Havre (Great Falls, Glendive, Box Elder: condo, home, buy)

[jimj]

As you say, you have no idea what it's like now. I live here, my son has friends in all 4 high schools and I can tell you there's no gangs here. Just because there's rules doesn't mean they exist. Back in the 90's there were some wannabe gang types and I talked to the judge that sent the leading members to the boys reformatory for an "evaluation" for 6 months. As he said, "they came back nice boys" and the so called "gang" problem was over.
So no, it's not everywhere, at least not here yet.

[montanagirl]

To NWSCRIBE----Hello..I don't blame you for wanting to move...I know Havre very well..it is a nice little town in the middle of no-where but has a good hospital and a cancer center is going in also..The hospital and clinics here seem to charge rates higher than any in the nation(that's what I have heard, and was on a tv documentary once)..With that being said, when you find your family doctor he will become your friend so to speak rather than just someone that treats your ailments..he/she will talk with you about your family and they will tell you about theirs..Hiway U.S. 2 is being reconstructed thru town right now and is a mess, but they're putting in new water/sewer lines and should look very nice once done...This is a Railroad town and most men work for the BNSF company..the hospital is a major employer...Gas drilling is big there too..farming and ranching families..People are nice here but it will take you about one to two years to really get to know them..most people have lived in the area all their lives and know the history of each family for generations..Don't say anything about a certain person to another unless you know who they're related to..most are inter-related in some way/shape or form..spring/summers/fall are gorgeous with the Bear Paw Mtns 20 mins away and wonderful for camping...I have never seen prettier lawns and wheat fields in my life--they are a bluish-green with " Big"skies reaching as far as the eye can see...winters are very cold and weather can get to -20 below zero here on any given winter day...black ice is scarry in winter and traveling is avoided when things get icy...other than working most do not go out much in winter because of weather conditions..it is a time to do those household projects/crafts-etc and sorta reflect on life/take it easy during this time of year..Children seem to be respectful of adults and do get a good education there as far as I know..they are not allowed to wear certain colors/bandanas (I hear) that are similar to gang colors, but maybe that is just hearsay...kids/adults seem to intermingle a lot with no problem-(for example)-when out camping in the Bear Paw Mtns, everyone gets together/camps..the kids/their dogs are running around the woods/creeks with their friends (many kids have walkie/talkies so parents can call them back to camp)--while the adults are BBQing/having a beer in camp/socializing, meeting the campers near them ..all have fun as a family yet do their own thing..Many people do not even lock their doors here..I would but many see no need for it..As far as being non-white or mixed racial-wise I see no reason to be alarmed/worried..yes, you might be stared at in the beginning just because most people are norwegian/irish-etc descent..but there is also an indian reservation close by and people mingle very well..it is not your color, it is your attitude/what you bring to the community that counts...you may have to be the one to extend your friendship more than they do at first, but isn't that true of any community anyone moves to?!! Havre's population seems to be going down in census, but I hear the Border Patrol is moving in and will help stimulate the economy more so..Most homes there are older, need remodeling/have basements and you need to watch out for basement flooding...homes are cheap here compared to where you're coming from..Good luck and hope this helped you somewhat...If you can take the cold winters, you will love raising your kids here..It is worth it!!

[nwscribe]

Thank-you so much Montanagirl, your post is a breath of fresh air. I could visualize what you were describing.

[Dynastar]

20 below? More like 40 below, although that's become more rare thanks to global warming, this last winter was quite mild.

I don't live in Havre, but near it. The negatives first:

Being a native Oregonian myself (small world, eh?) you may indeed miss the green. There are "mountains" south of town, and even a skiing area, but it's nothing like the Portland area. Your day to day view is wheat fields.

I don't think the race issue is quite so peachy-keen. The only common minority in the area is American Indian, and there is definetly some racism, but it's not horrible. As far as other races go, there really aren't any.

Forget about fine dining unless you love steak, steak, and steak. Did I mention steak? There is a Chinese place in town, and a Greek fast-food place, but that's as exotic as it gets. There's not much in the way of culteral events.

Finally, transportation. The nearest "real" airport is Great Falls, about 2 hours away, and there's no Greyhound, but Amtrak does have a station.


