where to live? (Missoula, Bozeman, Helena: crime, house, job transfer)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We might be moving to Montana before the year ends. What is the best place to live near the Canyon Ferry Dam/Power plant area? (east of Helena) We have a 10-month old baby so hopefully a safe and family-oriented area is preferable.
Thank you! Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Townsend is at the south end of the reservoir, and the Canyon Ferry dam is at the north end.
Here is a map to give you an idea of the location. http://www.townsendmt.com/chd_sec1pg11.asp
Helena is a great town to raise a family. As safe and friendly as it gets. I hate to be negative, but Townsend is a DUMP and it's also a long way from the dam. Actually, the area between Helena and the dam is really beautiful. Rolling hills more reminiscent of upstate New York, but obviously with fewer people. It's nice country. There really aren't many other options, except for York, which is in the middle of nowhere. East Helena is also a dump. Boulder is really nice but probably farther than you want to commute.
I guess if you consider living in the valley between the Elkhorn Mountains to the west, the Big Belts to the east, having the Missouri River flowing right by the town, Canyon Ferry Reservoir to the north, nearly unlimited opportunities for hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, snowmobiling, friendly people who are involved in their schools and community, and gentle green farms stretching south down the valley as a dump, I guess your definition of "dump" and mine are very different.
Townsend is a great place full of good people. It does have some older neighborhoods, but name a town that doesn't. While it doesn't have a lot of strip malls and shopping opportunities, but there are a lot of community activities like the fair, the rodeo, the fall fest, gun shows, fiddler's pic-nics, hobby shows, high school games, fishing tournaments, it goes on.
And, Townsend is only 30 miles from Helena, about 60 miles from Bozeman, but just next door to heaven.
The Dam at Canyon Ferry is about 15 miles or so north of town. You can walk from town to the Missouri River, or be at the south end of the reservoir by car in less than 10 minutes drive.
East Helena was dominated by the lead smelter for most of it's existence, but the smelter is closed now and many of the buildings are gone, the stacks are gone, the jobs are gone, and soon even the clinker piles will be gone as there is a company that is making them into industrial abrasive.
Now it is basically a bedroom community for Helena as it is only 5 miles outside of city limits, but the taxes are about 1/2 or less for living in the city without loosing any of the amenities.
Mostly retired people living there now, but there are a lot of subdevelopments to the north and east so the schools are full of kids.
There are a lot of older homes, but most are well kept.
There is a good community of people leading a quiet life in East Helena, good community feel, but there are not many jobs as the businesses are in Helena. There are folks that try to run small businesses, some do ok, but will never get rich.
The town gives you the conveniences of living in town, without the associated crime and traffic and high costs of city services found in Helena proper.
It also has mountains surrounding it, Prickly Pear Creek runs through town, there are a couple of very nice little parks, a rodeo, Christmas Stroll, and the best 4th of July celebration around.
The VFW actually puts on a parade for Veterans Day, and patriotism and country are still celebrated in this little town.
Outside of the reservations, I don't know of any real town in Montana I would refer to as a "dump". They may be a little rustic, may lack some of the amenities of the larger towns, may not have shopping and shows and shops selling overpriced lousy coffee, but they are home to a lot of good, hard working, decent people.
Larger towns like Missoula have 0 charm for me, I don't like crowds, I don't appreciate traffic full of "important" people who can't hang up their cell phone for a few minutes and have no problem running over everybody else on the road. I don't like high taxes and fees for the privilage of saying "I live in XXX so I am better than you poor hicks".
I prefer towns where I know just about everybody, can leave my door and car unlocked, can depend on my neighbors to come help if I need it and I would do the same for them.
I prefer towns that will put on a benefit to help a neighbor pay for medical care, or will mow the lawn or paint the house, or shovel snow off the walk for an elderly neighbor who can't do for themselves.
I like towns where if you are working on a car or building a shed, someone will stop by and try to help, or maybe bring over some refreshments on a hot day to the guys who are working. When gardens start to produce, there are baskets and bags of fresh vegetables for everybody, and the hunters who bring home game, or fishermen with a good day on the lake, spread the good fortune all over the neighborhood.
If you walk by someones house and smell Bar-B-Que, you better move fast or you will soon be sitting in a lawn chair with a plate of food that would take care of a small family for a week.
I prefer towns where some of the folks may have money, some don't, but you will see them socializing at the local school games or trading jokes at the local cafe over a real cup of coffee.
Small towns aren't "dumps", they are people's homes and the superfical paint or age of the homes say absolutely nothing about the warm hearted folks who live there and call it home.
Small towns are what you make of them. You just don't have the annonimity of larger places so you have to earn respect because the small minded and mean are shown for what they are and avoided. There is no place to hide and they are seen for what they are.
The good folks are taken in and become part of something better, they become family.
I will take your "dump" anytime over a psudo "cosmopolitan" town like Missoula anyday of the week.
Location: MT/34 yrs full time after 4 yrs part time
1,148 posts, read 924,799 times
Reputation: 1342
Quote:
Originally Posted by MTSilvertip
I guess if you consider living in the valley between the Elkhorn Mountains to the west, the Big Belts to the east, having the Missouri River flowing right by the town, Canyon Ferry Reservoir to the north, nearly unlimited opportunities for hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, snowmobiling, friendly people who are involved in their schools and community, and gentle green farms stretching south down the valley as a dump, I guess your definition of "dump" and mine are very different.
