Researching idea to relocate to Montana (Missoula, Bozeman: for sale, real estate, crime rate)

[MamaX5]

Hi,

We are a family of seven and DH and I are thinking about moving out of the state of Connecticut. We live about 30 minutes west of Hartford in a heavily surburbanized area. It is very crowded and the crime rate is high. I believe that there are places you can live that has less of this.
I have been looking at information on the Gallatin County in Montana and may be soon planning a trip. This area appears to have what we are looking for. Can anyone possibly give any suggestions of target places we might be interested to visit and consider for a new home? I was looking at Bozeman, but I have read that it can be an expensive place to live. However, Connecticut is very expensive as well. We are looking at small town, country type places where affluence and the influence of money are not so prevalent as it is here in Connecticut.
Thanks for any help you can offer.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by MamaX5

Hi,

We are looking at small town, country type places where affluence and the influence of money are not so prevalent as it is here in Connecticut.
Thanks for any help you can offer.

Well, you can pretty much forget anyplace in the rural Rocky Mountains. Too many people have beat you to the idea and are turning the region into an upscale McMansion-infested "hideaway." Paradise lost.

[bigtrees]

Originally Posted by MamaX5

Hi,

We are a family of seven and DH and I are thinking about moving out of the state of Connecticut. We live about 30 minutes west of Hartford in a heavily surburbanized area. It is very crowded and the crime rate is high. I believe that there are places you can live that has less of this.
I have been looking at information on the Gallatin County in Montana and may be soon planning a trip. This area appears to have what we are looking for. Can anyone possibly give any suggestions of target places we might be interested to visit and consider for a new home? I was looking at Bozeman, but I have read that it can be an expensive place to live. However, Connecticut is very expensive as well. We are looking at small town, country type places where affluence and the influence of money are not so prevalent as it is here in Connecticut.
Thanks for any help you can offer.

We don't really have enough information to offer anything....Big Sky Country is much more expensive and money does drive things in Bozeman but I can't say what your impression would be compared to CT.

The big thing that will be a lot different is Montana winters are not for the faint hearted. You are pretty much housebound (indoor activities) from about mid-November to mid-March. You sure can go outside - but have to get bundled up in hat, gloves, pants, shoes, etc before doing so. With 7 kids, half the adventure can be getting ready to go outside and finding everyone's things. Not sure if your kids are normally inside or outside kids, but the winters in Montana are a world of difference from warmer climates.

You may want to check on the school system and see if the Bozeman School District offers the type of curriculum you'd expect for your kids. Not sure what things you like/don't like about the schools but Montana school generally don't offer as much for courses as big city schools.

Sometimes (frequently) kids in elementary school end up going to a school across town because the one in your neighborhood is full....

Not sure if you have jobs lined up or are financially independent? It's expensive to live in Bozeman but the salaries are relatively low (compared to the cost of living). Again - it's hard to say for you since things are a lot different than CT.

Visiting is a really good first step because you'll get a good feel when you come to visit. Just keep in mind that you're likely to come here during our best season and you haven't seen the real Montana until you visit during winter.

[dangerousdan]

I think that if you were trying to find the place in Montana that is most similar to Connecticut, Bozeman would fit the bill.

Have you ever been there before? Just curious.

[Timberwolf232]

Originally Posted by MamaX5

Hi,
I was looking at Bozeman, but I have read that it can be an expensive place to live. However, Connecticut is very expensive as well. We are looking at small town, country type places where affluence and the influence of money are not so prevalent as it is here in Connecticut.
Thanks for any help you can offer.

If you are looking for a place where affluence and the influence of money are not so prevalent I'd stay away from the Bozeman and Big Sky areas. Big Sky is comparable to Aspen, CO, and Bozeman is one of the most expensive areas of the state. (Lots of yuppies and trust fund brats live there.)

[MamaX5]

Hi,
Thanks for all the input. Actually, we are aware that the winters are harsh. The opposite problem exists here in Connecticut with the summers. We have heat waves. They break, but they return. It was 97 today and has been for the past couple of days and will be again tomorrow. Schools are letting kids out at half days because of the heat. We're not even in the South and we still bake. In the winters, we have ice storms. Anywhere we go, the climate and weather will make life miserable somehow. Unless you live in Hawaii .

Although weather & climate are things to be considered, we are also looking at other factors as well. Some valid points were brought up here. "Paradise Lost" is exactly what happened to my neighborhood and surrounding areas here in CT. I grew up here in this same town and things deteriorated. Checking out schools is a priority.

