Family moving west...any small mountain town suggestions? (Missoula, Bozeman: real estate, rent)

[looking2goWest]

Hello - my family and I are looking at moving up into the mountains of WY, MT or CO. We'd prefer a small mountain town where the neighbor helps neighbor mentality is still intact. I dont mind a commute of up to an hour one way. I am an executive assistant so I'd need to be near an area with corporate possibilities. My husband is a medically retired Marine looking to work in the wildlife sector. Can anyone suggest a few mountain towns for us to raise our kids in? We live in CT and it's too expensive, arrogant, and has completely lost the small town feel. I would much rather sit in traffic because of cattle crossings than some jerk who couldn't obey the laws and caused an accident. We are moving away from everything we know in order to give our kids the life they deserve, which we can't afford to do here in CT and all I can find online is conflicting information on statistics (schools, jobs, houses). I've printed out maps, looked for the largest cities with work possibilites and then searched the surrounding towns and am running in circles. If someone from the area could name a few neat little mountain towns...Id appreciate it more than you know! We like woods, mountains and cabins...not so much the plains, even though they're beautiful. We feel more comfortable tucked into the woods. We just need a starting point. WY is SOOOOO much bigger than CT...we are overwhelmed and dont know where to begin. Thanks SO much in advance!!

[happiness is]

Of the three states you mention, the only one with a large city in the sense that you are describing is Colorado, with the city of Denver.

You can consider Helena, Missoula, or Bozeman, but you will not find the corporate headquarter businesses in Montana or Wyoming that you have back east. There just isn't enough population.

Many people here have to start their own small business to create a job for themselves.

Here is an interesting article in today's Bozeman newspaper that you may find informative.

‘Silicon Prairie’ fertile ground for online business - The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Economy

Hope that helps.

H.I.
Bozeman

[Clark Fork Fantast]

You may want to look into the corporate situation in Spokane, WA, the largest city in the region north of Denver. You can find small, charming communities within an easy commute in North Idaho along 90 and 95, in the woods, with mountain views or at least easy access to mountains (Selkirks, Bitterroots). But even here, a genuine "small mountain town" such as Wallace will have a challenging commute to the city of Spokane, more than an hour, and over a mountain pass--not easy in winter.

[happiness is]

looking2goWest, have you spent any time in the Rocky Mountain states?

[looking2goWest]

Thank you all for the suggestion. We haven't been able to get any further west than the Blue Ridge Mountains in Western NC. The reason we're looking out west is A) We've always wanted to be out there B) The real estate is actually affordable C) there are more wildlife sector jobs for my Husband, D) Western states seem to be more willing to hire a wounded Vet than Eastern States, and E) Who WOULDN"T want to live in the most gorgeous land on North America?? Joking aside, it's the mentality of the west that we want. The one where if you see your neighbor broken down on the side of the road - you stop to help. It's not like that back East anymore, and thats not the world I want my kids to be raised in. My Husband and I were both brought up differently than that. So, what we are trying to do is to gather as much info as we can to pinpoint 3 or 4 different areas between the entire Northwestern Corner of the US and then we will fly out to visit and see if the areas we chose are suitable for our needs. Thank you all SO SO SO SO incredibly much for the time you took to write those posts. I really do appreciate any tiny bit of info I can gather.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

So glad to hear you're planning a visit. It's the only way to do it--fun and educational! I came west decades ago with merely a temp job offer, just because I wanted to be part of the western experience, and I never regretted it. Now you'll have a couple of dreary dragging winter months where you can plan for the beginning of your adventure. A possible plan would be to fly into Salt Lake City and rent a car, and drive south to I-70, across CO to Denver, and then up 25 through WY to 90 and west through MT into North Idaho, with plenty of side trips or traveling on alternative county roads, then back down 90 to 93 to 15 to SLC. We've been doing road trips in the NW for a long time and still have plenty of new places to visit! So if there's anything I might be able to help sort out in your mind, feel free to DM me.

Just read your other responses. If you're going to narrow the search down to Western MT, it's cheaper to fly into Spokane, WA (then you can check out that area, too ) and drive east on 90 through North Idaho to MT. Don't forget to also have fun: Glacier, Grand Tetons and Yellowstone beckon!

[happiness is]

You didn't say what industry you work in as an executive assistant, but your organizational skills and experience can be applied to many of the smaller companies that are not like the big corporations you may be used to.

Check out ILX Lightwave, Zoot Enterprises, Right Now Technologies. There are at least 90 tech companies in Bozeman.
Bozeman.com

I highly recommend looking into the growing tech sector in Bozeman. The town is home to Montana State University, where the research and business entrepreneurship fosters new businesses based here. Some are mentioned in the article I linked to in my first response to you.

For your husband, I have several friends who have worked as park rangers in Yellowstone while their homes are in Bozeman. There are also Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Forest Service jobs. Don't be put off by people saying Bozeman is too expensive. Yes, there was a building boom here before the recession, but housing costs have been coming down a lot, and it is much cheaper than what you are used to back east.

Hope that helps.

H.I.
Bozeman