Positives:

The people are nice. I'm a member of a singing group in Havre, and it is a genuinely nice group of guys. If you like Havre, it will probably be because of the people. You do, as someone else said, probably need to live there a year or two before you'll make a good social connection.

It's a pretty safe town, and the cost of living is low. There are decent services, a hospital (although most specialists will require a drive to Great Falls or Billings), three grocery stores, including a WalMart, and a K-Mart.

In summary, I'm glad I've had the opportunity to live up here, but I doubt I'll be staying for the rest of my life. Your mileage may vary though, good luck and let us know how it goes!

[bigtrees]

Originally Posted by jimj

As you say, you have no idea what it's like now. I live here, my son has friends in all 4 high schools and I can tell you there's no gangs here. Just because there's rules doesn't mean they exist. Back in the 90's there were some wannabe gang types and I talked to the judge that sent the leading members to the boys reformatory for an "evaluation" for 6 months. As he said, "they came back nice boys" and the so called "gang" problem was over.
So no, it's not everywhere, at least not here yet.

The FBI has a special task force setup to investigate gang crimes in Central Montana. See Federal Bureau of Investigation - Violent Gang Task Forces

Great Falls has gangs according to Gangs In Great Falls | Max Media Montana | Local Top Stories (broken link) First line of story "if you think Great Falls doesn't have gangs, you'd be wrong."

The website NWgangs.com has confirmed there are Bloods, Crips, Surenos, and Nortenos gangs throughout Montana. Northwest Gangs

Most of these are located in Billings, Great Falls, Missoula, or central Montana.

I believe Montana is a safe place and a great place to raise a family - and I'd love to do so someday as well. But I also recognize that on a much, much smaller scale, there is crime in Montana like everywhere else.

[SouthernStar]

Why are their gangs in the eastern part of the state? Aren't they usually in cities or areas with larger populations?

[jimj]

Originally Posted by lgmagone

The FBI has a special task force setup to investigate gang crimes in Central Montana. See Federal Bureau of Investigation - Violent Gang Task Forces

Great Falls has gangs according to Gangs In Great Falls | Max Media Montana | Local Top Stories (broken link) First line of story "if you think Great Falls doesn't have gangs, you'd be wrong."

The website NWgangs.com has confirmed there are Bloods, Crips, Surenos, and Nortenos gangs throughout Montana. Northwest Gangs

Most of these are located in Billings, Great Falls, Missoula, or central Montana.

I believe Montana is a safe place and a great place to raise a family - and I'd love to do so someday as well. But I also recognize that on a much, much smaller scale, there is crime in Montana like everywhere else.

How about this, I will grant you that there may be gangs in eastern MT since I don't live there and don't know anyone who does I can't speak to that. I can only speak to what I know and I will stand by that...

[JetMech72]

Originally Posted by rickers

There are no brown recluse spiders anywhere near Montana no mater what anyone says !

Many people confuse our large populations of Wolf Spiders with aggressive browns and brown recluses. Although the Wolf Spiders dominate our arachnid world here in Montana, their bite will only produce swelling and welts. As far as Black Widows, they are here but not in large numbers. The most I've seen were in Helena and have only seen one in Hamilton.

Here in Havre, I haven't seen a single spider all winter. I just moved here last summer, for school.

[JetMech72]

