Never Been To Montana!!!!

[jadore.jessica]

Originally Posted by plolcountrygrl

I've always dreamed of living in Montana. I'm just a plain ole country girl from Arkansas and would love to be somewhere else. So, I have made up my mind to start saving and maybe I could be there by next summer. Don't know if my truck would make it there in the winter. I just wanted to get some input on where I could find the best year around job. I do anything from bartending to working with horses and I've also been a business owner. If you have any ideas, please let me know. I don't really want to live in the city but it would do until I found a place in the country. I've always heard that you can do anything if you set your mind to it. Thank you in advance for the info!
Debbie

hi, debbie! i recently moved from montana to arkansas after living in montana nearly a year. i lived in great falls & i really liked it. the winters are really long & very bad, which is why i couldn't settle there. i know in great falls & the surrounding towns, there would be plenty of places to find work. perhaps you could find a place outside the city & if you needed to go into town, you would have an easy & short drive.

there are plenty of bars in great falls & i know there are many farms & ranches in the surrounding areas. the town is beautiful & easy to drive. there is a decent amount of dining & shopping. the downtown area is a fun place to spend your weekend.

did you know that montana is free of sales tax? gas is slightly higher there but it's not too bad. cigarettes are twice as much as they are here in arkansas! food is about the same. if you love the outdoors, you should definitely consider montana! except for the awful winters, great falls is ideal, in my opinion.

i really wish i could help more with the job advice, but i worked for the motel i was staying in. i just wanted to share my experience of living in montana. i wish you the best of luck & i hope you get to do whatever is you wish!

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by jimj

Marine recruits in boot camp must memorize these General Orders.

Not entirely a bad set of rules for conducting yourself through life, actually. Other than maybe the "don't talk to strangers" parts, but you wouldn't speak of company secrets to a stranger either, so it still has its place in business.

[Vulcan500]

North and east MT will be colder in winter, the east hotter in summer. Towns on I-90 seem to get more liberal the further west you go (Billings,-not so much, Bozeman -very eco-aware, Missoula - very liberal). Population density increases westerly, as I'm sure you know. Small towns are pretty darn welcoming to newcomers, especially those who understand what the rural lifestyle is all about. If you're willing to flip burgers to start, you can find a job anywhere, and work up from there when you familiarize yourself. Plan on using lots of lotion - this is considered 'high desert' country.

[SmokinGun]

Originally Posted by Timberwolf232

Our "fourth" general order was "I'll guard my post from flank to flank, and take no s#%@ from any rank."
-TW-

I remember something vaguely like that...

[SmokinGun]

I am used to small town life, lived in many of them most of my life, rule one, you do it our way…rule two, don’t try to change a place that you just arrived in. Rule three, people will generally be nice, but be slightly away from you until they know you.

And man, how do you remember all that in the USMC? You call some Corporal in the Army for some advice he will look at you like your nuts. Old rule when I was in was call a SPEC4 that was in for a while, he knew everything! I knew LT's and CPT's that did that...LOL!

[rickers]

I was never in the military but I was in the Boy Scouts. If everyone in the world lived their life according to the Boy Scout Motto and the Ten Commandments there would be no need for wars, armies, governments or borders for that matter. John Lennon had a dream of world peace and sharing the world equally. Unfortunately it is just a dream.
I grew up in a city with over 4,000 restaurants but have also lived in towns with populations of 60, another with 145, one of 600 and now I'm in a town of about 2,500.
I prefer the little towns as an older person but If I were 24 years old again I may prefer the big city life !

[Vulcan500]

Any branch of service remember "FIGMO"? Hubby and I are AF vets, 1 daughter is Army and current members have no clue about "FIGMO". She's trying to resurrect it's use.

[Timberwolf232]

Originally Posted by Vulcan500

Any branch of service remember "FIGMO"? Hubby and I are AF vets, 1 daughter is Army and current members have no clue about "FIGMO". She's trying to resurrect it's use.

LOL.. Better than FUBAR.

FIGMO feels good when you are on the way home or on to new pastures!

"F--- it, got my orders." (If I remember right) Although my dad taught me that one when I was a kid getting ready for boot camp.

[Onebeed]

I agree, visit first, in the wintertime. I did the same thing. Got sick of the crowds in Denver and moved to Montana. At first I loved it, but after the fourth long winter, it got too lonely and I couldn't wait to get out of there. The roads to my house were icy from about October to April, I mean icy and snowy enough to require a 4 wheel drive to get there. I remember seeing snow every single month including July and August. Jobs are very hard to find, especially one that will pay enough to live on. And it is really expensive. I thought people in Colorado were rude if you are not "native" to Colorado, but it is worse in Montana. But once you get to know people, they make great neighbors and do anything for each other. It is a beautiful place, but can be rough to make a living there.

[SmokinGun]

Originally Posted by Onebeed

I agree, visit first, in the wintertime. I did the same thing. Got sick of the crowds in Denver and moved to Montana. At first I loved it, but after the fourth long winter, it got too lonely and I couldn't wait to get out of there. The roads to my house were icy from about October to April, I mean icy and snowy enough to require a 4 wheel drive to get there. I remember seeing snow every single month including July and August. Jobs are very hard to find, especially one that will pay enough to live on. And it is really expensive. I thought people in Colorado were rude if you are not "native" to Colorado, but it is worse in Montana. But once you get to know people, they make great neighbors and do anything for each other. It is a beautiful place, but can be rough to make a living there.

Thanks for the advice!