Moving to Montana and looking for some tips (Billings, Missoula: estate, housing)

[Timberwolf232]

It's hard to make a living if you come without knowing anyone or if your not from a ranching or agriculture family. It's getting better, but wages are just starting to climb to meet the demand of cost of living. (depending on what you do.) Although you said you don't need a job and need high speed internet so I assume you telecommute. Might be hard to get the HSD in some rural areas, but there are quite a few providers that will try to help you. RFWave out of Anaconda , Little Apple Technologies out of Manhattan, etc.... Good Luck

[General Patton]

Nothing could be as bad as San Francisco except maybe Los Angeles.

[100%Michigan]

Not one person I know will step back in Montana. They claim they will be fighting with nails and teeth before they do so. We heard about a local shooting in just about every large city in that state. Each happen recently after each other. A associate we know that live in Billings Montana say it happens everday... and every city. Whats going on up there? If your hiding news, its not doing so well.

[truckingbronco]

Originally Posted by 100%Michigan

Not one person I know will step back in Montana. They claim they will be fighting with nails and teeth before they do so. We heard about a local shooting in just about every large city in that state. Each happen recently after each other. A associate we know that live in Billings Montana say it happens everday... and every city. Whats going on up there? If your hiding news, its not doing so well.

What are you talking about?

[MontanaMolly]

Liberalism in Montana depends on the subject and who is speaking. People in Montana are liberal about what they agree with, but don't mind telling you if you are full of crap. I have never had anyone ask what religion I am or ask how much money I make. They will eat you alive in the Eastern part of the state if you are a tree hugger or a Democrat. Bozeman/Big Sky area is like an early version of Jackson Hole, Wyoming...quite a bit of money. Missoula is full of educated tree huggers. Butte is an old mining town with Irish/Italian pride and stubborn Norwegians (as is much of Eastern Montana), greatest place on earth to spend St. Patricks Day. Billings and surrounding areas are Western cowboys, Oil refineries, and health care. The woman are out spoken and the men don't seem to mind. I go in bars occasionally with my husband and know that someone is going to end up without a top. The small towns close to the Wyoming are full of people commuting to the oil fields. There are old family ranches that are run as they have been for 100 years, but they compete with the rich coming in to buy. I have a story for y'all from my first week in Montana.

A gal walked in to the Cattle Auction Barn with "BIG" horse looking teeth. One of the guys at the table said, "Hey Maud, them are sure nice teeth". Maud said, with a big grin on her face, "Thanks, Pa got some new ones".

That is Montana...everyday is an experience...every person is different...and you never know whether to laugh, cry, or just shake your head! But, not too many with turn you down if you offer them a drink.

[rickers]

Uh oh, another doo doo alert ! 100%Michigan, someone has been trying to feed you bogus information big time. Did this person who was attacked by a bunch of elderly anti-white men at a gas station in Billings make a police report ? Of coarse not ! She may be one of those people who make stuff up for attention. Take some time and do some research on crime stats for Billings, and the entire State of Montana and you'll see that Montana is a very safe place. There are not murders every day !

Here are some stats that are a bit more reliable compared to the hearsay you are repeating, I will compare Bllings to Lansing Mi.

Lansing had 75 murders in the 8 year period from 1999 to 2006, Billings had 25.
Lansing has 1 registered sex offender for every 246 people, Billings has 1 for every 399 people.
The City-Data crime index for Lansing in 2006 was 501.1, Billings came out at 266.4 , quite a difference !
The O.P asked for tips for moving to Montana and all you have to offer is a sh*t load of hearsay nonsense.

[mthawki]

100%Michigan,

Either you're just trying to stir the pot or this is one of the most uninformed posts I've read in a LONG time. Your weak implication that Montana has worse crime than Michigan is quite laughable. You can keep Detroit and Lansing for yourself as well.

[rickers]

Troll is more like it, 100%Michigan has made posts asking folks in Canada if Michigan would be welcome to join Canada if Michigan succeded from the U.S. and he or she doesn't even live in Michigan ! Montana doesn't need people like that to "step one foot into Montana". I came to Montana to get away from people like that.
100%, please move to Canada and well both be happy !

[kasouders]

Originally Posted by jimj

Well, just as an aside, take a look at the dailyinterlake.com site and look at the police log. We had someone who came out of their house, saw someone doing brodies on their lawn and when the person in the car saw him she headed towards him. As the story went "he whipped out his gun and shot at the car hitting the tires". She was arrested and sent for mental eval, he (the shooter) just went back inside.
As for liberal, well Missoula is probably the most liberal but I think that's due to the college mostly.
Kalispell and surrounding areas are fairly conservative, though there are a couple of left wing nuts that write in the letter to editor pages regularly and it's always the same people so you can tell it's limited. Mostly it's a "mind your own business, and we'll mind ours" area.
There was a liberal teacher at the middle school here not long ago, constantly spouting anti gun,hunting,logging nonsense to the kids. Needless to say he's not teaching at that school any longer so that should give you some idea how things are going.....

Is it that bad in Montana, I thought it was like a step back in time w/ low crime???

[jimj]

Originally Posted by kasouders

Is it that bad in Montana, I thought it was like a step back in time w/ low crime???

We do have low crime, that one was just a humorous incident IMO. As for a "step back in time" I would say the above is a step back in time. In most states the person driving the car would have been considerd a "victim" and the person protecting himself would have been drug off to jail for shooting at this poor deranged person who was obviously not in her right mind which the shooter would have known if he had waited and asked her after he was run over. As my previous post suggested, take a look at the police log for yourself as it's online. Most everything that happens here ends up in the paper so judge for yourself.
What you'll find is mostly property crimes, although we've had a rash of dirt bags stealing cars lately. All stolen with the keys in them and unlocked since it's been the norm here forever to just leave the keys in the car when you park. Oh, I do have to admit we have what I think is a high assault rate though... It's always at some bar between people who've drank too much.