moving (Missoula, Helena: fit in, how much, university)

[chj]

I am thinking about moving to montana or wyoming. are the two similar and how much of a culture shock will it be to move there from alabama? are the people very religious?

[be_a_light]

Originally Posted by chj

I am thinking about moving to montana or wyoming. are the two similar and how much of a culture shock will it be to move there from alabama? are the people very religious?

I have never lived in Alabama but I would guess you will find a number of things very different. I am assuming you have done your homework before planning the move. Come and visit the areas of our state that interest you. Montana is a big state, and one area will differ from another. What kind of lifestyle do you want to live? Do you want to be near a city? university? water? mountains?

Montanans are a diverse lot when it comes to religion. Predominantly Catholics, Protestants, Mormons ... but many denominations, as well as non-Christians. My experience is that people generally respect each other's religious practices and don't proselytize heavily. If you want to practice your religion in a worshipping community, most small towns will offer at least a couple of choices. In my town of 4,000, we have about 15 different worship communities.

[NYMTman]

Montana is one of the least religious states... but this is the west so that's no surprise. It's hard to accurately measure, but I remember reading that only around 25% of the state's residents go to church on Sundays, compared to 40% nationwide and much more than that in Alabama. Most people here, at least based on my casual observations, identify themselves as Christians, but not fundamentalists like you often find in the South. In any case, it's religiously moderate. My mother lives and works in Helena and recently saw a co-worker repremanded for insisting to an openly lesbian co-worker that homosexuality was a choice. Some things that might be acceptable down South are not necessarily acceptable in Montana. But generally, if you don't yell about religion here you'll be fine. Montanans are private people when it comes to that sort of thing, as stated above.

[chj]

is it considered liberal or conservative? as far as religion goes I don't think you should push your beliefs on other people and even though I believe in jesus I don't try to force people into feeling the same way.

[NYMTman]

Then you'd fit in well here

Overall Montana is a libertarian-leaning conservative state, I'd say. There are liberal pockets (Missoula, Butte, and Anaconda) but is overal a red state. The Democrats have been picking up momentum here mostly because the Montana GOP is a total mess at the moment, but that is not indicitive of a shift to the left, IMO.

[chj]

in alabama it is the same way the dems will win a few offices but overall there is not really that much difference between them and the republicans. I am still in college right now but when I graduate I want to move out that way even though it is a couple of years from now I was just curious to how it was out there.

[countess1166]

No Montana is not religious, Wyoming, some. Montana is beautiful, Wyoming is
a barren desert with oil, coal, methane operations everywhere.