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Hello,
I stumbled across this forum and am amazed at the wealth of information on here.I have read most of the posts concerning relocating to Montana and they are very eye opening. I have been thinking about moving to Montana for a few years now, and every relocation packet I get in the mail is basically the same thing. So on this forum I am now hearing the cold, hard facts about living in Montana.(something I really needed to hear) All that being said I am still set on wanting to live there and was wondering if someone might be able to awnser a few questions I still have. My husband and I have 4 children, and I am currently homeschooling all of them, so any info. on that subject would really help, also we would be looking for a good church(interdenominational or word of faith churches)My husband has worked in the tree care industry for the past 9 years, so basically that's what he knows. Are there any good tree companies out there? we live in fl. so it would be a drastic change to say the least. Our hope is to buy some land 5 to 10 acres. We would love to raise some farm animals, kind of like a hobby farm. Somewhere where my kids have room to roam and have endless opportunities to experience good old-fashioned hard work. Where we live now you can literally see in your neighbors window and most people veiw kids as just a nuisance. I have one son who plays baseball(little league) what's the little league like there and when is your season? I was raised in Iowa, now those are some really friendly people and very hard working, so I am looking to live in a place kind of like that but with more mountains of course. We have mostly been looking in the southwest region of Montana, maybe Dillon. Where are the best places for nursing jobs? I am going to be starting college for a nursing degree. Now on to my last question. My mother is also planning on moving to Montana and she has breast cancer which spread to her spine. does anyone have any info on the best cancer centers in Montana?
Well, if you are going to be starting college for a nursing degree I think your only choices would be Missoula, Bozeman, and Billings. Billings would be the cheapest of those three but it is also farthest from the mountains.
Have you really thought this through? Even a "hobby farm" takes a ton of work, especially when you are homeschooling four children.
Little League is the same in MT as everywhere and I can't help you with the tree care question.
Hello,
I stumbled across this forum and am amazed at the wealth of information on here.I have read most of the posts concerning relocating to Montana and they are very eye opening. I have been thinking about moving to Montana for a few years now, and every relocation packet I get in the mail is basically the same thing. So on this forum I am now hearing the cold, hard facts about living in Montana.(something I really needed to hear) All that being said I am still set on wanting to live there and was wondering if someone might be able to awnser a few questions I still have. My husband and I have 4 children, and I am currently homeschooling all of them, so any info. on that subject would really help, also we would be looking for a good church(interdenominational or word of faith churches)My husband has worked in the tree care industry for the past 9 years, so basically that's what he knows. Are there any good tree companies out there? we live in fl. so it would be a drastic change to say the least. Our hope is to buy some land 5 to 10 acres. We would love to raise some farm animals, kind of like a hobby farm. Somewhere where my kids have room to roam and have endless opportunities to experience good old-fashioned hard work. Where we live now you can literally see in your neighbors window and most people veiw kids as just a nuisance. I have one son who plays baseball(little league) what's the little league like there and when is your season? I was raised in Iowa, now those are some really friendly people and very hard working, so I am looking to live in a place kind of like that but with more mountains of course. We have mostly been looking in the southwest region of Montana, maybe Dillon. Where are the best places for nursing jobs? I am going to be starting college for a nursing degree. Now on to my last question. My mother is also planning on moving to Montana and she has breast cancer which spread to her spine. does anyone have any info on the best cancer centers in Montana?
Great Falls, Montana has all of what you are seeking.
We have the new state of the art *Sletten Cancer Institute (http://www.benefisfoundation.org/Programs/SlettenCancerInstitute/SlettenCancerInstitute.html - broken link), and Benefis, Montana's largest and most advanced hospital, pays highest in the state with regard to wages and has some pretty cool benefits too, and... surprise, surprize.... you can get your nursing degree here too, a masters degree too if you want. (Montana State University Great Falls).... how about that??
This is a town made for kids.... They are absolutely "NOT" a nuisance..... And folks homeschool here too if they wish.... so that won't be a problem.
Roughly 70,000 folks live here and we have some of the greatest schools in the Pacific Northwest.
Little League is all over the place around here.
Oh, and it get's better than that......
You can pick up roughly 5 acres of land here for a mere $40,000.00... throw that together with another 100 thousand, and you're set to go on your hobby ranch.....
There are also many interdenominational churches in the area here too..... just take your pick.
We also have some great tree nurseries, and landscaping companies here too.
Great Falls, Montana has everything on your list..... the other cities in the state may have a few of these things, but they don't have it all....
Here's another site that will help you with a little more insight on Great Falls... GreaterFalls.com (lots of good local stuff, and even our mayor posts here).
Last edited by GiftShoppeGuy; 07-11-2007 at 05:59 PM..
Hello, most people on here don't realize that you can get your nursing degree at FVCC (Flathead Community College) as well as other medical specialties. I have a friend who is in the Nuclear radiation tech program right now. I also have a friend that has a rare and mostly fatal type of cancer and she raves about the cancer center at Kalispell Regional Medical Center, they have kept her going longer than anyone expected so they must be doing something right.
As far as I have heard from her as well as others, they are as state of the art as any you would find in a city like Seattle or San Francisco. The people I have heard from actually prefer this center becasue the doc's and the staff are really caring and up front about what to expect. My father-in-law came to visit from CA and had to do dialysis and he was amazed at the facility and staff and commented they were better than where he came from!
They just finished the little league all stars last weekend, and from what I have seen (I used to live next to one of the ball fields) they take it pretty seriously here.
