Thinking about Billings...a few more questions (Missoula, Bozeman: apartments, for rent)

[kristina_no]

I know there have been multiple discussions about Billings and its surrounding areas, however, I would be very thankful if someone could answer a few more questions about it. We might have a chance to move there if the job lead goes through.

1. Is downtown Billings alive? Or is it pretty quiet for the most part? Do people walk on the streets?

2. Is tourism a big thing in Billings given its proximity to the scenic parks? Or would you normally see tourists in park areas?

3. Are people accepting of non-domestic accents and origins? Is it unusual to see someone from a different country?

4. Is it hard to find a place for a family with a dog? Where we live it's virtually impossible to rent a pet-friendly place. So just thought I'd check that too.

Thanks to everyone who finds the time to answer these questions!

[MTSilvertip]

Originally Posted by kristina_no

I know there have been multiple discussions about Billings and its surrounding areas, however, I would be very thankful if someone could answer a few more questions about it. We might have a chance to move there if the job lead goes through.

1. Is downtown Billings alive? Or is it pretty quiet for the most part? Do people walk on the streets?
I see a lot of people walking around Billings, not sure what you mean by "alive" but there are concerts and shows and stuff all the time. Lots of bars too.

2. Is tourism a big thing in Billings given its proximity to the scenic parks? Or would you normally see tourists in park areas?
Most tourism is around the western end of the state, but there are tourists passing through and Red Lodge to the south west is a popular spot for visitors.

3. Are people accepting of non-domestic accents and origins? Is it unusual to see someone from a different country?
Billings probably has the largest population of emigrants of any place in the state that live there. (Bozeman and Missoula have the students, but they don't stay beyond college for the most part).

4. Is it hard to find a place for a family with a dog? Where we live it's virtually impossible to rent a pet-friendly place. So just thought I'd check that too.
Don't know, don't rent there, but there are an awful lot of dogs around if that isn't an option

Thanks to everyone who finds the time to answer these questions!

I don't live in Billings, I have spent a quite a bit of time there and it is probably the most diverse city in the state with the most urban amenities on a day to day basis.

[Riptide_NVN]

Downtown Billings has a pulse. The positives: concerts, restaurants, bars, shops, etc.. Most of the standard stuff is there. Along with the standard downtown city stuff you will also find homeless especially native American homeless are pretty common. That's the downside but I'm not sure it's that different in any city.

Agree with post #2 on response to #2.

Most of the MT population is caucasian. People are fairly accepting of non WASP ethnic groups and accents. That said much like WY there are a lot of people who harbor racist and anti-gay sentiment. You just won't necessarily hear it spoken about with a bullhorn. It's under the surface.
Certainly it is much more common than liberal states like CA or NY.

There are homes for rent and you might be able to find one that allows a pet. Apartments maybe a cat but I'm not sure about dogs there. You should check craigslist and billingsgazette.com.

[historyfan]

Billings is a hub of sorts for all industry..energy & agriculture...that happens in Eastern Montana. The downtown is not as vibrant with foot traffic as Missoula or Helena. It has some activity around the depot area.

Dogs I can not speak to. Montana as a whole is full of dog owners.

Summer tourists are everywhere in Montana. Motels fill to capacity all summer.

Billings has more diversity than any place in MT. But it is not diverse by national standards.

Billings is very blue collar with a strong hard working middle class. There are a few cultural type avenues but it is a "working man's" town. So it has some rough edges. I think it is experiencing some growing pains and undergoing some expansion right now. I believe it to be one of opportunity places in the state.

It has the best air connections and shipping connections in the state.

[kristina_no]

Those are some really great and helpful answers. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to share them. I cannot wait to visit Billings.

[oldtrader]

As to race, Census Figures--- White alone - 90,503 (86.9%) Hispanic - 5,456 (5.2%) American Indian alone - 4,204 (4.0%) Two or more races - 2,357 (2.3%) Black alone - 750 (0.7%) Asian alone - 755 (0.7%) Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone - 84 (0.08%) Other race alone - 61 (0.06%)

Billings is more tolerant than many places as to race, as the white population does not feel it is in competition with other races, and other races do not try to compete for power with the whites. You do not get that type of prejudice here unless they bring it from some place else. You don't see the strong racial divide you see in so many cities, with the predominate race looking down on the next most predominate race with each wanting to dominate.

Billings is a good solid middle America working class town. Not one where people think they are better than others. Not one with huge slums and high income areas. Good town for average people is the way I would describe it.