What do you do there? (Missoula, Bozeman: condominium, house prices, tech jobs)

[my54ford]

Hey folks,
this may be a dumb question but, We're just back from a speed trip thru MT. Had to move our new Pastor from Whitefish to Minnesota. Beutiful country you have there but we were asking ourselves what do you do for work there? Saw lots of Ranchs and some mineing and oil production but the people we moved are asking 310k for thier house and I just don't see how that price is supported?

Thanks!

[Timberwolf232]

I could never afford a house for 310K... I was lucky enough to buy before the boom, otherwise it would be "happy trails" to somewhere else.

Lots and lots and lots of outside money moving this way to escape the big cities... I still don't understand how building up a new big city helps one leave the big city.

There are lots of posts in this forum on the topic. Do you see much of this in MN?

[RogueMom]

People who bought before the "boom" or rather while Montana was still a "best kept secret" are lucky. Most Montanan average working people are having a harder time buying a house these days because out of state buyers with cash, like the previous poster said, are moving here to escape the problems of big city areas and it's driven up demand and with that demand, house prices. But it CAN still be done if you don't want a lot of land or are willing to purchase a fixer upper, condo, or townhouse. Plus, right now, the slow down in the "bubble" in California has brought many houses out here down a little. But not much! Seriously though, this really is a place to escape so many 'ills" of society that perpetuate so much of the rest of the country. It's truly like a different world out here. Whether or not that is for you is a matter of what you are searching for.

Anyway, what do you do out here? Well, for one thing, you can take a walk ior jog in the fresh Montana air without constantly looking over your shoulder or carrying a can of pepper spray with you, in most places. You can also walk around the mall without clutching your purse close to your body! You can fly fish, take a hike in gorgeous natural surroundings or drive into places like Missoula for entertainment, casinos, and great dining. You can go watch college football, or better yet, high school basketball. There ARE a lot of things to do here. That is, if you are not so busy working two or three jobs to make ends meet and pay your winter utility bill like a lot of us!

By the way, Montana was just voted one of the top safest states in the country. I'm originally an East Coast girl, and I can vouch for that. I've never felt safer in any other place I have lived. It's very hard to find that nowadays.

[my54ford]

Originally Posted by Timberwolf232

I could never afford a house for 310K... I was lucky enough to buy before the boom, otherwise it would be "happy trails" to somewhere else.

Lots and lots and lots of outside money moving this way to escape the big cities... I still don't understand how building up a new big city helps one leave the big city.

There are lots of posts in this forum on the topic. Do you see much of this in MN?

Not where we live, outside the metro, I don't know about in the "Cities" I was just trying to understand what folks do for a living there.........
Thanks
Todd

[Timberwolf232]

I've worked in communications for about 10 years, before that I was a lineman for 8. It's a pretty neat way to make a living. Sometimes the trip to our mountain sites is more challenging than the job itself. There is a lot of IT work in some of the larger areas, and most of the jobs you'd see everywhere else. Where I live there's quite a few farms and ranches also. Some still going strong and others that are selling and turning into condominium developments.

[my54ford]

Originally Posted by Timberwolf232

I've worked in communications for about 10 years, before that I was a lineman for 8. It's a pretty neat way to make a living. Sometimes the trip to our mountain sites is more challenging than the job itself. There is a lot of IT work in some of the larger areas, and most of the jobs you'd see everywhere else. Where I live there's quite a few farms and ranches also. Some still going strong and others that are selling and turning into condominium developments.

I work for a big Municipal utility, on the power generation side There's always jobs for plant operators and pole rats people are never going to stop useing electricity........ It is sure a beutiful part of the country I wouldn't mind living out there.....
Be safe!
Todd

[grizzfan]

I was born and educated in Montana; left after UM graduation and US Army Commissioning and spent 31 years in the military; came back after that and spent 13 years in the financial industry and am now mostly retired.

The heavy industry days of lumber and mining are mostly gone. Many farms and ranches have succumbed to sub-division after the owner died and the survivors had to sub-divide or sell to pay the taxes. Service industries are the prime employers and we mostly sell each other hamburgers and CD-ROMS!

There are many successful people doing just that and they more than occasionally build a $600,000 house. Missoula, Gallatin, Flathead and Ravalli counties, just to name a few, are plentifully adorned with them.

[jimj]

Most of the people I know that can afford the 300k+ houses are either builders or retired and brought money with them or vaction homeowners or, at this point Canadians.

[ComputerUser000]

My user name is self explanitory as to what my job is!

I've never worked in Montana, have worked in NW North Dakota.. and maybe some day I'll end up in the beautiful state of Montana.

If you wanna check out a little more about what I do, my website address and email address are in my profile.. just click my user name and click View Public profile.

Paul

[rangerider]

There is a fair span of job titles around the SW part of Montana, and to a large degree you'll find about the same array of jobs that you would anywhere else. Here in the Gallatin Valley we are heavier with tech jobs than other places, and there is quite a bunch of light manufacturing. We have several business parks that house a wide variety of start-ups, and an increasing number of established specialty businesses ranging from financial services to research facilities. There is still a lot of agriculture here, and up until lately it accounted for a bunch of the valley's domestic product. Bozeman and the surrounding communities have a lot of retail, all the way from big box stores to small specialty shops. Some make and sell right on the same premises. Construction accounts for a bunch, and we have a huge service economy here. Montana State University has always been a big employer. The tourist trade seems to grow every year, with all the resultant hospitality and service businesses that accompany that. A peek through the classified ads in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle will give you a fair idea of the breadth of employment and some small business.

As to the question of how working people make that payment on a 310k house; that's a real good question. I know a lot of people who live as though they're making 100k or more a year, but work very little and play pretty hard. They take more time off in a year than I've had in the last fifteen. You might be asking who's smarter, them or me, and I'd have to give you an honest answer there. What I can tell you is most of us who started from the ground up back in the lean 70s and early 80s learned some harsh lessons in stayablity and sacrifice to remain here. And most always have more than one iron in the fire, i.e., at least one or maybe two income producing sidelines to our regular jobs. And we make a habit of living below our incomes and stashing away for the hard times. We don't tend to care about what the Jones' have, and the constant barrage of ads for every little thing goes largely unheeded. I do business with about 12 or 14 places around the valley, most of which don't advertise much. I do my own repairs, work on my own house and grounds, take care of my own vet work, and work out down in my shop instead of a gym in town. Depending on the time of year, I put in between 40-70 hours a week at my day job, and run a small home business which puts varying demands on time. Remembering my health and marriage, I take some time for fun, too - I'm a reluctant semi-workaholic - but I remember all too well the years not so long ago when I was working twice as hard to get a stake and keep it intact. You don't forget those days easily, and now the small luxuries like hot and cold running water, no outhouse, no frost on my beard when I wake up, and gaining a handle on becoming independent from the day job all seem like such great things that I find I don't need all the "stuff" that TV, radio, and print ads think I have to have. We were lucky enough to have bought before the boom, and worked our way up fixing trailers and finishing houses to where we can have a decent place now.

So I guess that's how one of us did it; as I said, not easy but I don't remember anyone telling me life was going to be a walk in the park. And I have to say we've had a lot of fun and more than one thrill on this ride - good luck with yours!