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Old 05-26-2012, 07:34 PM
 
4 posts, read 6,914 times
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I have posted before but I am going to again and try and recapture what im looking for... I was raised in Pennsylvania and have been moving between there and Alabama for quite some time now... For many years though I have had this pull to Montana... I have never been off the east coast but from all that I have hear of it and seen in pictures and have fallen in love with the state... I am wanting to find a small ranching community... would like it to have ranches for miles to come as one day i would like to own a horse ranch... one of those communities that everyone knows you and knows everything about you lol... where everyone is like family and the neighbors are always there to help... I love the country and wide open spaces... It would be nice if it had like community/church gatherings or something... I would love for it to be in the bozeman area(can be a couple hours away)... would anyone happen to have any suggestions as to where i might find a town like this if there even is any in existance... please help
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Old 05-26-2012, 10:03 PM
 
Location: North Dakota
10,350 posts, read 13,928,406 times
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The first thing I will say on this, and I hate to burst your bubble, but Montana is not a state to move to on a whim. The wages are low and the cost of living in the beautiful parts of the state you see on the postcards and in movies like Legends of the Fall and A River Runs Through it are expensive. As far as owning a horse ranch, just make sure you do your homework beforehand. Most towns in Montana are the type where everybody knows everyone and there are generally the stereotypical small town values. Also consider that in many areas of Montana there is a dislike/distrust toward outsiders, especially those from "back east" which in some areas of the state means anyone outside of Montana. I hate to sound negative, but this is the reality.

That being said, if you are choosing the Bozeman area, I would research Livingston, Three Forks, and Manhattan.
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Old 05-27-2012, 10:34 AM
 
203 posts, read 496,612 times
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Nothing different from rural PA. I bet you will do fine. Pay no mind to the doom and gloom. Good luck, and let us know how you are doing!
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Old 05-27-2012, 11:14 AM
 
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Glad to see you still have your dream! I went back and read your old post/thread. Some good links there. I think you should have a "small" intermediate dream which can be realized fairly easily before you plunge into the big one: A Montana summer vacation. Fly into Missoula and rent a car, and travel east and go exploring! Line up some lodges (more fun than motels) for 2-3 days in several areas, and make day trips, catching whatever little festivals there may be in the general area of SW MT. Make sure to visit Ennis--great ranching country (but very short summer because of the altitude). If you think you can't afford it because it will drain funds from your savings for your actual move, I can tell you it is going to be worth it. Rather that, than make the move and realize after a few months or a year that you made a terrible mistake...On a vacation trip you'll meet people, talk to them and get a first hand impression of their attitude toward outsiders, you'll get a sense of the distances between ranch country and towns with hospitals/clinics (if you're still considering work), and you'll simply see for yourself if your inner Montana corresponds to the real one. There will be some bubbles burst, yes, but you will also find elements of what you're hoping for--and then, when the time comes to make a decision, you're going into it with your eyes open, and you will also have had a terrific vacation.
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Old 05-27-2012, 11:22 AM
 
Location: North Dakota
10,350 posts, read 13,928,406 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gfunkerror View Post
Nothing different from rural PA. I bet you will do fine. Pay no mind to the doom and gloom. Good luck, and let us know how you are doing!
This doom and gloom is reality.
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Old 05-27-2012, 01:36 PM
 
1,077 posts, read 2,631,979 times
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Agree, I've said it before, Montana is a "sacrifice" state. If you are not willing to sacrifice to live here, it's going to be tough to stay. As far as horse ranches go....how much experience do you have in the equine industry? Reining, roping, cutting or performance experience? I have family members in the industry and my husband and I raise a few mules. I'm asking because if you don't have experience you may be in for a shock. Montana horses are far different than Eastern bred warmbloods. We don't look for the right horse, we expect the horse we have to work hard, go miles and miles for days at a time, sometimes packing a few hundred pounds. They don't have lush green grass and cork to walk on and many don't have much more than a tree for shelter. Those Eastern warmbloods who don't fall the first trip into the hills won't make it through the first winter. Even Quarter Horses back East do not weather good here. Even the larger horse ranches here have a hard time as the income depends on the economy. Nobody is going to buy high dollar horses when the money isn't there.
Jobs are scarce, and hard to find. Good paying jobs are usually secured by local folks in small rural towns. Ironic that most out of staters are looking for that "small town, Mayberry" atmosphere yet are upset when locals support locals. Ranching is a feast/famine living. You are soley dependent on day to day prices and are at natures mercy.
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Old 05-27-2012, 04:26 PM
 
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Keep in mind that ranches and or sports teams are current favorites of the wealthy looking to offset income for tax purposes.

Clarification of whether you are talking about owning a place with few pleasure horses for personal use or if you are talking about raising horses as a business would help me give specific and perhaps more useful advice.
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Old 05-27-2012, 04:53 PM
 
Location: Bozeman, Montana
1,191 posts, read 3,001,759 times
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I don't know if you are financially independent or if you would need a job, but for small towns in the area you requested, look at Three Forks, Willow Creek, and Manhattan. Jobs in small towns are, in general, not easy to find.
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Old 05-28-2012, 09:25 PM
 
203 posts, read 496,612 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WyoEagle View Post
This doom and gloom is reality.
For anywhere. That is my point. Montana is not some rare economic place that in rural areas life is harder, jobs are hard to find, and so on.

If the OP is from Rural PA, I am sure they are already experienced in life in general. Rural PA is no piece of cake.

It cracks me up people keep telling "it like it is," as if everywhere else is easier living.

Just like in this thread, the horses are tougher? Come on now. Warm Blooded? They are horses, not reptiles!

Oh whoa'z me, Montana is so hard to live. Please. I swear it is a ploy to keep them outsiders out.

So all this doom and gloom, its like a self depriving thing or something?

Where is all the "Pioneer", pull yerself up and make do? I mean really. I would assume if you are singing the blue , some people's family of the past would be ashamed.

American life is the same all over, different views..true, but unemployment is crap, maybe in a few years we'll see a up turn. A truck job I used to get paid for well, is now a few bucks above the minimum wage limit.

meh...I could go on all day. As long as you have the desire, you will find a way. Sure if you want 6 figure jobs, there might not be so many. But if you are "sacrificing" as one good post says, then you will be fine I am sure, whether in Montana, or frigg'n Costa Rica.
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Old 05-28-2012, 10:46 PM
 
4 posts, read 6,914 times
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well I don't mind hard work or making my living... it definitely is tough al over and rural pa is definitely tough... that said when it comes to work i am in nursing and it isnt as hard to find a job in that and i am willing to make a commute and on the horse front i was raised with horses i love them and i am not sure if i will want them for work or just pleasure... they are a pleasure no matter what you have them for... they are majestic and wonderful creatures and i am sure that i can handle anything the good lord puts my way... life gets tough no matter where you live ya just gotta be thankful for what you have and work hard to stay on your feet... i have a friend that drives truck and i plan on visiting and seeing the state riding with him and i will never have a problem with small town life where locals help locals... if i have something i dont want anyone knowing that bad i just wont tell anyone... i think small town is the best way to live... everyone is lie family and everyone helps everyone... everyone is an outsider where they move to if they ever move and even though it takes time eventually everyone gets to know one another and settles in... thank you for all the advice and i look forward to more...
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