Looking for summer sunshine (Missoula, Bozeman: house prices, buy, gated)

[jonsid]

My wife and I are retired and presently have a cabin in the mountains of NC. We spend winters (Nov - April) in Florida. Everything is great except for one thing: it's too rainy in NC in july and august. The humidity is 98% in the morning and drops to about 80% in the afternoon. We're tired of having no sun. Mold is growing under our eyelids. Montana looks like a great place to be from about the middle of june to end of august. We have an RV and would like to know where you might recommend to park it, maybe buy a small piece of land etc. We like having some shopping (Wal-Mart etc, within 15 miles or so). We don't care how brutal the winters are (and I heard they can be) 'cause we don't plan on staying there year round.
We live off the grid in NC, so are used to roughing it a bit. We don't think we'll cause house prices to rise, although that was the complaint here in NC when I moved here from CT 20 years ago. We're just looking for a nice place to hang out in the summer, dry with lots of sun. CA is too expensive for us and we're used to living in a small town.

[MHT]

Summer in Montana is great! I would suggest taking a trip through Montana next summer and checking it out. The Flathead is nice (north of Missoula - towards Glacier Park), so is Hamilton way (south of Missoula). Southwestern Montana is beautiful also. Choteau is beautiful. Red Lodge, Bozeman, there are just a lot of wonderful places in Montana to live.

[ladyflyfsh]

Summers in Montana are the best. Not much rain after about the middle of July and the climate is dry, so absolutely no humidity. The evenings cool down to the 50's or upper 40's depending on elevation so not too much need for AC, although it was quite hot this summer. We had multiple days in the 90's and even into the 100's but when there is no moisture in the air, it doesn't feel too bad. Same goes for winters. Dry so 20 degrees doesn't feel that cold. I don't even put on a real coat until it hits the teens and we have wind.

Some areas are arid and dry and desert like but I like the valley where I am because it is a big hay growing area and so everything is emerald green all summer because the fields are irrigated. I also prefer being close to the mountains and streams and having trees. Cardwell is gorgeous, the Ruby and Jefferson Valleys are gorgeous, north of Missoula up around Nine Mile is stunning country, the Flathead has orchards (cherries) and the lake etc.

Eastern MT is barren and open and no mountains. Think battle of the Big Horn and wide open spaces. Not my favorite! SW Montana is still my favorite of the state.

Good luck. Land is still reasonable here but starting to rise as Bozemanites try to flee the crowds and move back to the country.

[jonsid]

MHT and Ladyflyfsh: Thanks for all the wonderful information. We're looking forward to visiting those areas next summer.