Nwscribe,
I am a native of Western Montana and lived in Hamilton and Helena most of my life. I can certainly empathize with you about seeing your hometown morph into a large city that barely resembles the community that it once was.
With that said, I am attending college here in Havre. The main industry here is the Railroad and the wheat farms in the area. This area is called the Golden Triangle because of the many acres of wheat between here and Great Falls. Another and more widely used nickname is Hi-line, because of the railroad here....it is the Northern-most railroad in the country and runs from Seattle to Minniepolis. BNSF has a large repair facility here for their locomotives.
Havre actually has a common connection to Portland, we also have an underground city here that was used for speak-easies and opium dens back in the '20s.
Havre isn't a wealthy community, but the cost of living makes the low income more tolerable. I've seen some nice homes here for $70,000...you can't find anything like that in Western Montana.
It gets really cold here in the winter....we had -30F in January and when the wind blows during an Arctic Snap like that, it can reach -60F. I should also mention that although it doesn't blow everyday, when it does blow, the winds can reach 30 mph sustained speeds.
Since I am giving away some of the secrets of Havre, you should know that the winds in the winter are Chinook winds. These are warm winds that tend to raise the temperatures drastically in a short period of time. I've experienced them all winter and they tend to show up after a major cold-snap, so it evens out.
We do have rattlesnakes, I've been told to be aware of that while hiking in the summer. We have rattlesnakes all over Montana, but I've rarely seen them and I've lived in this state my whole life.
You've mentioned that you'll miss the Columbia. Well, we have a good surrogate river for you, the Missouri. There are a lot of areas where you can get your kayak or raft into the river.
Havre is also becoming the center for Montana's biofuels program. This program is pretty aggressive and innovative. The Montana State University-Northern campus is home to an ASTM cerified labortory that will be testing and setting the standards for biofuels in Montana.
Havre also sits between two Indian Reservations, the Rocky Boy Res. (Chippewa-Cree) and Fort Belknap Res. (Gros Ventre) As for any impoverished community, there are always less-than-desirable residents, but Havre doesn't experiance that phenomenon any more than any other low-income community.
There was a homicide here last month (March), but the killer was quickly caught. Homicide is rare here and when it or any other serious crime does occur, the law enforcement drops everything else and focuses their efforts to quickly solve the crime.
One thing that I have found interesting, is Highway 2, the main highway here that runs east/west. Last September, there was a murderer caught near Kalispell who had fled from Chicago (where the homicide occured) and had used Highway 2 to flee the law. He stayed at a motel here in Havre. This has been experianced on Highway 2, frequently, according to people of Havre that I have asked.
It should also be mentioned that Havre is the center of Montana meth. It was once so serious, that drastic measures had to be put in place at stores that sold iodine and rubbing alcohol. The efforts to control meth production and usage are paying off, meth use is down by 60% and meth production is nearly non-existent now.
If you have any other questions feel free to send me a message or just reply.

[JetMech72]

Originally Posted by Dynastar

20 below? More like 40 below, although that's become more rare thanks to global warming, this last winter was quite mild.

I don't live in Havre, but near it. The negatives first:

Being a native Oregonian myself (small world, eh?) you may indeed miss the green. There are "mountains" south of town, and even a skiing area, but it's nothing like the Portland area. Your day to day view is wheat fields.

I don't think the race issue is quite so peachy-keen. The only common minority in the area is American Indian, and there is definetly some racism, but it's not horrible. As far as other races go, there really aren't any.

Forget about fine dining unless you love steak, steak, and steak. Did I mention steak? There is a Chinese place in town, and a Greek fast-food place, but that's as exotic as it gets. There's not much in the way of culteral events.

Finally, transportation. The nearest "real" airport is Great Falls, about 2 hours away, and there's no Greyhound, but Amtrak does have a station.


Positives:

The people are nice. I'm a member of a singing group in Havre, and it is a genuinely nice group of guys. If you like Havre, it will probably be because of the people. You do, as someone else said, probably need to live there a year or two before you'll make a good social connection.

It's a pretty safe town, and the cost of living is low. There are decent services, a hospital (although most specialists will require a drive to Great Falls or Billings), three grocery stores, including a WalMart, and a K-Mart.

In summary, I'm glad I've had the opportunity to live up here, but I doubt I'll be staying for the rest of my life. Your mileage may vary though, good luck and let us know how it goes!

The ski area that you mentioned, is on the Rocky Boy Reservation. Another "destination" at the Rocky Boy is their huge North Winz Casino.

As far as the exotic food restaurants, The Canton Chinese restaurant is the worst restaurant in town. I haven't tried the greek food here. There is a upscale restaurant called The Duck Inn. It's not too bad, they have a nice bar.
I think you'll be disappointed about The Bears Paw Mountains. I know I was, they are more like hills than mountains.
If you don't like outdoor activities, Havre is not for you. We have one small movie theater....that I've never seen a movie in....and an ice hockey rink. There is a pretty good theatre acting club here that performs at the college, The Montana Actors Theatre. Combined with college sports, that represents all of the indoor activities here.