are you thinking of moving to MT? (Bozeman, Helena: how much, home)

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by Timberwolf232

I hope it doesn't get that bad here. Can't blame people for moving here, but it sure takes from the quality of life people were used to who have been around for a long time.

Yep... the whole point of this here discussion. But too many of even those who should know better, like my sister -- raised in MT but did business too long in California, and just doesn't get what this is doing to the people who were already there.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf232

Tom Sabo passed away last year. I never knew him, but my in-laws did. Here is a link to his obituary. http://www.sibisites.com/DN/obits/06sabo.pdf

Sad to hear that Time doesn't just march on, it tromps over us!

[Timberwolf232]

Originally Posted by Reziac

Yep... the whole point of this here discussion. But too many of even those who should know better, like my sister -- raised in MT but did business too long in California, and just doesn't get what this is doing to the people who were already there.



Sad to hear that Time doesn't just march on, it tromps over us!

Time does move quick. Sorry to have to be the one to give you the bad news.

Some of our best friends have sold off some land for some of these McRanch developments. Seems like a waste, but after years of farming and not making any money they decided to go that route. It's pretty sad, because little by little more of MT disappears and a little more of that materiel attitude slips into it's place. They hate to do it just as bad as we hate watching the developments go in.

This year, however they decided give farming a go again, instead of just leasing the ground out. With all the rain it looks like it'll be a better year for them. They planted wheat instead of hay this year. (I'm their resident gopher assassin. )

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by Timberwolf232

Time does move quick. Sorry to have to be the one to give you the bad news.

Some of our best friends have sold off some land for some of these McRanch developments. Seems like a waste, but after years of farming and not making any money they decided to go that route. It's pretty sad, because little by little more of MT disappears and a little more of that materiel attitude slips into it's place. They hate to do it just as bad as we hate watching the developments go in.

This year, however they decided give farming a go again, instead of just leasing the ground out. With all the rain it looks like it'll be a better year for them. They planted wheat instead of hay this year. (I'm their resident gopher assassin. )

Friends with a ranch north of Manhattan did that too... they just have cattle (almost retired now, actually) as it's all rough ground at the lower edge of the Horseshoe Hills, nothing tillable. Anyway some years ago they sold a piece to someone who then proceeded to chop it up for development, AND sue them for another access road that wasn't part of the deal. (I'm not sure how that came out, but I guess it was some ugly fight while it was happening.) Anyway that P.O.'d my friends to the point that they put the rest of the ranch into a conservation easement, so it can never be developed.

Sad thing is the ranch never actually paid for itself... my friend is a lawyer and insurance agent and that was his real income all those years. But he grew up on a real working ranch in Idaho and wanted his kids to learn the lifestyle.

Gopher assassin is an honourable profession I once had a cat that singlehandedly exterminated the gopher population east of the Belgrade airport (I lived on Tower Road). Once he got started he spent all day every day killing gophers, and within 6 months there were none left anywhere within a quarter mile or so of my house.

[Timberwolf232]

Originally Posted by Reziac

Friends with a ranch north of Manhattan did that too... they just have cattle (almost retired now, actually) as it's all rough ground at the lower edge of the Horseshoe Hills, nothing tillable. Anyway some years ago they sold a piece to someone who then proceeded to chop it up for development, AND sue them for another access road that wasn't part of the deal. (I'm not sure how that came out, but I guess it was some ugly fight while it was happening.) Anyway that P.O.'d my friends to the point that they put the rest of the ranch into a conservation easement, so it can never be developed.

Sad thing is the ranch never actually paid for itself... my friend is a lawyer and insurance agent and that was his real income all those years. But he grew up on a real working ranch in Idaho and wanted his kids to learn the lifestyle.

Gopher assassin is an honourable profession I once had a cat that singlehandedly exterminated the gopher population east of the Belgrade airport (I lived on Tower Road). Once he got started he spent all day every day killing gophers, and within 6 months there were none left anywhere within a quarter mile or so of my house.

I'd bet we know some of the same people. My in-laws live right off of airport road on the north east side of the airport. We have some friends from several different families who live in that area by the horseshoes. My wife and I like to drive up 16 mile to Maudlow every once in a while to get away.

Our friends have regular jobs also, just not enough to keep things going just with the ranch, but they are happy.

Sounds like a good cat!! It's funny watching them chase gophers and run em out of their holes.

[Montanacur]

I am originally from Kalispell, and remember when it was quiet much like Lewistown is now. I moved here to Bozeman back in '99' to start college. I've lived here since then and even though I've only been here 9 years, the change is absolutely unreal. I remember when you could drive down Jackrabbit between Belgrade and 4-corners and see maybe 5 vehicles during the middle of the day. Now traffic has you driving 50mph at all times of the day, and a person almost has to slam on their brakes 5 times in that short span to keep from hitting some moron who doesn't believe in blinkers or using breaks until the last moment. I remember when college got out for the summer and Bozeman and the surrounding area actually seemed to become this sleepy little town, and when the kids got back you noticed the change in population. Now there is no change, there is just a lot of people and a lot of traffic. It's gotten so bad that my wife and I are now moving away at the end of July. We're heading north to the Choteau/Conrad area where we can afford to buy a home and live in that quiet small town atmosphere. It's too bad really, because it feels like the place I've called home for so long is no longer home, it's a disenfranchised version of itself.

Another comment on wages. I've made $16 an hour doing construction work building houses, painting houses, etc here in Bozeman to put myself through school. I've made $15 an hour at 18 years old when I lived in Kalispell. My wife makes $12 an hour working as a veterinary technician. Wages are definitely NOT $6 an hour here. Granted, even making what we have been with two incomes there is no way we could afford to buy a home in this market. I sold Real Estate for two years while I took some time off of school, and when you do that, you really get the inside scoop and it's scary right now, even with the market falling a little bit.

So we're moving on to places that are more small town and what we both grew up with. Good luck to all of you who are sticking it out here.

[Gman2007]

Originally Posted by Montanacur

It's gotten so bad that my wife and I are now moving away at the end of July. We're heading north to the Choteau/Conrad area where we can afford to buy a home and live in that quiet small town atmosphere.

Welcome to the "The Mayberry of Montana" as Rickers calls it!

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by Montanacur

My wife makes $12 an hour working as a veterinary technician.

Amazingly, that's more than they pay vet techs here in SoCal (about $10/hr on average, some are less).

[rickers]

The minimum wage is over $6.00 per hour and I don't know anyone here that would work for less than $10.00 per hour. The unemployment rate is pretty low in Montana and the only people who work for minimum wage are generally people with very limited skills or experience. I know there are openings for nurses, and prison guards, in my area.

[ElkHunter]

Hell, Dominot's piazza pays $10 an hour, plus tips.

[seven of nine]

Uh ho, somebody is a negative nancy