Tree care.... hmmm, well there's the utilities like Flathead Electric and cable that deal with trees all the time around the lines, then there are quite a few retail tree nurseries, there's Home Depot and Lowes who are always looking for garden area people who know their stuff and there are tree services here not to mention the forest service,county jobs,city jobs and it might be worth looking at starting your own. I think it depends on what part of trees you want to deal with.
I can say that pretty much anywhere is kid friendly some places have more for kids to do than others. If they are into winter sports like snowboard or skiing (both down hill and cross country) you might want to think about somewhere near a resort. Hiking,biking and fishing as well as river floats can be done almost anywhere in MT and no matter where you live the forest in never far away. It sounds like you will need to be somewhere around either Great Falls, Missoula or Kalispell. All of these areas have the things you want, some like Missoula may be a little to "progressive" for you. I think it is getting to be a toned down version of a San Francisco area city, but I can't say how long it will remain toned down.
I personally like the Kalispell area, you don't have to live in town if you don't want to but still be near medical and some stores. There are still areas in the county where you can get pretty much what you are looking for. Some will say it is way too expensive and in some areas they are correct but if you look you will find something that will work for you not to mention you are a stones throw from some of the best scenery in the nation and 2 decent ski resorts and multiple rivers to fish/float. Oh, I almpst forgot home school, all of my neighbors home school and the county superintendant is very supportive and helpful with materiels and such.
Hope this helps....
.... My mother is also planning on moving to Montana and she has breast cancer which spread to her spine. does anyone have any info on the best cancer centers in Montana?[/b]
As an added note....
If you had chosen to live in Kalispell or surrounding area, and your mother's condition begins to deteriorate... she might be transfered to either Great Falls or Seattle.
Kalispell's centers for health are, somewhat dated, and Missoula doesn't have anything of the kind with regard to a modern cancer center.
Great Falls Sletten Cancer Institute has the first robotic radiosurgery machine in the entire state... and the only one between Seattle and Minneapolis (http://montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?s=5092956 - broken link).... We are... incidently..... "state of the art"
Folks in the west aren't anywhere near as friendly as those of us in the east..... probably because there is only one Montana native left over there, for every ten from California.
Last edited by GiftShoppeGuy; 07-11-2007 at 07:29 PM..
This is a nice post to see. My husband and I are planning to move to Great Falls this summer with our four children! After looking at different places we settled on Great Falls and I encourage you to consider it. We are also going to be looking for a good church so any information on that front would be appreciated.
I have a great friend that has a ranch there and she and her family have lived there a long time her name is Katie and her phone number is 720-495-2481. You are welcome to call her and she would be happy to answer questions for you
If you had chosen to live in Kalispell or surrounding area, and your mother's condition begins to deteriorate... she might be transfered to either Great Falls or Seattle.
Kalispell's centers for health are, somewhat dated, and Missoula doesn't have anything of the kind with regard to a modern cancer center.
Great Falls Sletten Cancer Institute has the first robotic radiosurgery machine in the entire state... and the only one between Seattle and Minneapolis (http://montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?s=5092956 - broken link).... We are... incidently..... "state of the art"
Folks in the west aren't anywhere near as friendly as those of us in the east..... probably because there is only one Montana native left over there, for every ten from California.
Giftshoppe,
I would suggest that you check on your facts before acting as an expert in a place you don't live or have current experience in. I would agree that the health centers USED to be dated but with the building of the new (as in opened last month) medical center in Whitefish and the large expansion of KRMC in the last year or so they are not "dated" anymore. I don't act as an expert on Great Falls becasue I don't have current info on it. I do know that they have top notch medical care for the most part but there are things they don't do as well as here.
You will notice when the olympic skier crashed on the mountain and was as good as dead they didn't ship him to Great Falls... No, one of the best neuro guys I have ever met (and I have met a few) did his magic and fixed him HERE.
My friend has Multiple Myloma (usually a death sentence) and she was not shipped to Great Falls or Seattle. Most of her treatment was done here except a brief stint in Utah which following your ideas must be way more advanced than Great Falls. Anyway, still alive and doing well even though she is getting help from a "dated" facility. Oh, I guess I should add that they fixed a major surgical screw up done on me in San Francisco at this "dated" medical facility.
There are some things that are not done here, that is true but that is an monitary decision from not enough call to do them. Times have changed up here in little backwards Kalispell, we actually have doctors that don't use a horse and buggy to visit their patients anymore. Maybe a visit to the area is in order for you?
Sorry to seem touchy about this but they have saved my life twice and some of my friends lives as well and do so on a daily basis. Just becasue some people are transferred to other hospitals doesn't mean the facility is "dated" or not as good. Most of the time it means that these other hospitals have invested money in certain areas (and not others) due to high use. So, since you say Great Falls has such a state of the art cancer center with all the latest machines that must mean they treat a lot of patients in order to pay for it. I didn't know cancer was that prevelant there. Is it the water or do they know what is causing it?
Jimj is right, both Kalispell and Whitefish have made significant investments into their healthcare facilities. One plus to all the growth in the Flathead is that many talented doctors have moved to the area in recent years.
Missoula's St. Pat's is a heart hospital and I don't know about Billings.
Your husband also might have more luck in the Flathead as there are many more Forest Service jobs and trees in general.
what is the climate like in that area in comparision to the rest of the state. From the posts I have read it seems that Montana's climate has alot to do with the area you are in
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Answers to some of your questions....
