What Are Some Great Mountain Towns? (Whitefish, Hamilton: minimum wage, places to eat, park)

[rickers]

Ronan Montana, the Mission Mountains are like the Tetons and there is still a small glacier directly above the town. There are grizzlies in those mountains too. Good luck finding a job.

[Joe Doer]

Thompson Falls may suit your needs.

[AQHA]

Anchorage is nice...

[rickers]

Originally Posted by AQHA

Anchorage is nice...

Funny that you mentioned Anchorage, I saw two rigs loaded up at the gas station today with Texas plates on and both rigs had painted on them in washable paint "North To Alaska" ! Then later today we saw another rig at the same gas station with Texas plates. Folks are on the move.
Another town that comes to mind is Libby, the northern Cabinet Mountains are very Teton like and I think there may still be a small glacier up there. It's still shown on the forest map and the Cabinet Range is presumed to have about 40 grizzlies. Then there is also Noxon, I used to have 10 acres near there. The Noxon area is the home base of the Militia Of Montana. The whole region of western Montana, north Idaho, and northeast Washington is very similar and it's my favorite part of the country. I also used to have forty acres near Colville Wa. It was part of an old homestead and I kind of wish I still had it.

[mtn_viking]

Originally Posted by royhinkley

i am looking for a town like telluride colorado. where the mountains are right there hovering over the town.

If you are looking for a town in Montana that is geographically similar to Telluride, you are not going to find it. I can think of a lot of beautiful mountain towns in Montana but none that are as surrounded by mountains as Telluride.

If you want to live in an "honest-to-goodness" Montana mountain town, check out Ronan, St. Ignatius, Seeley, East Glacier, Choteau, Dupuyer, Augusta, Phillipsburg, Dillon, Pony, Livingston or White Sulpher. None of these places looks like Telluride. However, Most are still inhabited by people whose families have lived there for several generations. They are not in a constant state of "festival-ing." And, they are mostly still affordable. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of call for chefs in most of these towns.

If you want a Montana mountain town that has been "remade" in the image of a Colorado mountain town, check out Whitefish, Big Sky, or Bozeman. None of these towns look like Telluride either but they cost a lot more to live in the the towns in the first list and they are more likely to need the services of a chef.

[royhinkley]

thanks for your advice mtn_viking. i will do some research on those communities. how about red lodge? is that a good mountain town?

[rickers]

That region of Choteau, Dupuyer and Augusta is in the general area of where I took these pictures. Those towns are in the prairie right up near the Rocky Mountain Front.
Good luck finding a job ! (You're gonna get sick of hearing that.)

[royhinkley]

why does everybody keep saying that? Good luck finding a job???? jobs are not impossible to come by.

[mtn_viking]

Red Lodge is a cool town. Very beautiful. I don't know how property prices are there. It would represent a good mix between my first and second lists above. Hopefully someone here can fill you in. As rickers has pointed out, finding work is a big issue in any of these towns unless you are independently wealthy.

[AQHA]

Dallas is nice. Good luck finding a job though...