Eastern Montana (Billings, Great Falls, Kalispell: rental car, fit in, rental)

[seven of nine]

I just don't think you can beat EM for the "just leave me the heck alone" factor. You will get the stink eye on occasion, but I think that the spirit of the make your own way still lives here. Jobs are sprouting in Wyoming and with lots of influx, well you know what that means. I moved here from Portland Or, it doesn't get more lefty leaning than that and I am happy as a clam. Nice not to have the gang bangers waiting for their girlfriends after you get off shift. Nice not to have to pay taxes to a city with an admitted pedophile. Sorry I digress.
The cowboy here is mixed in with farmers, and there is a difference. You drive a pick-up, not a truck, and yes going to Walmart is a treat On the EM side I vote for Miles City. Good luck.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by Bill7719

I have no doubt that if a goldfish was elected as a Democrat president, people would be saying it was "smart" too.

Very interesting posts. I didn't know that about Pres.Harrison -- I'm sure it would have fascinated my 11th grade American History teacher (at Great Falls H.S.) who kept our attention very well with numerous, uh, lesser-known anecdotes of similar stripe. (In other words, digging up dirt.

And the term you're looking for is "Yellow Dog Democrat".

(At the time, "yellow dog" was a colloquialism for "coward".)

[Brad4JC]

Hi Bill!
As soon as you find this Western town that is mostly conservative, PLEASE let me know because I have yet to find such a place. Unfortunately this country is NOT what it used to be and even the small conservative towns have been infected with a liberal way of thinking. I live in California, one of the most liberal states in the country and I'm surrounded by liberals who constantly want to redefine our Constitution and change the conservative way of thinking. I am blessed though to have a second home and lots of friends and family in the Flathead Valley, MT to escape to. Although the area majority leans more right it does have more liberals these days than I would like. In my opinion one is too many but it doesn't even come close to compare to California. I absolutely love the people in the Kalispell area though. Some of the friendliest people you have ever met are here. I have found that some people on this forum don't always represent the true Montanans. Some of them can seem very bitter about people moving in and may seem unfriendly so take what you read with a grain of salt and be careful not to believe everything you read. One thing I don't think some Montanans understand is the degree of what conservative people like us have to put up with day to day in the predominantly liberal places that we live. I actually envy them for that but wish they would understand. Like others have wisely said though you really do need to go visit for yourself and meet the people and live among them a while if you can. A lot of the people here in the Flathead Valley are Californians trying to find a better, more conservative place to live just like us. Unfortunately there are those who want to come in and change things to.
Yes you are right, there is a lot of traffic in Kalispell in the summer but hopefully they will go forward with the plan to put a new highway west of town to ease the congestion. There has been a lot of growth there in the past 10 years. My wife does love having more places to shop of course but when do you start calling a small town a city??? I don't think it's that big yet. Good luck on your search!

[Danimarie]

I'm really liking Billings so far. I've only lived here since the beginning of April though.

I'm originally from Bemidji, MN (Northern MN) and almost anywhere in the continental US is warmer than that area, so that is a plus. I think my impression of MT so far is that people are a bit more friendly than what I am used to and Billings is nice because there are so many different places to visit nearby and there are all the conveniences as well.
I also enjoy that many Montanans are anti-government involvement in every aspect of our personal lives.
That's my 2 cents.

[sky1949]

Pursuant to request from others about this topic I have placed my response to your political rant on the "Politics and Other Controversies" thread. It doesn't belong here.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by Danimarie

I'm originally from Bemidji, MN (Northern MN)

Howdy! I have relatives in Bemidji. Next time you get back there, give a pat to Babe the Blue Ox from me.

Originally Posted by Danimarie

and almost anywhere in the continental US is warmer than that area, so that is a plus.

Except for Havre, Wolf Point, Browning, or West Yellowstone Real difference is that when it's winter in MN, it's winter for 6 months straight, whereas in MT you can have spring in Feb. and winter again in June!

Originally Posted by Danimarie

I think my impression of MT so far is that people are a bit more friendly than what I am used to and Billings is nice because there are so many different places to visit nearby and there are all the conveniences as well.
I also enjoy that many Montanans are anti-government involvement in every aspect of our personal lives.
That's my 2 cents.

I think you are right about that!!

[Danimarie]

Originally Posted by Reziac

Howdy! I have relatives in Bemidji. Next time you get back there, give a pat to Babe the Blue Ox from me.

Haha, will do.

Originally Posted by Reziac

Except for Havre, Wolf Point, Browning, or West Yellowstone. Real difference is that when it's winter in MN, it's winter for 6 months straight, whereas in MT you can have spring in Feb. and winter again in June!

Yeah, I guess I'm still learning MT weather.

But, as far as Bemidji, this year, it was below freezing many times this month even. You're looking at more like 6-8 months of colder weather at least these past couple years.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by Danimarie

But, as far as Bemidji, this year, it was below freezing many times this month even. You're looking at more like 6-8 months of colder weather at least these past couple years.

Been living in SoCal for the past couple decades, and this is the coldest spring on record here -- we got snow on April 15th, which is unheard-of. (Probably sent by the IRS.) And two hard freezes the week after that! And now we've got a grasshopper invasion like a biblical plague... normally we get half a dozen, this year it's more like half a billion. Strange, strange year! maybe it's the end of the world.

Well, at least Babe is already frozen solid.

[Brad4JC]

Originally Posted by Reziac

Been living in SoCal for the past couple decades, and this is the coldest spring on record here -- we got snow on April 15th, which is unheard-of. (Probably sent by the IRS.) And two hard freezes the week after that! And now we've got a grasshopper invasion like a biblical plague... normally we get half a dozen, this year it's more like half a billion. Strange, strange year! maybe it's the end of the world.

Well, at least Babe is already frozen solid.

Lucky! If you are in SoCal then you must be in the mountains or something if you got snow. I am not a fan of the warm weather so I am loving this spring. I have been comparing temps with my family in Montana the past few weeks and we have actually been cooler than they are. June gloom has come early for us. I like it though. I haven't seen many grasshoppers but I am telling you I have never seen so many lizards like I have now. Maybe they out eating all the grasshoppers. Very strange!

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by Brad4JC

Lucky! If you are in SoCal then you must be in the mountains or something if you got snow. I am not a fan of the warm weather so I am loving this spring. I have been comparing temps with my family in Montana the past few weeks and we have actually been cooler than they are. June gloom has come early for us. I like it though. I haven't seen many grasshoppers but I am telling you I have never seen so many lizzards like I have now. Maybe they out eating all the grasshoppers. Very strange!

I'm out in the high desert where it's flat as a board! (Tho the view is almost identical to what I saw from my place near Belgrade!) Normally we get our last freeze in January!! Got about 6" of snow last December -- that's a once-a-decade event here!

If you could pack up a few million lizards and send them my way, maybe it'll help discourage our grasshoppers... they've stripped everything, even stuff that's not really edible like pine needles and iceplant, and have started eating each other (no kidding!) The quail eat 'em but it was cold enough this year that they didn't raise a good spring clutch, so we've got only a couple dozen quail here instead of the usual flocks of a couple hundred.

Come to think of it.. I've killed two rattlesnakes already, but haven't seen any lizards at all.