Considering A Move To Montana (Brainstorming Ideas) (Billings, Helena: for sale, buy)

[dodger80]

Hello all. I came here looking for answers because my thought process currently is that I'm considering a move to somewhere in Western Montana or NW Montana. I have thought about Idaho and Eastern WA as well so that is a consideration.


A little background here and I'll try to keep this short. I have currently live here in the Midwest near Chicago and have lived here for 12 years now. It's okay but, not great. Not much has worked for me since I moved here and before I moved here I tried to move to California before the recession in 2008. Before then, housing was too expensive and I met my now wife so I moved here to the Midwest in hopes I could have a decent life after serving in the military. Long story short life hasn't been kind to me here (tragedies) and I'm starting to think this isn't meant for me.


To add a little more backstory I have lived in another country for two years and then lived in South Dakota for three years but, have traveled through Manitoba, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington. I love the scenery and fresh air in the West. I don't mind smaller towns as I generally try to keep to myself anyways and currently live in a smaller town. I love the lakes, rivers, and ocean which is more abundant and cleaner than anything where I currently live.


Anyways, years ago I thought about moving to Kalispell but, just trying to get ideas of where I could potentially move to. I would be moving here by myself. My thought would be to live in a pole barn or something similar where I could have living quarter along with a small shop to do some woodworking or tinker with a vintage truck or two. I'm not sure if there is any affordable places in that part of Montana or not but, just exploring ideas.


Well any help could be greatly appreciated. I hope this all makes sense and sorry for the longer post. Thank you in advance.

[MTSilvertip]

Originally Posted by dodger80

Hello all. I came here looking for answers because my thought process currently is that I'm considering a move to somewhere in Western Montana or NW Montana. I have thought about Idaho and Eastern WA as well so that is a consideration.


A little background here and I'll try to keep this short. I have currently live here in the Midwest near Chicago and have lived here for 12 years now. It's okay but, not great. Not much has worked for me since I moved here and before I moved here I tried to move to California before the recession in 2008. Before then, housing was too expensive and I met my now wife so I moved here to the Midwest in hopes I could have a decent life after serving in the military. Long story short life hasn't been kind to me here (tragedies) and I'm starting to think this isn't meant for me.


To add a little more backstory I have lived in another country for two years and then lived in South Dakota for three years but, have traveled through Manitoba, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington. I love the scenery and fresh air in the West. I don't mind smaller towns as I generally try to keep to myself anyways and currently live in a smaller town. I love the lakes, rivers, and ocean which is more abundant and cleaner than anything where I currently live.


Anyways, years ago I thought about moving to Kalispell but, just trying to get ideas of where I could potentially move to. I would be moving here by myself. My thought would be to live in a pole barn or something similar where I could have living quarter along with a small shop to do some woodworking or tinker with a vintage truck or two. I'm not sure if there is any affordable places in that part of Montana or not but, just exploring ideas.


Well any help could be greatly appreciated. I hope this all makes sense and sorry for the longer post. Thank you in advance.

Kalispell and any area around Flathead isn't cheap by any means. Just about anything in NW Montana is going to be pricey, except maybe around Plains or Libby.

If you have an income of some kind so you don't have to depend on finding a job, it opens up a lot of options.
Dillon is pretty nice or most of the Beaverhead.
Lots of great small towns east of the divide, some are pretty cheap to live in, but there are no jobs so having an income of some kind would be essential.

Winnett, Stanford, Circle, Glasgow, Havre, there are literally hundreds of choices. Some have good fishing lakes close by like the Fort Peck reservoir, or Georgetown lake, or Freezeout.

Lots of rivers for recreation too.

How about defining your requirements a little more so we can point you towards some options.

[dodger80]

Thank you. Well to define my requirement more I'm just looking to live where it is quiet. I'm thinking maybe 1/4 to 1/2 acre of land to build the said Pole Barn. I have been looking at land in Libby and west of there. As I said, I'm open to other states like ID and Washington. Basically, if I have to drive 1 hr to 1.5 hr drive to the lake or the mountains that might be an option.


For now I'm medically retired because of military injuries. I've heard medical care is dicey in that area but, not sure. As I said I'm just looking for somewhere that I'm fairly close to mountains/lakes, quiet, and where I have a pole barn to work on things. My requirements I guess might be a lot but, seem simple enough to me. I hope that makes it a little more clear.

[AirborneVespa]

Have you looked through the dozens of "thinking of moving to Montana but where" threads in the forum?

have you looked on Craigslist for the areas to see what the rents are and what you get for the rents?

Do you have a dedicated income?

Not to be a huge jerk but there's nothing in your post that is unique and hasn't already been answered in a dozen threads on this page...

