Young woman moving to Montana

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by twoponies

Strange nobody mentioned Whitefish.

If you have some money saved, you can find a nice little house on the outskirts (or a condo) for under $250-300K. Ski town, and much smaller than Bozeman. Tons of stuff to do there. If you get an itch for a visit to the coast, the train goes straight to Seattle from Whitefish, and at a reasonable fare.

While there is a strong contingent of very wealthy, older transplants and vacation property owners, there's also a consistent young, active vibe. In summer the place is littered with Mt. Bikers.

While it is much less "Christian" than its counterpart (Kalispell) a few miles to the south, it is still a conservative town, and there are plenty of churches in the area within a 20 minute drive.

If there are no teaching jobs in Whitefish proper, there probably are in Kalispell, but it would require a 20-35 minute commute. It's also milder than Bozeman in winter climate.

That said, the area is crazy with tourists in summer.

Montana teachers are some of the lowest paid in the nation. Unless you have an inheritance the house prices you mentioned are out of reach. I don't think a lot of traveling would be in the cards as well.

[hymnsinger]

Kate,

Look at Livingston (Beware, the windiest town in America! Seriously), Big Timber, Laurel, and Lewistown. These are the ones that I have liked the best as I have researched the state, that I believe will fit your lifestyle. Bozeman is a college town, and if you're not working for the college, finding teaching position near Bozeman will be near impossible. Too much competition with graduates!

Making enough to live on as a teacher will depend on how little you need, but something I've learned in 54 years is, you don't need nearly as much as you think you do! It will be hard no matter where you live, but I'd rather it be hard in Montana!

Tracey
Moving to the Roundup area in September!

[MontanaLab]

Hi Kate,
I don't know if you're still checking on this, but based on your interest in a smaller town with all the hiking and the other features you mention, I'd recommend checking out Helena. We relocated from Illinois 7 years ago and the winters were terrible in Illinois and unbelievably, much better here! Helena is in a valley with mountain views in every direction, which still puts me in awe every single day. Often a snow storm heads west from Missoula and dumps most of the snow in the Rockies which run along our west side, so the mountains get the brunt of the storm and we get the "fun part", which is perfect.

We have tons of local hiking and biking trails with national recognition over the last year. Great Divide is very close for local easy skiing, easy access for the afternoon, with the big resorts within a couple hours. I would recommend checking with the Helena young professionals associations for resources as there is so much going on with new businesses. Teaching is not usually considered in that category, but with Sylvan and all the other new educational services, who knows. Just thought I'd throw that in since you might be thinking about other creative pursuits with your teaching.

Carroll College is here along with Helena College, part of University of Montana, and a great assortment of cultural opportunities include the Archie Bray, Holter Art Museum, Grandstreet Theatre, Montana Historical Society, and Exploration Works...fantastic resources for teachers. I know you can Google all these, so hope you do.


Good luck!