This Californian moving to Montana (a few comments) (Bozeman, Kalispell: home, buying)

[Gruffles]

Hi Heart,

I sorta stumbled on to this forum last night researching some real estate stuff and decided to register. I, too, just moved here from the Bay Area. We lived on Guerrero St. in SF for 12 years and most recently in Alameda the last 2 years.

I just felt compelled to respond as I totally feel you on the present day condition of Bay Area life.

I was born in Great Falls but was never able to live here past age 6mo (my dad was in the Navy.) I have been visiting here for over 30 years for summer vacations and christmas with family and finally made the leap with my wife and our two young boys.

We got here in August and are really starting to hit our stride. I work for the Great Falls Public School Disctrict and she's quickly building up a clientelle for her hair design business.

Anyway, good to have another Californian who has seen the light!

[fbcobrn]

[quote=Gruffles;815958 I, too, just moved here from the Bay Area. We lived on Guerrero St. in SF for 12 years and most recently in Alameda the last 2 years.
Anyway, good to have another Californian who has seen the light![/QUOTE]

Hi, all you Bay Area peoples. Having fallen in love with Montana several years ago, I finally gave up the fight to retire to the No. Calif. Coast. Whereas the Coastal transplantees had to put up with the cold, you will trully know what I mean when I say.....I can't wait to leave the traffic and HOTTTTTT (115' days for weeks on end) of the inland East Contra Costa County landscape. I don't do summer well, anymore. Our home is in the process of building and we hope to be in before snow hits.

If locals don't welcome me, so be it. I'm more like a hermit anyway, I don't get lonely, I don't get bored and I don't need anyone elses approval to sustain me emotionally. The people who are bitter and angry at "others" need to look inward as far as I am concerned. People who ***** all the time are rarely the ones who take action, they just **** and moan and grouse a lot. Some on here are themselves transplants, yet they project themselves like "locals". Behavior and courtesy in public and private dealings are more important to me than where someone came from regardless of race, ancestry, wealth, etc.

Everyone has their own reasons for moving to Montana, or anywhere different for that matter. Being conservative in a liberal area makes it hard to fight progress here. I'm one little vote and noone listens to me.
About the only things I will miss here will be: My daughter and family, my family's resting places, my long-time friends and coworkers. Other than that, I can eat hot dogs and fries anywhere.

Oh, and recycling.....I understand Montana doesn't recycle much....what a shame....since there's all this commotion about "ruining the beauty of the state with transplants" but minimal discussion about "garbage and trash" that isn't recycled....Q=Where does it go ??????

[Gruffles]

Don't listen to the neysayers, fbcobrn! My family has been in this state since the 1890s! They were original homesteaders in the Square Butte/Geraldine area (we still have our ranch/farm out there.) If Montana is one thing -- it's a place where you can move and make it your own! It always has been and always will be!

[mthorselover]

I was trying to get some information regarding Ashland, MT (on the Northern Cheyenne reservation) and I ended up in this forum. I found most of the comments so true. I am from a very small town in Maine. I have lived in Boston, 2 different times in CA (following my heart/man, which were BIG mistakes) and lived in Tampa, FL for 15 yrs before moving to Montana. I have two cousins in MT: Missoula & Stevensville. So, I initially moved there bc I found a paralegal position that was willing to match my salary that I was making in Tampa. But, my real reason for getting here was to eventually go to MSU for the Native American Studies Master's program. I was told that it is the best school in the nation for the master's program. Not sure I will ever afford to do that now.

I have only been back in MT for about 1.5 years. I followed my heart & a man from Bozeman to CA so he could "put a feather in his cap" working construction for Tim Blixseth. That was a big mistake on my part. A 6 mo job turned into 2.5 years. I was miserable there. It was worse the 2nd time than the first. I was 25 when I was in CA the first time & was only there 10 mos while my boyfriend, then husband finished his tour with the Marines. But, when we got back to CA, I should have been smart and went my separate ways. But, he promised things would be better for us & we bought 20 acreas in Clarkston & put a modular home out there. It is the most beautiful 1/2 log sided house out there. But, he got what he wanted --- the house. He would never have been able to do it without what I had left over from the sale of my house in Florence, MT and my great credit. In January, he started his plan which included taking the mental abuse to a new level and it became physical. I fled for my life a month ago. I have been working in Helena for a year, so I moved closer to my job. I like not having the commute, even though it was a beautiful drive. Part of my commute (weather permitting in winter) was over an old cattle road from Toston to Clarkston.

I fled with our broken down RV and that is what I am living in for the moment. I cannot afford an apartment in Helena. I have two cats & a dog, so I am limited in what I can find. I gave up so much for this man, and now I feel homeless. I do have some wonderful people that I am working with. My best friend at work will be leaving in a month to go back to Ashland. Her husband is a Northern Cheyenne & they are leaving Helena to go "back to the simple life". I wish I could go with them, but, what would I do for work? They have a B&B to go back to & 20 acreas.

I don't want to leave MT, but, I will be going home to Maine in a month for my 30 year HS class reunion. I may end up deciding to move back there. However, Maine has gone though these "growing pains". And my home town was once very beautiful. Now it is an old run down town that only has 1/2 the population it used to. It was a papermill town. The papermill was family owned, but, then sold out a couple of times now to the "big" boys -- Boise Cascade was one of the owners awhile back, but, they sold out. I am not sure who owns it now. But, Maine still has alot of its charm, but, you have to live in the Portland, Lewiston/Auburn, Augusta or Bangor areas to make money. I still have a sister that lives there, and her and her husband have done well & have two grown boys. They are now 18 & 19, so they are starting to "spread their wings". But, they can think of no place that they would ever want to be. They love their hunting & fishing. And they love their "grampa" (my dad).

