Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Montana
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 12-27-2014, 12:39 AM
 
18 posts, read 37,129 times
Reputation: 22

Advertisements

Hello from Georgia!

Because of our possibility of moving to Montana with our 3 small children, if you had to pick one of these cities to live in, which one would you pick and why? Thank you all in advance for your advice!!

Great Falls
Butte
Del Bonita
Kalispell
Whitlash
Cut Bank
Helena
Havre
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 12-27-2014, 02:05 AM
 
Location: Spots Wyoming
18,700 posts, read 41,879,923 times
Reputation: 2147483647
Have you been offered a job and are willing to drive to any of those, or have you been offered a choice to work in any of them? If so, where have they given you a location. The reason I ask is with winter driving. A 15 make drive could be a total white knuckle drive and a 30 mile drive be a piece of cake. Would be nice to know both ends of the drive to understand driving conditions along with type of town for schools, stores, things to do, etc.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-27-2014, 09:14 AM
 
629 posts, read 1,712,903 times
Reputation: 1117
I'm assuming you'll be able to find a job in/near those cities with this response. I'm guessing he's border patrol?

I'm most partial to the Flathead valley (Kalispell, Whitefish). There's great proximity to Glacier National Park which has the best scenery and hiking in the country as far as I'm concerned, plus Flathead National Forest and the Bob Marshall / Great Bear wilderness areas for more hiking / camping / hunting /etc. without as many crowds. It's also a resort type area so you've got Big Mountain and BlackTail Mountain ski areas, Flathead Lake, Whitefish Lake and its beach, plenty of restaurants, shopping, active farmers markets and community events in each town. The downside to the area being so popular of course is that housing is expensive and you have a lot of people from other states who have moved to those areas which some people find to be a negative. Whitefish is where I spend my summers and I love it there.

The other towns on your list I've only briefly visited so I can't offer much more than a passing overview. I'll leave them to others with more in depth knowledge.

I'd highly recommend visiting some of these places given the broad range you've mentioned, and especially to do so during winter. Whitlash for example is a tiny, unincorporated area up near the Sweetgrass Hills, extremely extremely remote, while some of the other areas are among the biggest cities in Montana.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-27-2014, 12:21 PM
 
5,401 posts, read 6,463,584 times
Reputation: 12016
Easy choices... Either Helena or Kalispell.
Is this type of job where in few years he will need move again to advance, or is this somewhere you would likely live for next ten years?

I lived in Helena years ago & liked it.

I now travel to both places several times a year for work. It seems to me that Kalispell is finally coming back around economy-wise. Helena did not slow down like some places in Montana did. Both have community activities, family neighborhoods, a few festivals, decent schools both public & private, and both are close to the great outdoors of national forests.

Montana is all about outdoor pursuits. The only way to enjoy winter is to find activities to do out in it--skiing & cross country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice fishing, hockey, ice skating, sledding, wildlife photography, winter bird feeder watching, etc.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-27-2014, 01:17 PM
 
Location: Billings, MT
9,885 posts, read 10,887,466 times
Reputation: 14180
I grew up in the Flathead Valley. It has changed greatly over the years, and not necessarily for the better. I can stand to visit there for a couple of days, and then I have to leave. I just don't like it there anymore. The population has grown, and the infrastructure has not kept up with it, IMO. Most of the lumber mills have gone, and the Aluminum Plant is gone, and, while it is beautiful, one cannot eat scenery.
I lived in Great Falls for several years. It is a nice town, especially for military retirees.
Butte and Helena; while I have spent a little time in each of them, I don't know what it would be like to live there.
Havre and Cut Bank; I look at the temperatures there in the winter, and it is enough to convince me that I do NOT want to live anywhere on the High Plains "High Line".
Whitlash and Del Bonita I have never heard of, don't know anything about them.
Billings is not on your list, but I'll add it because I like it here. While it is a little large, it still has the small town atmosphere, IMO. No matter what "it" is, if I can't find it here I can probably live just fine without it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-27-2014, 02:56 PM
 
18 posts, read 37,129 times
Reputation: 22
Thank you all for your insight! He is CBP and we can go anywhere in the state where there is a port. In some of the places listed, we would have government housing but after corresponding with you guys these last 2 days, I have rulled out everything for him except Kalispell, Helena, and Great Falls because of the remoteness combined with the brutal winter with 3 small children. There's a reason why they provide government housing in some places lol.

