Deer Lodge MT (Missoula, Bozeman, Garrison: middle-class, home, job market)

[camzee]

Hello,
I am camzee. I have an interest in Deer Lodge MT. Is Deer Lodge a small town? What is the job market there, and what is the economy like? How far is the next major city? Is there a link that I can access to get any info re: my questions?

Thank-you,
Camzee

[K-Man]

Hello Camzee: Yes Deer Lodge is a small town. It is the home of The Montana Stata Prison which I think is the largest employer for the area. It is between Butte and Missoula on Interstate 90. The old Montana Territorial Prison is also in Deer Lodge and can be toured. It is set uop with museums and is very interesting.
I hope this helps you.
Sincerely:
K-Man

[sklail]

If your in Deer Lodge check out the old Montana State Pen and try to get a tour with Mr. Boyd Gutebier. He is very entertaining and it will be well worth your time. Also check out the Grant-Kohrs ranch and get a tour of it from Julie Croglio if she is still a ranger there. Deer Lodge is a great small town!!

[Starcatcher]

Hello, I don't know if you are still interested in Deer Lodge or not, but I decided to post my comment just in case you or someone else wants to consider this town. I moved here in 2004 from the small town in the east. At first the town had a small hometown feel to it, so we settled. BIG MISTAKE!!! The economy is poor, VERY POOR!! and the "Locals" are only nice until they learn a little bit about you, then the rumors start flying like wildfire.
If you have any need of a job, you will not find one here. MSP (Montana State Prison) is a great place to look for work if you can handle the "Good 'Ol Boy" way of doing things, chances are you won't last there very long though, because very few people outside the local click can. If you don't believe me then by all means check the statistical rates on the employee turn over at MSP.

Deer Lodge also has a very HIGH meth rate and low entertainment rate for children. (In other words; there is abosultely nothing to do here.) Yet we do have lots of bars. The schools are way behind the educational systems in N.J. and Pa. and last time I checked the student test scores were low.

When we left the east coast we were the typical middle-class family that was very active in our community. Since moving here we have incured over $100,000.00 in debt and been on food assistance twice!

If you value your children, yourself and even your pets, do yourself a favor and stay as far away from Deer Lodge as possible. People move here looking for a quieter lifestyle but instead they find poverty, heartache and shame.
I would like to say that I am the only one who views this community in this way, but unfortunately I cannot. Every year families move here with high hopes and expectations and every year there are families moving out with their tails tucked between there legs.
I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this place is as aweful as it gets.
If you have children, PLEASE take them somewhere where they will be valued. If you are in need of a job, due yourself a favor and purchase a "Places Rated" book and check out Oregon or Washington. And if you just want to retire, please consider the fact that this is a semi-arid desert and the lack of moisture in the air will cause your body to dehydrate thus excellerating any arthritic or respiratory condition you may have now or will have.

If I can save one person the heartache we have experienced since living here, then this post has been worth all the reprucusions I will experience because of posting it.
Good luck and happy hunting.

[MontanaGuy]

I have a cousin and an uncle who live in Deer Lodge but they're retired. There's really nothing much happening in this town. It's very small and I really don't think it would be a very desireable place to live. I've been there many times. My sister taught school there for a few years but I can't imagine there's any sort of prospects for employment. I'm not sure why you would have picked this particular spot to consider but I think there's many other towns that would be better choices. Towns this size rarely have any employment opportunities.

[lucky14]

Originally Posted by Starcatcher

Hello, I don't know if you are still interested in Deer Lodge or not, but I decided to post my comment just in case you or someone else wants to consider this town. I moved here in 2004 from the small town in the east. At first the town had a small hometown feel to it, so we settled. BIG MISTAKE!!! The economy is poor, VERY POOR!! and the "Locals" are only nice until they learn a little bit about you, then the rumors start flying like wildfire.
If you have any need of a job, you will not find one here. MSP (Montana State Prison) is a great place to look for work if you can handle the "Good 'Ol Boy" way of doing things, chances are you won't last there very long though, because very few people outside the local click can. If you don't believe me then by all means check the statistical rates on the employee turn over at MSP.

Deer Lodge also has a very HIGH meth rate and low entertainment rate for children. (In other words; there is abosultely nothing to do here.) Yet we do have lots of bars. The schools are way behind the educational systems in N.J. and Pa. and last time I checked the student test scores were low.

When we left the east coast we were the typical middle-class family that was very active in our community. Since moving here we have incured over $100,000.00 in debt and been on food assistance twice!

If you value your children, yourself and even your pets, do yourself a favor and stay as far away from Deer Lodge as possible. People move here looking for a quieter lifestyle but instead they find poverty, heartache and shame.
I would like to say that I am the only one who views this community in this way, but unfortunately I cannot. Every year families move here with high hopes and expectations and every year there are families moving out with their tails tucked between there legs.
I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this place is as aweful as it gets.
If you have children, PLEASE take them somewhere where they will be valued. If you are in need of a job, due yourself a favor and purchase a "Places Rated" book and check out Oregon or Washington. And if you just want to retire, please consider the fact that this is a semi-arid desert and the lack of moisture in the air will cause your body to dehydrate thus excellerating any arthritic or respiratory condition you may have now or will have.

If I can save one person the heartache we have experienced since living here, then this post has been worth all the reprucusions I will experience because of posting it.
Good luck and happy hunting.

Well, I am sorry you feel that way about Deer Lodge. I lived there for a while with family when I was younger and before that I would spend my summers there with my aunt and uncle.
I do understand and agree there are a few things that are not great for kids and there are alot of bars and the rumers do make their way around but you will find that it any small town.
I have had a chance to meet people that I would have never of known if I had not had a chance to go to DeerLodge and I would never change it.

[mtjeepgirl]

I was a "Prisoner" of Deer Lodge for 17 long years. It is not just the locals that the people here will refuse to accept. Upon my Parole, "Hello Navy recuiter this is an emergancy,...yes I know there are no oceans close...." I have now found myself and my Family happy wealthy and wise in Virginia Beach Virginia. Deer Lodge is a great place to visit, wouldn't want to live there.

[lv4921391]

Deer Lodge at one time had two railroads running through it. The Milwaukee RR had repair shops and a switching yard. Four passenger trains stopped there daily for servicing. There was a sawmill,
Cominco had the phosphate mine in the nearby Garrison area. All these industries are kaput, gonzo, a distant memory. If you aren't retired or wealthy Deer Lodge isn't for you. Oh btw back about this time last century it also was home to Montana State College (now MSU in Bozeman). As the story goes, the legisature gave the good townspeople of Deer Lodge a choice, either MSC or the state prison. They voted for the prison. sheesh !!!

[Cici3]

Dont move to Deerlodge,i am of bi-racial descent and moved to Deerlodge to be near my birth mother who is white.At first when we got there most people were very nice ,friendly my kids had a lot of friends and then things turned,my birth mother cashed my child cupport checks forging them and the bank let her,she made mw and my kids life horrible.And since shes a standing member in the town they turned on my family they literally kicked me and my kids out of the city and said your kind doesnt belong here and they tried to put my kids on a reservation.And they gave me and my kids money to leave.So theres an answer about Deerlodge.There are no jobs .i also had come from the East Coast.I will say Deerlodge is a beautiful town but the people and the law are horrible.

[magoomafoo]

Wow! No happy medium here is there. I know for a fact that the msp is not the only large employers in Deerlodge. Sun Mountain Logging is there, the grocery store ect...Yes, it is a drug town, but hey, look at most small towns in Montana. Keep an eye on your children and be safe and cautious, you should have no problem. There are also alot of small towns in that area of Montana, keep looking til you find what you want.