Checking out Montana (Billings, Missoula, Bozeman: ski resort, real estate, rent)

[Bede]

We are freedom seekers - refugees from NYstate- not wanting to change anyboby else's town - wanting to live with less taxes and nannies - skilled carpenter and a physical therapist and 2 hunting homeschooled kids. We have friends in WY - sad to see how expensive it was there - also not used to the expense of water out here in the west - any thought on where to go? Is Bozeman too expensive and liberal? (not to offend anyone, but we have lived in liberal towns and dislike the extra costs etc.)

[T-310]

Originally Posted by Bede

We are freedom seekers - refugees from NYstate- not wanting to change anyboby else's town - wanting to live with less taxes and nannies - skilled carpenter and a physical therapist and 2 hunting homeschooled kids. We have friends in WY - sad to see how expensive it was there - also not used to the expense of water out here in the west - any thought on where to go? Is Bozeman too expensive and liberal? (not to offend anyone, but we have lived in liberal towns and dislike the extra costs etc.)

Come to Havre and welcome.

Water sucks here to but its a great place to live with a decent hospital that is always looking for people.

[rickers]

Originally Posted by Bede

wanting to live with less taxes

The property taxes in Havre seem a bit high by regional standards.

[HowardRoarke]

Originally Posted by Bede

We are freedom seekers - refugees from NYstate- not wanting to change anyboby else's town - wanting to live with less taxes and nannies - skilled carpenter and a physical therapist and 2 hunting homeschooled kids. We have friends in WY - sad to see how expensive it was there - also not used to the expense of water out here in the west - any thought on where to go? Is Bozeman too expensive and liberal? (not to offend anyone, but we have lived in liberal towns and dislike the extra costs etc.)

Bede, we're in the same boat. We moved to here (SC) two years ago from NY, and are ready to leave ASAP due to the jobs situation and general economic meltdown this state is going through (people are still moving to here, by the way). We have friends around Kalispell, and we're hoping to get out to there, soon. Had a phone interview earlier with a good company out that way yesterday, which went well, and they want a face to face, soon.

My wife and I are refugees, too, although she lived in Upstate, NY, just a short time before we got married and then shortly thereafter we decided to get out, before NY put a wall up around the joint. I lived there a little over 28 years, with broken time from when I was in the service. Our friends in MT are military buddies of mine, and one those is a refugee from DE. The other grew up in SD, and loves the Flathead area (there's a ski resort a stone's throw from his back yard, there). Outdoors stuff abounds, in his area, and just about anywhere in MT.

We're looking at Kalispell and the general area around there; hopefully it's Birkenstock liberal-free. There are many in MT from the Left Coast, these days; here's a "pull" on my beer they don't change their new environs into any likeness of Berkeley or some of the other Liberal haunts out that way. The crybaby thumbsuckers have ruined NY, and several other states, too. I'd rather Kalispell not become Ithaca or other Birkenstock parts of Upstate, NY.

So, good luck with your search in MT. We might be there sooner than later.

-

[Bede]

Thank you for all your replies. We got discouraged at real estate prices while visiting friends in WY and adding the water costs it seems its hard to break in. And concerned with liberal voter infiltration - what a way to ruin a nice place to live. We liked Lander but were fearful that the changes there will snow ball. And RE costs were super inflated. Costs in MT are higher than we expected. Kalispell looks beautiful and the county rejected Obama but the prices are still kind of high. We are still searching. Will check out the prices in Havre. Thanks to all for your help. Will post more with specific questions.

[gaduchman]

Originally Posted by HowardRoarke

Bede, we're in the same boat. We moved to here (SC) two years ago from NY, and are ready to leave ASAP due to the jobs situation and general economic meltdown this state is going through (people are still moving to here, by the way). We have friends around Kalispell, and we're hoping to get out to there, soon. Had a phone interview earlier with a good company out that way yesterday, which went well, and they want a face to face, soon.