We are a family who loves adventure and outdoors! I also grew up on a farm and love to have a little garden to grow some of our groceries and do some canning during the summer months. This is a permanent move as far as employment, and we are planning to be here quite some time, (possible forever). You never know where the future will take you, and we are a spontaneous at heart but want to make roots for our kids to call a place "home".

I understand "tourism" as we have lived in Brunswick/St. Simons Island for the last 11 years and it is quiet in the winter and bustling in the summer. However, does it completely stop during the winter months and do they close any roads in the Flathead Valley during the coldest part of the season?

Our kids are 1yr, 6yrs., and 7 yrs. old. Schools and doctors will be very important as well as commute time there. I will be at home with the kids and will probably end up teaching private music lessons or something like I do here. Gotta use that music degree :-)

As far as housing, we would like to buy some property eventually, but will probably rent for the first little while until we find that special place to make our permanent residence. Are the best affordable places found by word of mouth or are you able to find some good houses via realtors that aren't extremely high? And by high, I mean we are looking to spend anywhere from $800-$1200 per month.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-27-2014, 04:34 PM
 
5,401 posts, read 6,463,584 times
Reputation: 12016
To settle down for good, I would pick Helena. The economy is always stable because it is the state capital. The populace is generally education orientated which is desirable for a young family. Plus it has areas of walking and bike riding trails. I think being able to walk about in areas is important especially for young kids. Helena has the carousel area with the small but cute children's science center. Helena has the Montana Historical Society museum, the Archie Bray pottery center plus all the "cultural" offerings at Carroll College. I think it is more vital downtown. The populace includes some amount of coming and going amongst people moving up career ladder in government so being a newcomer will be no big deal.

Kalispell is spread out and I do not know how much is available by foot. Plus it does have more overcast days in winter than Helena. Coming from the south you will want all the sunny days you can get in winter. It is colder in Helena because the cold air settles and does not move out. I think it has colder winters than Kalispell, but Kalispell has icier road conditions. Both areas are favorable for summer gardening. You need to be further east...by Billings to get the longer growing seasons.

Great Falls has a lot of rough edges and very depressed neighborhoods including some of downtown. I would not chose it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-27-2014, 07:11 PM
 
Location: North Dakota
10,227 posts, read 13,730,469 times
Reputation: 18010
I would consider Billings. It's not as pretty but has quite a bit going on (by Montana standards ) and a more mild climate. If you are set on the places you mentioned I would pick Helena.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-27-2014, 08:56 PM
 
Location: Lost in Montana *recalculating*...
19,374 posts, read 22,315,065 times
Reputation: 24045
Helena.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-29-2014, 09:01 AM
 
Location: Where the mountains touch the sky
6,741 posts, read 8,501,590 times
Reputation: 14913
Of the three mentioned, Helena probably has the most stable economy due to being the state capital with all the tax money funding the primary industry, government.

Not a bad place, got 4 lakes close by, the Missouri River, lots of small streams and rivers within easy commute for fishing. Lots of camping and hiking opportunities, most of the hunting you need to draw a tag for or drive a ways for.

Land isn't as oppressivly priced as some of the other areas around the state, but high enough and rents go through the roof during legislature. (90 days every other year).
All of Montana can get chilly too. This morning in Helena it was 3 degrees at my house outside town only supposed to be single digit highs for today, and we are supposed to be between -10 and -20 tonight.

Kalispell is fantastically beautiful, and there are a lot of good people that live there, but you will pay the price for scenery. In a great area, but as mentioned before, lots of grey days and icy roads during the winter. I really like the area, but you need to have some money to buy ground.

Great Falls isn't a bad place, a little windy on the high plains, and it can get pretty cold there as well. Summers are very good with the Sun and Missouri Rivers running right through town. Lots of activities, land and houses are somewhat cheaper but not cheap. The town itself is pretty spread out so you could probably find a neighborhood you like with a little looking. Good shopping there too as they have both Big Bear and Scheels.

Most of the small towns on the hi-line are pretty remote, but you won't find better people anywhere.

If you husband is stationed here for a significant amount of time, you may wish to rent in one of the larger towns to start, then take some time to expore for a long term arrangement.

Good Luck!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Montana

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top