moving west somewhere - husband would like sunshine (Billings, Missoula: real estate, houses)

[Dresden4]

Hello. I have read many posts and threads. My husband and I (no kids - just 2 older dogs) are in our 40's and have the opportunity to get out of the southeast as his job will soon allow him to "work from home" anywhere. We have loved our vacations out west to Montana, Idaho, Colorado and Utah (we vacationed in the winter in Colorado and Utah). I have been researching Missoula (we were there 3-4 years ago) a lot and it looks good except perhaps not enough sunshine for him I am thinking. Being as we can go anywhere, I am wondering if anyone out there could advise more places for me to research with possibly more sunshine out west but with the about the same population (60,000) and it must be beautiful like Missoula (do not like the east side of Montana =too flat)! I am under the assumption that the west coast (Washington-Oregon) is too rainy and overcast although I have seen it posted that it is not as bad as people think. And there is also the the stuff I keep reading about lots of people leaving those states. I think we would be too hot in Arizona. Thought about Colorado but it seems so overcrowded. I know he would love Missoula because of the fishing. Ideally, we wanted to get a few acres of land but it looks to be way past our budget there. We would buy a house - hopefully can find a good one for around $200,000. We simply want to be in a beautiful city/town with hiking, fishing, shopping close-by - anything is better that the hot southeast! I miss the four seasons (winter). I lived near Chicago for a long time before this yucky hot south.

And if someone who lives in Missoula could inform me to the true amount of sunshine there would be great !

Lost in the threads - thank you in advance for any other suggestions.

[bigtrees]

The problem with sunshine is the areas that are really pretty also have crummy weather. You may have seen my posts on here before.

Missoula would probably be way to cloudy for your taste. The number of cloudy days in Missoula is approximately equal to Seattle, though Seattle is slightly worse. Whitefish and Kalispell are also similiar. You can look east to Billings and many places over there get a lot more sun - but they aren't as pretty by most peoples opinion.

Some places of SW Montana and a few other areas in Western Montana have microclimates where there is more sun, but they usually aren't as pretty as the wetter areas.

[Dresden4]

Yes, bigtees, I have seen your posts and wanted to thank you for responding. Yes, I do remember how people have said that about the beautiful places but I guess I am just wanting so much to move there that I am trying to change the reality! Ha-ha! It would be fine with me as it is but I do worry about him! Thank you!

[bigtrees]

The gray is Whitefish is tough, they say that you have about 9 months of gray and three months of summer. It's pretty much true, the gray moves in sometime in October, you get winter starting in December that runs through late March, but the gray doesn't move out until July 5th. After July 5th, you can count on beautiful sunshine through about mid-October.

March and April are gray but May can be nice (maybe half the days have some sunshine). June is probably 2/3 gray.

It's good to decide what reality is as it frustrates me is when people move to Montana, build a big beautiful home that the locals can't afford, and then move away 4 years later because they get tired of winter.

Montana summers are lovely, winters are a different story.

[city_data91]

You're already in the Sunbelt. Why do you have to move to get sunshine?

[Dresden4]

I just went and talked again to husband and he says it is still okay with him! I personally think he would maybe tire of low sunshine. I am being realistic but I do not know if he is! Hahaha! P.S. We would not build some huge house (we are not rich Californians or whatever!) If we do move, we would buy something already there. I do need to remind him we were not visiting in Montana in the winter! He loved Colorado Springs and Estes Park when we were there in the winter snow though! Maybe there is hope yet!

[Dresden4]

Good question, city data! I don't care about tons of sun myself. My husband, I thought would prefer more sun, but he just said it would not stop him from moving--thank goodness!

[bigtrees]

So my suggestion would be to visit during the time of gray weather and see how you like it. Late February, March, or April would be some good months and just see what you think. I mention those months because then the snow is starting to melt (so it's not a "ski vacation" which of course would be fun) but something that represents Montana outside of clear skies in the summer.

[Dresden4]

That is a grand suggestion, bigtrees! I appreciate it! We would, of course, need to be visiting again and actually house looking around anyway, so we could do it somewhere in those months. We are I guess you would say, average type couple (except, no kids!) so is there a specific area of town to avoid looking at? Or, I should say to look at for houses?

[rangerider]

The Gallatin Valley around Bozeman fits all your criteria except for housing. Even with the downturn, real estate here is pretty pricey. 200k won't get you a heck of a lot, but there is a bargain or two around if you shop hard enough. Just depends on your level of need for acreage and house design. There are some smaller towns 30 minutes or so from Bozeman that are a bit cheaper. And over Bozeman pass is Livingston, 1000' lower and that extends the warm season a bit. Lots of wind there, though, so it pays to be extra careful where you look to locate. And by wind I mean real wind part of the time - steady 55 mph with gusts to 80. Housing there, for obvious reasons, is some cheaper - 200K will get you much more.

We have really nice sunshine here, and recreational opportunities are just a few minutes from town. Due to the last fifteen years of boom, the shopping centers are numerous and there is a thriving downtown area. Here's a few websites for the chamber of commerce, city, and local paper.


Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce - Welcome
City of Bozeman
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Home Page

Good luck on your search, and safe travels!