This Californian moving to Montana (a few comments) (Bozeman, Hamilton: transplants, real estate)

[JoeJoeMan]

SandyCO, I can apprecitate your situation. And it is true we are suffering great growth pains here in Montana. When you are ready slip yourself up here into a quite little place, be it Montana or elsewhere, keep it in your heart that you will never do anything to change the landscape in contrast to the reason you moved here, and you will find peace and friendship and preserve the Montana spirit.
Should you choose Montana, just do us a favor though and don't write any books or make any movies about us, lest we will have to shoot you ! best wishes

[SandyCo]

Originally Posted by johns65vette

Sandy...are you also considering a MT move? I am also looking at Wyoming...mainly northwest...Cody, Powell, Lovell, Wapiti.

To be quite honest, I have no faith in my ability to handle a Montana or Wyoming winter! If I were retired, it would be fine. I'd just stay inside for eight or nine months of the year! But if I had to go to work, and deal with sub-zero temperatures... I don't know if I could do it. I am definitely a Southern California "weather wimp"!

However, those open spaces tend to draw me in... So you never know what could happen. I never rule anything out! Every time I've said "never", it happens.

[Kaptain Karl]

Originally Posted by JoeJoeMan

Let's not forget the reason that makes Montana what it is in people's eye, it's the beauty, be it mountains or prarie, and a lot of the beauty lies in it's solitude and serenity. If you just like the sight of mountains, california, washington, etc, will do, they have mountains, many more dramatic than montana's.

You are not alone in your nostalgia. I moved to Colorado 24 years ago ... thinking I was "getting away from the Rat Race." Lucky me! I live in a county which has had the fastest growing population in the country six of the last eight years.

I surely know how to pick-em, huh? (And you two MT guys are bemoaning the (comparatively minor) growth you've witnessed??? You have had only a *taste* of what we've experienced.) And now we're trying to escape our own sprawl ... yes, by (technically) being *part* of the problem for someone like you. "Howdy, neighbor!"

We've been diligently studying City-Data and other sites to not just "hop-scotch" ahead of the crowds, but to "leap frog" way ahead of the crowds. (How to choose a location in which we can flourish, yet the rest of the people will flock to some other place...?) It's a challenge....

... "you moved here because it's open and beautiful and now you are willing to compromise it to make a buck"......a very strange phenomena indeed.

Or what we've seen is related to that. They moved here to escape the Rats ... and within six months they are petitioning the Town Board for more "conveniences" in the area.

Geez! You moved here for the peace and quiet; now you're demanding a Movie Theater ... Big Box Stores ... more (chain) Grocery Stores that sell the name-brand stuff you liked "back home" ... City Bus Services ... etc. Every sentence you utter starts with, "Why don't they do 'X' like we did back in ______? It was lots better that way."

I've actually surprised myself; lately I'm replying, "Why don't you go back to ______? We like it this way."


(Sorry about the rant.) Anyway, I guess I'm "with you" and "against you" (Your POV, I mean.). Some growth is inevitable; so I know we need to deal with it. I'm somewhat concerned -- that when we manage the Leap Frog move -- I'll developed a jaundiced POV. (You know, "Okay, I'm on-board. Pull up the ladder so 'those people' cannot crowd us!")

Well, you asked for our thoughts....

- KK

[Kaptain Karl]

Originally Posted by SandyCo

To be quite honest, I have no faith in my ability to handle a Montana or Wyoming winter! <snip> I am definitely a Southern California "weather wimp"!

However, those open spaces tend to draw me in....

Winters can be a real shock. I recommend you get a room for the month of February in a region you've settled on ... to see if you believe you could "handle it."

(I have a colleague who is single. She was telling me how rough it was -- during our Christmas and New Years blizzards -- to care for her animals. (She told me about struggling through 250 feet of 8-10ft drifts ... finally crawling/swimming through them to reach the Barn.)

I was incredulous. "You mean to tell me you live where you do and you don't own a pair of snowshoes!!???

"Oh! I never thought of that" she replied. "I'll get some today." (Duh!!! Just AFTER two blizzards in eight days, guess what? Correct ... "Sold Out" of snowshoes.)

Please think your move through and plan ahead....

Lastly, there are warmer places which are also less expensive than California, you know.... From Nevada all the way to Georgia.

- KK

[SandyCo]

Thank you, KK. That was entertaining and informative.

