Possible move from VT to Montana: rural towns near skiing? (Missoula: real estate, apartments)

[Greenmntmover]

Originally Posted by Threerun

And if you want live in the mountains near Bozeman? That price tag goes up. Waay up. I bought a house on acreage in North Hills out side of Helena. Views of Lake Helena, the continental divide and the Elkhorn mountains (and the city lights at night). We bought in 2010 when the market was still impacted by the financial/ housing collapse. Almost 3,000 sq ft paid $280K. Today? $850K. That’s in Helena. My house in the mountains near Bozeman would probably be double that.

Similar experience for us in VT. Our home is estimated to be worth 1.3 million…. Our mortgage is for 300k. It’s insane. We will be reinvesting in a new home, but do not want a huge mortgage. So will hopefully find something under 800k. My husband visited Helena last year and loved it. It is on our list to check out, though I wasn’t sure if it was too big of a town for us.

[Greenmntmover]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

Sandpoint, ID meets several items on your wish list: farmer's market in summer, a theater with live events, concerts, festivals, numerous churches, and so forth, plus a highly rated ski resort, Schweitzer Mt. It's is a small, vibrant mountain town on a huge lake--a stunning location. The downside is that it is about 6 hours from Bozeman, and two day's drive from Tahoe and Boulder. But if you're coming out in August to check out the general area from Missoula to Bozeman, then Sandpoint isn't too far away, and you could include that in your tour.

I just took a look at Sandpoint…. Beautiful! Thanks for this suggestion. We will have to really think on how far we need to be from the kids. I am sure they do not want us as next door neighbors, but the East to west travel is really starting to drain us. If this was just a bit closer to Bozeman, it would be perfect.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by Greenmntmover

Between 700-800K…. looking at prices in Big Sky, and we know that is way out of our league.

Try Livingston.

[Threerun]

Originally Posted by Greenmntmover

Similar experience for us in VT. Our home is estimated to be worth 1.3 million…. Our mortgage is for 300k. It’s insane. We will be reinvesting in a new home, but do not want a huge mortgage. So will hopefully find something under 800k. My husband visited Helena last year and loved it. It is on our list to check out, though I wasn’t sure if it was too big of a town for us.

Helena is nice. We hike and there are plenty of trails. Helena city has a lot of parks-the larger Mt. Helena. Lots of trails. Mountain Biking is very popular here. I live very close to Hauser lake which is a part of the Missouri River complex. Good fishing and recreating. It’s also pretty much equidistant to Yellowstone and Glacier NP’s. The north side where I live is ‘dry’. The south and west of town, particularly up above town is much more wet. My wife’s friend has a cabin up past an area called South Hills and they pretty hammered with snow and it sticks around. If they get 8” of snow we get 1”. We’re only 1/2 hour apart.

It’s not a bad place. It’s smaller than Bozeman and Great Falls. If you like to shop or try different restaurants, it ain’t as varied as Bozeman or Great Falls.

But all in all I enjoy it. I travel all over the state and there’s few other places I’d rather live.

[GTB365]

Originally Posted by NDak15

Try Livingston.

I second that.

Livingston / Paradise Valley....end of search.

[ejisme]

What you may have noticed in your previous visits to Montana is that it's mostly open ranch land and some river bottoms, between the various island mountain ranges. You won't find a lot of forested hilltops with housing nestled in the green forests on their slopes. Where that does exist it's usually pretty expensive or pretty remote. It is pretty easy to find property with great mountain views in the distance, but hard to find it at the base of those mountains.

The edges of Helena, MT could work. Housing looks like it could be found. You'd also be close to Great Divide ski area. You could look in several smaller towns within say 25 miles of Helena. Many would likely have farmers markets, maybe a city fair with local live music, etc.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...7800/radius-25

https://skigd.com/

If you are open to that open range land and mountain views then Dillon, MT is a very nice little town that has a lot of what is on your list. Montana Snowbowl would be your local resort.
https://www.montanasnowbowl.com/

A quick look at housing: https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...7800/radius-25

Good Luck and have a good trip out this year. Maybe visit your family again for Thanksgiving or Christmas to get the winter view of your potential new Montana city.

[Greenmntmover]

Thank you all for your suggestions! I think this will take multiple visits to figure out. I will need to get used to the open expanses of land, as we have always been tucked away in the woods in Vermont. And… I think we will need to test out the slopes too!

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by Greenmntmover

Thank you all for your suggestions! I think this will take multiple visits to figure out. I will need to get used to the open expanses of land, as we have always been tucked away in the woods in Vermont. And… I think we will need to test out the slopes too!

I missed that you're a teacher. Unless your husband is making a VERY good wage I'd recommend looking elsewhere. Montana has dismal pay. Check out the salaries for teachers and look at cost of living. You can't eat scenery.

[ejisme]

You'll also notice, if you make the move, that most small town entertainment revolves around the annual rodeo in town. Sometimes a city/county fair will be going on in conjunction with the rodeo, but often it's just a 1 - 3 day rodeo. Getting on the rodeo/fair planning committee would be a way to meet people in the community. We used to go to multiple small town rodeos each year. Usually there is a dance with live music after the rodeo. The other big events for small towns are Christmas bazars and school fund raising events throughout the year. As a teacher you are likely familiar with these.

[Threerun]

Originally Posted by GTB365

I second that.

Livingston / Paradise Valley....end of search.

Too windy for my tastes, lol.