U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Montana
 [Register]
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.
Jump to a detailed profile or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Business Search - 14 Million verified businesses
Search for:  near: 
Reply
 
Unread 01-11-2012, 08:53 PM
 
4 posts, read 5,629 times
Reputation: 10
Default Bozeman or Helena

Hello all! This is my first post though I've been following the posts a bit. I'm a widowed mom of 3 looking to move away from the rat race so to speak. The town I live seems to be generally all about material items and botox and coming from a military background I just can't seem to fit in here or relate to people. I moved here to be close to family after my husband passed, but the time has come to leave. A friend of mine from Great Falls mentioned Montana might be a good fit. I've lived in snow, but I'm sure Montana weather will be a shock, though one I'm happy to deal with if it gets me to a place where I can raise my kids the way I want.

I'm a veteran applying for Federal jobs so am limited to a few areas including Helena, Bozeman, and West Glacier. Any thoughts on which of these places might work better for us? Is there any opportunity to buy a little land in these areas? I appreciate any info you can provide.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Unread 01-11-2012, 09:20 PM
 
4 posts, read 5,629 times
Reputation: 10
Default Scratch West Glacier

Just did a quick search to get an idea of housing prices and West Glacier is way out of my price range. So looks like just Bozeman or Helena.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 01-11-2012, 09:29 PM
 
15,341 posts, read 6,968,600 times
Reputation: 18135
Helena has the VAMC, in Fort Harrison. More services for vets here, and opportunities to work for state or fed employers. I think Helena is cheaper than Bozeman, which is quite pricey, due to the ski area, lots of folks buying in that area.
__________________
My posts as a Mod will always be in red.
Be sure to review Terms of Service: TOS
And check this out: FAQ
Moderator for True Crime and General Moving Forums.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 01-12-2012, 08:15 AM
 
4 posts, read 5,629 times
Reputation: 10
Thanks for the info!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 01-12-2012, 10:59 AM
 
Location: Bozeman, Montana
1,067 posts, read 852,512 times
Reputation: 506
Reading your needs, my first recommendation is Helena, too. Having Fort Harrison there, the cost of living of Helena lower than Bozeman, and the higher chance of getting a government job in Helena are the main reasons. I grew up in Helena. The schools are good, it has mountains, forests, lakes, and a fine community.

Living in town, you are close enough to get the kids to school and back for all their after-school activities, which becomes a real pain if you have to drive them from out of town, especially in the winter.

Having had the choice myself of living in a secluded, unpopulated area, and then living in town to raise a child, it's important to remember that the kids want to see their friends, want to participate in what kids in school and town are doing, and unless you have a working farm or ranch, your kids are going to be spending a lot of time in town with what is happening at school, sports, etc. You don't need your own land to hike, fish, hunt, etc.

I recommend this web site guide to living in the west without negatively impacting the wide open spaces we all love here.
Welcome to the West Guide | Western Sustainability Exchange

There has been plenty of residential sprawl into rural land over the last couple of decades, so you may be able to find a house and some acres on the market when you talk to Helena realtors.

Public land, trails, outdoor recreation, are all just minutes from any town in Montana. No need to buy land to have it.

Hope that helps.

H.I.
Bozeman
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 01-12-2012, 11:42 AM
 
Location: SW Montana
200 posts, read 140,676 times
Reputation: 144
And Helena has Canyon Ferry with all those delicious walleye!