We will continue to look and consider.

Thanks!

[bigtrees]

Originally Posted by MamaX5

Hi,
Thanks for all the input. Actually, we are aware that the winters are harsh. The opposite problem exists here in Connecticut with the summers. We have heat waves. They break, but they return. It was 97 today and has been for the past couple of days and will be again tomorrow. Schools are letting kids out at half days because of the heat. We're not even in the South and we still bake. In the winters, we have ice storms. Anywhere we go, the climate and weather will make life miserable somehow. Unless you live in Hawaii .

Although weather & climate are things to be considered, we are also looking at other factors as well. Some valid points were brought up here. "Paradise Lost" is exactly what happened to my neighborhood and surrounding areas here in CT. I grew up here in this same town and things deteriorated. Checking out schools is a priority.

We will continue to look and consider.

Thanks!

You'll want to do some more research on Montana. Our summers are hot, too, and we frequently have heat waves. Mid nineties is very common for the hot temperatures west of the divide and in the 100's is common east of the divide during the summer. We don't have a large body of water to moderate the temperatures, so they tend to go from the extreme cold in winter to extreme hot in summer.

[grizzfan]

Missoula, in the western part of the state, had 14+ days straight of temperatures over 100F last summer with forest fire smoke mixed in! It was very hard on some people (smoke) with respiratory aliments. We get forest fire smoke every summer.

The good part is that the humidity is never very high, typically less that 35% Depending on your need for employment there are lots of small towns where our low-paid teachers are the highest paid people in town. Unexpectedly that causes some resentment by the others!!

Good luck.

[rangerider]

Originally Posted by MamaX5

Hi,
Thanks for all the input. Actually, we are aware that the winters are harsh. The opposite problem exists here in Connecticut with the summers. We have heat waves. They break, but they return. It was 97 today and has been for the past couple of days and will be again tomorrow. Schools are letting kids out at half days because of the heat. We're not even in the South and we still bake. In the winters, we have ice storms.

Wish I could sympathize a little more - I have 34F and heavy snow falling this morning.

Before you say "yeah, but...", I grew up in heat and humidity like what you have, and later worked harvest runs from Texas to northern Montana. Got the full effect of summer and was working hard in the middle of it.

Have been in this country for close to thirty years, and have seen heavy snow on the 4th of July twice, major blizzards in September, frost every month of the year, and lots of late spring/early summer storms like this one. Natives here ki-yi about hot weather when it tops 80 or so degrees. They have nooo....clue unless they've traveled a bit. Even then, you have to be working in it to really appreciate the full effect. I'm lucky - heat doesn't bother me much at all, prefer it to cold any day.

I don't miss a whole lot about the flatlands, but thing I do miss is hot/humid summer days, warm evenings (80+), big prairie thunderstorms and all night rains.

Back on topic, the above posters said pretty much what I would. I have been a long time in the Gallatin Valley, and in fact have a couple new neighbors down the road, one of which hails from your neck of the woods. They are pretty much in love with this place, but as far as I can see don't work for a living which makes a huge difference in perspective. I have never traveled in the East Coast region, have to delve my insights from reading other forums. We have a fairly high cost of living, which stems largely from real estate prices. Upside is, now is not the worst time to buy. Despite steady prices, I see an awful lot for sale, and from talk with different people you can offer a lot less than advertised. If the circumstances are right, you just might own it. Guy I know offered 205k on a 280k house; they acted gut-shot but he closed on it two weeks later. There are a fair amount of distress sales right now, too.

Crime here is pretty much .05-.10 stuff, some bigger incidents as we increase in population, but nothing like more settled areas. Domestic incidents increasing, but the police reports and scanner traffic reflect a lot of "made" type crimes. Schools like anywhere else, seemingly always on the verge of complete financial meltdown, turn out some good, some bad students. Taxes increasing, fees and mil levy increasing, too many people wanting too many gov't services, uncomfortable without being a charter member of a nanny state. My .02 anyway....

Good luck!

[vter4ever]

Have you considered Boise, ID? It's a great city and offers a lot of what you are looking for. You'll have better job opportunities, easier winters and access to all the outdoor activities you could ask for. Boise High School is a very good national high school. However when you talk about "baking" in the northeast, don't be surprised to see days over 100 during the summers out west, it can get down right HOT! However it is drier heat!