Did I ever mention how much I loathe humidity and really hot weather? It gets up to 115 in Phoenix. There's no way I'd live there! The interior valleys of California are the same way - in the 100s for weeks at a time every summer. I know I have to give up something weather-wise. I just have to make sure I could handle it. Your idea of getting a room for a month in February makes a lot of sense, I have to admit!

[JoeJoeMan]

Some growth is inevitable;

Not really, lots of places have witness decreasing sizes in population growth, now those are the place you want to move to.
Acutally the falicy is the people say "you can't stop growth"......but they are the first people who seem to think they can increase it if you promote it, your state/town. Seems they beleive that they can actually effect the outcome.
So if one does nothing else to control growth they should not encourge it with those promotions campagnes, I guess you could run a negative campagen saying "don't move here" if you beleive that the "move here" one can have an effect on people......
So stop falling for that it's "inevitable" and "you can stop it" kind of thinking.

[YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY]

Originally Posted by Kaptain Karl

Winters can be a real shock. I recommend you get a room for the month of February in a region you've settled on ... to see if you believe you could "handle it."

- KK

Actually that is one of my major pre re-location plans. To spend at least a month during the worst time of year, in an area I want to move to.


I'm with you SandyCo on the humidity of southern areas, and the heat of the deserts and inland valleys of SoCal. I live in Riverside county now, and it gets very hot...for months. Not uncommon to have 30 straight days over 100. But hey at least it cools down to 90 at night

To get an idea of my ability to handle cold weather:
Until this week it has been between 25 to 30 degrees at night. I know it's not cold by MT and WY standards, but still cold for here. I have still been riding my motorcycle to work everyday, with nothing more than a lightweight lined jacket (not leather) and some basic winter gloves. Not even wearing a full face helmet. I wear a 3/4 helmet. I really do like cold weather.

[Kaptain Karl]

Originally Posted by JoeJoeMan

... I guess you could run a negative campagen saying "don't move here" if you beleive that the "move here" one can have an effect on people...

You've got me thinking now, JJM. How about you spend your Town's Tourism Advertising budget ... to promote a Town in (say) Nevada??!!!

(I'm liking this more as I think about it.) Say JJM lives in ... Eureka. You promote ... Ely, NV...!

A handsome 30-something couple drives into frame in their Hummer. They both spring out with big smiles on their faces as they look out over the wide open spaces of Nevada...

Husband: We've finally found our "Paradise" ... in Ely.

Wife: Yes! After we sold-off our California business, we were ready to settle-down and get away from the hustle and bustle....

Husband: But our first choice turned-out to be a mistake. The town in Montana ...

Wife: [Interjecting] Eureka, Montana. [Suddenly secretive] Oh! Was it okay for me to name that dump...?

Husband: [Quickly trying to save face] But then we made a great move, by coming to Ely.

[Etc....]

Pretty good, huh?

- KK

[YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY]

Originally Posted by Kaptain Karl

You've got me thinking now, JJM. How about you spend your Town's Tourism Advertising budget ... to promote a Town in (say) Nevada??!!!

(I'm liking this more as I think about it.) Say JJM lives in ... Eureka. You promote ... Ely, NV...!

A handsome 30-something couple drives into frame in their Hummer. They both spring out with big smiles on their faces as they look out over the wide open spaces of Nevada...

Husband: We've finally found our "Paradise" ... in Ely.

Wife: Yes! After we sold-off our California business, we were ready to settle-down and get away from the hustle and bustle....

Husband: But our first choice turned-out to be a mistake. The town in Montana ...

Wife: [Interjecting] Eureka, Montana. [Suddenly secretive] Oh! Was it okay for me to name that dump...?

Husband: [Quickly trying to save face] But then we made a great move, by coming to Ely.

[Etc....]

Pretty good, huh?

- KK

ROTFLMAO Karl, you're a preety funny guy.

[JoeJoeMan]

Hey Kap' K,
now you're thinking like a Montanan, and to put theory into practice.
For those of you out there look for a nice place to live, mountains, scenery, it's got it all and less, less crowds, less traffic, all the things you thought you were going to get when you came to Montana.
Here -----> http://www.elynevada.net

As I've said in some previous post, Montana isn't, contrary to what some people on the forum would lead out to beleive, is not the most beautfull place in the world. There are plenty of others.