Bozeman has a VA walk-in clinic.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 01-12-2012, 12:36 PM
 
Location: Spots Wyoming
14,744 posts, read 15,838,441 times
Reputation: 8067
Actually, there are severa VA clinics around Montana, but Helena being the only VA Hospital. Here's the list:

Veterans Administration
3687 Veterans Drive
P.O. Box 1500
Fort Harrison, MT 59636-1500
1-877-468-8387

Anaconda
VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic
118 E. 7th Street
Anaconda, MT 59711
Phone: 406-563-6090
Hours: 8:00am - 4:30pm

Billings
VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic
1775 Spring Creek Lane
Billings, Montana 59102
Hours: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
FAX: 406-373-3520

Bozeman
VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic
300 N. Willson, Suite 703G
Bozeman, MT 59715
Phone: 406-582-5300
Hours: 8:00am - 4:30pm

Cutbank
VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic
Glacier Community Health Center
519 E. Main
Cut Bank, Montana 59427
(406) 873-9047
8 AM - 4:30 PM

Glascow
VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic
630 Second Street South, Suite A
Glasgow, MT 59230
Phone: 406-228-4101
Fax: 406-228-4104
Hours: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Glendive
VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic
2000 Montana Avenue
Glendive, MT 59330
Phone: 406-377-4755
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Great Falls
VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic
1417 9th Street South
Suite 200 and 300
Great Falls, MT 59405
Phone: 406-791-3200
Toll free: 877-468-8387
8:00am - 4:30pm

Havre
VA Community Based Outreach Clinic
130 13th Street, Suite 1
Havre, MT 59501
To schedule an appointment, call 1-877-468-8387.
To contact the clinic, call (406) 265-4304

Kalispell
VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic
Three Mile Professional BLDG
31 Three Mile Drive, STE 102
Kalispell, MT 59901
Phone: 406-758-2700
Hours: 8:00am - 4:30pm

Lewistown
VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic
629 NE Main, Suite 1
Lewistown, MT 59457
Phone: 406-535-4790
Hours: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Miles City
VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic and Community Living Center (CLC)
210 S. Winchester
Miles City, MT 59301
Main Phone: 406-874-5600
Clinic: 406-874-5675
Community Living Center: 406-874-5800
8:00am - 4:30pm

Missoula
VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic
2687 Palmer Street, Suite C
Missoula, MT 59808
406-829-5400 (Clerk/LPN)
8:00am - 4:30pm
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 01-12-2012, 03:16 PM
 
Location: Wyoming
2,191 posts, read 1,287,492 times
Reputation: 1541
I can speak for Bozeman more since I have lived there, and if you do not like people being obsessed with material items that town is not going to be a good fit. It found it very pretentious, although not being a college student you won't have to face that discrimination. My ex is from Helena so I have a bad association with that town. In all seriousness though, Helena doesn't seem so bad. From what I've observed, government seems to be the main employer in town. I'm sure a Helenan on this board can help you out much more than me.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 01-13-2012, 07:49 AM
 
4 posts, read 5,629 times
Reputation: 10
Thanks H.I., I agree with the kids needing to be connected to friends, they keep me hopping here with their after school activities! I may have misled with my post about the land. My house right now doesn't have a yard, I live in a "historic" neighborhood which means that my outside area consists of a brick patio and my neighbors and I could probably pass eachother milk through our kitchen windows By land, I just meant a good sized yard where the kids and dog could run around.

Helena is sounding like a good fit. I've been looking more into it, there is also a position in Billings and I'm looking into that as well. Any thoughts on Billings compared to Helena?

Thank you all for the input!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 01-13-2012, 08:46 AM
 
Location: Bozeman, Montana
1,067 posts, read 852,512 times
Reputation: 506
Billings is larger than Helena, and the landscape is different. Billings is on the open plains, and Helena has forested mountain ranges around it.

Helena has a walkable downtown area, the historic Last Chance Gulch, and Billings has basically many high traffic "strip mall" streets.

I prefer the mountains and a smaller town than Billings, so I prefer Helena. Billings is booming, though, so there are more job opportunities there.

Have you looked at the photos and videos online showing both places?
Have you spent any time in Montana before?

Hope that helps.

HI
Bozeman
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
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.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Options
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2005-2010 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $47,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Montana
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:15 PM.

© 2005-2013, Advameg, Inc.

City-Data.com - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 - Top