[MTSilvertip]

Originally Posted by dodger80

Thank you. Well to define my requirement more I'm just looking to live where it is quiet. I'm thinking maybe 1/4 to 1/2 acre of land to build the said Pole Barn. I have been looking at land in Libby and west of there. As I said, I'm open to other states like ID and Washington. Basically, if I have to drive 1 hr to 1.5 hr drive to the lake or the mountains that might be an option.


For now I'm medically retired because of military injuries. I've heard medical care is dicey in that area but, not sure. As I said I'm just looking for somewhere that I'm fairly close to mountains/lakes, quiet, and where I have a pole barn to work on things. My requirements I guess might be a lot but, seem simple enough to me. I hope that makes it a little more clear.

Ok, I'd say look at the Libby to Troy area, just over the border from Bonner's Ferry, not far from Couer de a'lane and Spokane for large hospitals, although Libby has a good hospital and not far from Kalispell.

The only VA hospital in Montana is in Helena. Lots of mountains and 3 reservoirs on the Missouri River for fishing.
I'd recommend Boulder or Townsend over Helena. Both are within 30 miles of Helena, both smaller towns that are a lot cheaper to live in too.

The best hospitals and health care are in Billings. Lots of nice small towns in easy driving distance. Mountains and the Yellowstone river.

Lots of choices.

[historyfan]

Most of Wyoming (not Jackson Hole area) has land prices which are more reasonable than Montana. And there is some sort of veteran discount on property taxes. Buffalo/Sheridan might suit your requirements. The distance would be a big issue for medical, but Eureka, MT would be a swell spot to land if one is outdoorsy & not requiring a job.

[NW Crow]

If you plan to build small & basic then the main issue on housing is land cost. If you buy 30 plus minutes from Kalispell or other major city it will probably be cheaper than closer. Might want to look around Columbia Falls or Kila or halfway to Eureka. Call around for appropriate builders and ask how far out they'll go to build without extra cost or delays.

if you buy pre-built, the average cost is only 17% national average but of course there will be perceived "bargains" and overpriced stuff. Finding the right place might take time / patience and eventually decisive action.

Other than housing, most expenses in the area are cheaper than national average according to a data source, except groceries are a bit more expensive. How it looks to you will depend on how pricey your near Chicago town is.

The future can be good, with planning, work and some better luck.

North of Spokane (in WA or ID) has options and might be worth it for easier access to VA services.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by dodger80

Thank you. Well to define my requirement more I'm just looking to live where it is quiet. I'm thinking maybe 1/4 to 1/2 acre of land to build the said Pole Barn. I have been looking at land in Libby and west of there. As I said, I'm open to other states like ID and Washington. Basically, if I have to drive 1 hr to 1.5 hr drive to the lake or the mountains that might be an option.


For now I'm medically retired because of military injuries. I've heard medical care is dicey in that area but, not sure. As I said I'm just looking for somewhere that I'm fairly close to mountains/lakes, quiet, and where I have a pole barn to work on things. My requirements I guess might be a lot but, seem simple enough to me. I hope that makes it a little more clear.

1/4 to 1/2 acre may sound like enough for your needs, but that size lot would be within city limits. Outside city limits you'll find that the smallest acreage is usually 2-3 acres; in some areas the minimum is 5, sometimes even 10 acre lots. You'd be surprised how quickly 1/2 acre will seem too small! We have 5 acres in Clark Fork, Idaho, right on the ID/MT border on 200, and the lots are typically 5, 10, or 20 acres. Troy is a nice, small town with easy access to Bonners Ferry, ID and Libby, and not too far from Sandpoint for shopping. It is also the lowest point in MT with somewhat "reasonable" winter weather. It is in the mountains, so no drive time there! And it is on the wild and beautiful Kootenai River. If you want a big lake, then Lake Pend Oreille is 45-60 minutes away, either down 56 to 200, or 2 to 95 (look at the map).


North Idaho (the Panhandle) is somewhat more affordable, and traditionally there have been more properties for sale than in Lincoln or Sanders Counties. We love the Clark Fork area in Bonner County. Remote, but not too remote.

[dodger80]

Originally Posted by AirborneVespa

Have you looked through the dozens of "thinking of moving to Montana but where" threads in the forum?

have you looked on Craigslist for the areas to see what the rents are and what you get for the rents?

Do you have a dedicated income?

Not to be a huge jerk but there's nothing in your post that is unique and hasn't already been answered in a dozen threads on this page...

No, that's fine. Yes, I did vaguely look but, some of the threads were older and this part of Montana is somewhat different than say Miles City, Fort Peck, or Glasgow for example. I realize over time things change and so I just seeing if anything had changed or if I had missed something so there smaller towns. I have a retirement income currently.

[dodger80]

Thank you everyone else. Wyoming might be a consideration as well. I'm just starting to plan some things slowly but surely. The land size for me would be fine. I currently have a 1/4 acre where I'm at. But, hey if I can get more land that's fine. Anyways, thank you all again.