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Old 09-23-2014, 05:57 AM
 
2 posts, read 6,804 times
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My husband is getting a job at Fort Harrison, MT. We have two girls one in 5th grade and the other in 8th grade. We love the outdoors so this has been a dream for us to move there. I am wanting to know what towns within 45 minutes of Helena are good for families and have schools? Any information would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 09-23-2014, 02:54 PM
 
Location: St. George, Utah
755 posts, read 1,112,401 times
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I'm not sure I understand the question--are you wanting to live in a smaller town, rather than living in Helena itself? Helena is good for families and has schools. Many people live on acreage outside of town, if living in town is your objection. Or are you specifically looking to live in a very small town instead, and commute to husband's job?

Montana City is just a few miles south of Helena and is known for having good schools, but high schoolers go to school in Helena or in Boulder.

Boulder is a small town, family friendly, and has schools...but would require a drive over a snow-covered hill on those winter days to get into Helena.

I suppose Townsend meets your criteria as well of being within 45 minutes and having schools. Lincoln and Augusta would be just a little farther out, with Lincoln at about an hour and Augusta at a little over an hour. Cascade is about an hour too.
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Old 09-23-2014, 09:17 PM
 
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Was wanting to live outside of Helena and prefer the smaller town to live in. Will probably commute to Fort Harrison so looking at about a 45 minute drive. Thanks for all the info., appreciate it.
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Old 09-24-2014, 08:07 PM
 
Location: Lost in Montana *recalculating*...
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Montana City, Clancy, Elliston, Wolf Creek, York, and maybe- if you really want to drive- Lincoln.
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Old 09-24-2014, 09:41 PM
 
Location: St. George, Utah
755 posts, read 1,112,401 times
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Do York and Wolf Creek have their own schools? Does Elliston have a high school? I seem to remember some high school kids coming over from Avon/Elliston to Helena. I could be mistaken; I haven't spent a lot of time in the area except for recreational activities.

Lincoln really is a great little town with its own schools, but a good hour from Helena (though in the same county) over a mountain pass.

But you could live outside Helena while still sending the kids to school in Helena. Have you visited? It is not a big city.
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Old 09-25-2014, 09:43 PM
 
Location: North Dakota
10,225 posts, read 13,730,469 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Threerun View Post
Montana City, Clancy, Elliston, Wolf Creek, York, and maybe- if you really want to drive- Lincoln.
I would go with Montana City or Clancy. Those are nice little areas close to town.
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Old 09-26-2014, 09:19 AM
 
Location: Lost in Montana *recalculating*...
19,363 posts, read 22,309,954 times
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They could stretch to Boulder. However I wouldn't to drive the pass every day in the winter. Of course same thing with Elliston and Lincoln. And of course York can be dicey going through the little canyon. Townsends a possibility.

But if someones requirement is 45 minutes away from Ft. Harrison, with 'schools'- then Clancy, Boulder, Montana City, Townsend- not sure about Elliston. I'm not going to comment on whether they are good or not. That's too open for opinion. Suffice to say those are about your 3-4 choices within 45 minutes with 'schools'.
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Old 09-28-2014, 10:26 AM
 
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I lived in Helena for 7 yrs. Helena is small town living. If you live close to the center of town your girls will be able to walk and bike to the library, parks, the pool, etc. Helena is safe and a great family town. So, I would encourage you to try Helena. Why add a commute, especially in winter, to life's other stresses? As your kids get older and want to do things in town, you'll find yourself spending way too much time in a car. If you're looking for access to the woods, you can walk right out your door in Helena and be hiking on beautiful trails within minutes.
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Old 04-14-2017, 01:31 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,493 times
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A QUESTION FOR THE LOCALS OF HELENA, MT: For those looking to live in Helena, what parts of town are more desirable? Every city/town has at least one bad side/area if not more. We cannot assume that a house that looks great online is in a nice/safe/desirable part of town. We'd like to avoid bad areas/neighborhoods that are -or trending toward- declining...where properties won't appreciate and schools have poor performance history.
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Old 04-17-2017, 02:25 PM
 
Location: Fort Benton, MT
910 posts, read 1,070,640 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheoC View Post
A QUESTION FOR THE LOCALS OF HELENA, MT: For those looking to live in Helena, what parts of town are more desirable? Every city/town has at least one bad side/area if not more. We cannot assume that a house that looks great online is in a nice/safe/desirable part of town. We'd like to avoid bad areas/neighborhoods that are -or trending toward- declining...where properties won't appreciate and schools have poor performance history.

The schools here all perform at an above average level. Some of the schools are over capacity due to the voters not approving the school bond to build new schools. But the quality of the education is very good.


Helena is very mixed, so there isn't a real "bad" part of town. The older neighborhoods near the train tracks have lower values due to the train noise, but there are plenty of nice houses in that area as well. You really have to go view the house to get a sense of the neighborhood. Real Estate in Helena is very stable, so you won't see areas with drastically falling property values, on the other hand, you also want find areas with drastically increasing values either. The expensive areas are competing with new construction in other areas of town, so right now the market is very stable.
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