Townsend is a great place full of good people. It does have some older neighborhoods, but name a town that doesn't. While it doesn't have a lot of strip malls and shopping opportunities, but there are a lot of community activities like the fair, the rodeo, the fall fest, gun shows, fiddler's pic-nics, hobby shows, high school games, fishing tournaments, it goes on.
And, Townsend is only 30 miles from Helena, about 60 miles from Bozeman, but just next door to heaven.
The Dam at Canyon Ferry is about 15 miles or so north of town. You can walk from town to the Missouri River, or be at the south end of the reservoir by car in less than 10 minutes drive.
East Helena was dominated by the lead smelter for most of it's existence, but the smelter is closed now and many of the buildings are gone, the stacks are gone, the jobs are gone, and soon even the clinker piles will be gone as there is a company that is making them into industrial abrasive.
Now it is basically a bedroom community for Helena as it is only 5 miles outside of city limits, but the taxes are about 1/2 or less for living in the city without loosing any of the amenities.
Mostly retired people living there now, but there are a lot of subdevelopments to the north and east so the schools are full of kids.
There are a lot of older homes, but most are well kept.
There is a good community of people leading a quiet life in East Helena, good community feel, but there are not many jobs as the businesses are in Helena. There are folks that try to run small businesses, some do ok, but will never get rich.
The town gives you the conveniences of living in town, without the associated crime and traffic and high costs of city services found in Helena proper.
It also has mountains surrounding it, Prickly Pear Creek runs through town, there are a couple of very nice little parks, a rodeo, Christmas Stroll, and the best 4th of July celebration around.
The VFW actually puts on a parade for Veterans Day, and patriotism and country are still celebrated in this little town.
Outside of the reservations, I don't know of any real town in Montana I would refer to as a "dump". They may be a little rustic, may lack some of the amenities of the larger towns, may not have shopping and shows and shops selling overpriced lousy coffee, but they are home to a lot of good, hard working, decent people.
Larger towns like Missoula have 0 charm for me, I don't like crowds, I don't appreciate traffic full of "important" people who can't hang up their cell phone for a few minutes and have no problem running over everybody else on the road. I don't like high taxes and fees for the privilage of saying "I live in XXX so I am better than you poor hicks".
I prefer towns where I know just about everybody, can leave my door and car unlocked, can depend on my neighbors to come help if I need it and I would do the same for them.
I prefer towns that will put on a benefit to help a neighbor pay for medical care, or will mow the lawn or paint the house, or shovel snow off the walk for an elderly neighbor who can't do for themselves.
I like towns where if you are working on a car or building a shed, someone will stop by and try to help, or maybe bring over some refreshments on a hot day to the guys who are working. When gardens start to produce, there are baskets and bags of fresh vegetables for everybody, and the hunters who bring home game, or fishermen with a good day on the lake, spread the good fortune all over the neighborhood.
If you walk by someones house and smell Bar-B-Que, you better move fast or you will soon be sitting in a lawn chair with a plate of food that would take care of a small family for a week.
I prefer towns where some of the folks may have money, some don't, but you will see them socializing at the local school games or trading jokes at the local cafe over a real cup of coffee.
Small towns aren't "dumps", they are people's homes and the superfical paint or age of the homes say absolutely nothing about the warm hearted folks who live there and call it home.
Small towns are what you make of them. You just don't have the annonimity of larger places so you have to earn respect because the small minded and mean are shown for what they are and avoided. There is no place to hide and they are seen for what they are.
The good folks are taken in and become part of something better, they become family.
I will take your "dump" anytime over a psudo "cosmopolitan" town like Missoula anyday of the week.
..........Well said my friend...........well said
I grew up (until age 18) outside of a town of approx 1200 people. Then
went away to work my way through college (in a city of approx 35000 and really didn't like the atmosphere, but it did provide me with being able to hang on to 3 part time jobs until I graduated...........Then back to my "home town area" and a town of about 3900 prople. My wife, daughter and I loved living in a town that size .........knew just about everybody.......many were classmates than I had gone to grade school and high school with. Then a job transfer moved us to another state, and the town we lived just outside of (up in the foothills) was about 12,000.........larger, but still had the "small town atmosphere"-----it was in Colorado....before it was "discovered", and was still an "enjoyable western state" to live in and partake of "mother nature's gifts". Fantastic hunting ,fishing, skiing, hiking, and endless miles of foothills and mountains for horse back riding and pack trips (on horse back) over holiday 3 & 4 day week ends. (not crowded and congested back in the early 1960s. Then on to Montana some 33 years ago, and again built a house outside of a town (again about 3900 people). Yep, to this day,.....know about half of the "towns-people" and about half of those that live "out-in-the-county"......like me. [i]Wouldn't have it any other way[/I....Big city livin' "just can't compete" with "small town country livin".
When I was growing up in Helena, this is one of the towns my family liked to go to and wander around. I still have fond memories of it and it's one of my favorites.
I guess a lot of people would think of it as a dump.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