My wife and I are refugees, too, although she lived in Upstate, NY, just a short time before we got married and then shortly thereafter we decided to get out, before NY put a wall up around the joint. I lived there a little over 28 years, with broken time from when I was in the service. Our friends in MT are military buddies of mine, and one those is a refugee from DE. The other grew up in SD, and loves the Flathead area (there's a ski resort a stone's throw from his back yard, there). Outdoors stuff abounds, in his area, and just about anywhere in MT.

We're looking at Kalispell and the general area around there; hopefully it's Birkenstock liberal-free. There are many in MT from the Left Coast, these days; here's a "pull" on my beer they don't change their new environs into any likeness of Berkeley or some of the other Liberal haunts out that way. The crybaby thumbsuckers have ruined NY, and several other states, too. I'd rather Kalispell not become Ithaca or other Birkenstock parts of Upstate, NY.

So, good luck with your search in MT. We might be there sooner than later.

-

I've lived in both states, thankfully with the Feds paying the way. My advice is go there on your dime: first rent a mobile home or a house, second find a job - that part isn't easy - it will take some time. The enviro wackos have pretty much closed down all the logging, interfered with the bison, grizzly and wolf hunting. If you don't like Libs, then stay away from the University towns - Missoula and Bozeman and Laramie.

The growing season is short in NW Montana - I know because we tried raising crops there (2000-2003) and it was a bust. If WY ever found out how much water there was in the Flathead, they'd have built a pipeline to tap it.

WY is a semi-arid desert plateau surrounded on two sides by mountains. It is very dry - about 10-28% humidity most of the year and receives very little snow - usually less than a foot on the plateau and three feet or more in the Bighorns and Rockies. Remember the old saying one foot of snow = one inch of water? Well, that's true in NW MT, but in WY it takes about two feet of snow - it's so dry. When it snows there - it looks like snakes on the highway - forever windy.

[mtlogger]

Originally Posted by Bede

Thank you for all your replies. We got discouraged at real estate prices while visiting friends in WY and adding the water costs it seems its hard to break in. And concerned with liberal voter infiltration - what a way to ruin a nice place to live. We liked Lander but were fearful that the changes there will snow ball. And RE costs were super inflated. Costs in MT are higher than we expected. Kalispell looks beautiful and the county rejected Obama but the prices are still kind of high. We are still searching. Will check out the prices in Havre. Thanks to all for your help. Will post more with specific questions.

What water costs? I have a well as do most in the Swan and Flathead. Forget buying a home. Buy land - G*D isn't making anymore of it! You can build what you want, instead of someone elses mistake. If you want to keep costs down use natural materiels like stone and wood and remember to put in a well and wind power cause we've got lots of them all. LP is preferred to electric heat. Hardly anyone in this state voted for "O" exc on the Rez. And, you can see how much the "stimulus" has affected them - unemployment is running 35-40% on most.

[HowardRoarke]

Originally Posted by mtlogger

What water costs? I have a well as do most in the Swan and Flathead. Forget buying a home. Buy land - G*D isn't making anymore of it! You can build what you want, instead of someone elses mistake. If you want to keep costs down use natural materiels like stone and wood and remember to put in a well and wind power cause we've got lots of them all. LP is preferred to electric heat. Hardly anyone in this state voted for "O" exc on the Rez. And, you can see how much the "stimulus" has affected them - unemployment is running 35-40% on most.

Heh, Upstate, NY, rez's are the same. Up around Massena, down around south of Buffalo, etc. Hope'n and a change'n.

I'm heading to Kalispell in about 4 weeks. My attitude is if we already have jobs before heading out to there, we're gonna be OK.

One concern is land values, but, one friend reports it's not as bad as it was, a few years ago, with all the Cali, etc., folks buying up the land.

[gaduchman]

So, you'll be there at the end of Summer season, ready for Fall weather. Bring a coat and sweater and of course a rainslicker, just in case it snows. Mostly what you'll find are prices on land have dropped but not all that much..

[Analysis]

Bozeman is very liberal as is Missoula. Maybe you should go to Helena, Billings, or maybe Texas? The thing about Montanans is we don't worry if our neighbor is a liberal. If he or she is a good person that's what matters. So maybe Montana is not the right place for you. We might be political but generally keep it to ourselves.