I have found that MT's people are very friendly. When I got off the plane back in 2000 for my job interview in Missoula, I immediately felt like I was "home". I have always had an inner feeling that this is where I am meant to be, but, things are pretty rough for me right now. I hope my support system doesn't fail me when my friend leaves. I will be on vacation for 2.5 weeks, but, what then when I get back and she won't be here. Helena is much smaller than Bozeman. I didn't really like Missoula for all the reasons that people have said above. I had bought a house in Florence and I was only 6 miles from one of my cousins who lived in Stevi. They raise cattle. They have a 10 acrea farm. My cousin was born in Maine, but, my dad's sister moved to San Jose, CA. He and his wife left the rat race of CA over 25 years ago. They cannot believe the growth since they moved here. I was only in my Florence home 1.5 years, so I took a loss on it. I should have kept it and rented it out. Hind sight is 20/20. If I can find it within in my heart to rise above my present state, and hang in here, my initial dreams for myself here in MT may still come true. All I wanted was a small 1 bedroom log cabin on a few acreas of land for a horse. I came here with so much more than what I have now. I had 10 cats, 1 dog & a rabbit, over $40,000 in my pocket to pay off all my credit cards & get that Florence home. I never thought I was rich back then. But, now I have an RV, 2 cats & 1 dog and feel quite poor. But, I do have heart, hope & faith.

I hear what you are all saying about the construction boom. Bozeman is not the place I thought it was. And my ex works in that construction at Big Sky. He can afford the house payment. But, for how long? I have been trying to tell him that the construction boom in Bozeman/Big Sky won't last forever. If he keeps spending money the way he has this last year, he will end up belly up.

Thanks, everyone for all of your comments. I am here because I wanted the simplier life just like others do. I hope I can find the strength to stay here. I will do what I can to do so. Montana, for the most part, has been everything I had ever hoped for.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by fbcobrn

Oh, and recycling.....I understand Montana doesn't recycle much....what a shame....since there's all this commotion about "ruining the beauty of the state with transplants" but minimal discussion about "garbage and trash" that isn't recycled....Q=Where does it go ??????

Believe it or not it all goes to the dump! I was shocked to say the least when I saw people dumping tires,batteries,chemicals etc at the green boxes (remote dump sites) and asked at the main dump when I went there what the deal was. I was told that you can pretty much dump anything because they are afraid that if they limit it the stuff will end up in the woods (which a lot does anyway)

[fbcobrn]

Originally Posted by jimj

Believe it or not it all goes to the dump! I was shocked to say the least when I saw people dumping tires,batteries,chemicals etc at the green boxes (remote dump sites) and asked at the main dump when I went there what the deal was. I was told that you can pretty much dump anything because they are afraid that if they limit it the stuff will end up in the woods (which a lot does anyway)

Wow ! so it IS true. That is going to take some getting used to. I've been recycle/reuse so much of my life (way before it became mandatory/fashionable in the Bay Area) I get hives just thinking about "dumping" biohazards into the environment (dump). Oh well, the locals say we must acclimate ourselves to their way of life, so, I guess I can abuse the landscape with the best of them.
Ok, so I can't in good conscience do that....batteries, chemicals, pesticides...into dumpsters. With all the wells around you would think they wouldn't want all that to leak into their ground water. Guess I'll have to do research and leg work when I get there to see where I can take different things to.
I'm in NO way a wacko environmentalist...they've done their share to impede human self-preservation and capitalism, but I do believe we shouldn't negligently contaminate our forests and streams either when there are viable ways of disposal.

Makes me think of when I went to India a few years ago. Garbage lays all over the sidewalks......with cows roaming (sacred with right-of-way over the vehicles) and eating the food garbage and the rest was in little piles on fire to "burn it".

[jimj]

FBcobrn,
I forgot to tell you that they also "oil" some of the dirt roads here still. I have seen trucks spraying used motor oil on them which I can't believe is good for ground water. I am as far from a "greeny" as I think you can get but after working in the hazmat industry I see this stuff get dumped and cringe. I have to concede the county has a point, if they don't let them throw it in the dumpsters it WILL end up in the woods. Went up to the moto track in Hungry Horse and there is a shooting range right by it. You wouldn't believe all of the appliances that were dumped there and then shot up. The rangers were telling me they are going to close the range because they are tired of the illegal dumping. The legal dumping area is about 2 miles away so it makes you wonder exactly how lazy/inconsiderate these people are? Sad to say the least! I have been up the North Fork out in the woods and seen piles of trash, mostly beer and food remenants as well as shot casings and wonder who the people think is going to come out and clean it up? A lot of people here talk about how developement is messing up things and trashing the place and it makes me wonder if they have been out in the woods lately.....

[Debee]

They spray the roads here in the Flathead Valley also, but they use a vegetable based oil.I thought motor oil usage was outlawed

[jimj]

It is supposed to be but it is still done. Not many cops, many roads that are private you get the picture.....

[Diana F.]

I haphazardly came across this site and found your posts. I lived in Geraldine almost fifty years ago. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find anyone that I remember (that was a long time ago). So it was great to see your post.

I understand that Geraldine has "downsized" quite a bit over the years. Is that true? I met my husband, who has since passed away, there, and have felt a longing to come back. Would it be worth it?

Diana