal with the cold and windy winters because of Systemic Lupus and Raynaud's. 10+ F was usually only jacket weather in Rapid City. Badly cracked skin, frozen, and often bleeding, noses (from the dry air) are the norm. The wind got to me worse than the cold though. Unfortunately during the winter, it's windy ALOT. However the summers are the best bar none (except when the temps hover 110+ for several days). LOL

IMHO, bundle up good, learn how to keep warm, and that area of the country is a great place to live. The long winters and short summers tend to get tiresome though after a few years.

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

Coming from an area where temperatures like that occurred regularly - there are two types of people: those who like cold, and those who don't.

For most people:

First, the air gets drier than desert air. Cold air can't hold moisture, and when it is heated, the relative humidity drops even lower. Your lips will chap, your nose may bleed regularly, your body will absorb every wet cold germ that comes your way.

Go outside and your nose will feel frozen and start to drip. The drips turn into ice outside, and concrete inside because the moisture gets pulled out. Your ears will either feel frozen or turn red and try to compensate , cooling your body further, or will freeze. Your hands will get cold and go numb, sometimes even with gloves. Mittens become a must in really cold temps. Your feet will become painfully cold without proper footware and frostbite can happen. For me, my legs become cold and the only thing that brings my body back to normal is a hot soaking bath of at least 30 or more minutes.

You learn to tell the temperature by the sound that snow makes. The silence of truly cold temps can be deafening. -40 with no wind can be tolerable, but even 15+ degrees can be dangerous with wind.

Cars require either a heater block or a shot of starter fluid to reliably get started. Anything less than a great battery can kill you by not starting in an emergency situation.

You learn to live from heated area to heated area. Indoor malls take on new meaning. Vacations to Florida start to look great. Pipes get wrapped in insualtion and sometimes heat tape to keep them from freezing. Staying warm becomes a major activity.

Then there are the people who like the cold. You can sometimes spot them by the thick coat of fur on their backs.

[copperflower]

Just a tip: In AL, though you may never be required to DO anything religious, by all means act supportive when others do. I think the prevalent attitude is "You should believe, of course, but we'll leave you alone if your manners are good!"
I am an outgoing person who is a Christian, but I don't push it onto others or talk down to people who don't support my belief sytem or whatever it's being called these days.
Also, I have worked in Five Points as a server, and you still see people pray over meals in public, which I think is cool, since Christians are the least tolerated of all religions in America, it seems.
Expect to be invited to church events at some point, because in smaller towns, church is the biggest social circle. It's legal, acceptable, usually pretty involved because you've grown up around the same people, gone to school, all that. It's actually a huge compliment if someone does invite you to a church service or a social event, so keep an open mind!