Considering Moving to Bozeman Someday (Billings, Helena: transplants, sales, real estate)

[markg91359]

My wife and I have considered moving to Bozeman in a few years when we get towards retirement age. I'd appreciate an answer to a few questions:

1. What is the attitude of locals towards those who move in? I heard second hand that Bozeman has experienced an influx of migrants that has strained the system and that longtime residents are not too keen on newcomers anymore.

2. We'd be coming from Utah. I know it is colder there. Are winters cold to the point of being unendurable?

3. Are prices (real estate, gasoline, groceries, insurance) higher than normal?

4. What is medical care in Bozeman like?

5. I know there is much outdoor recreation in the area. Are there any art or cultural type activities?

6. Is Bozeman a popular retirement destination?

7. What is shopping like? Are stores abundant and plentiful?

I'd appreciate hearing negatives as well as positives.

[happiness is]

1. Bozeman is a friendly town. Don't be put off by rumors that it isn't.

2. Unendurable is a relative term. Some people can endure and some cannot. The snow gets deep, accumulates, and doesn't melt off until spring. For some, that is too long of a winter.

3. There are relative cost of living comparison programs you can use online. Here's one.
Cost of Living comparison calculator

4. There is one hospital in Bozeman, Welcome to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital in Bozeman Montana
The main medical care center for this region is in Billings, 150 miles east of Bozeman.
Billings, Montana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

5. There is active support of the Bozeman Symphony. There are community theater performances, visual artists, galleries, a film festival, a large art festival in August called Sweet Pea (wild sweet peas used to fill the valley and in the early 1900's there were sweet pea parades). There are concerts of many different types that come through Bozeman performing on tour at the University or other venues in town. There are performances in the restored old Ellen Theater. There are gallery art walks in the summer, concerts in the park. One opera performance a year by Intermountain Opera, with professionals in the lead roles. Montana Shakespeare in the Parks is based in Bozeman.

6. There are many retired people in Bozeman, but also many who are here in the summer and go to warmer climates for the winter (snowbirds).

7. It's hard to judge what abundant shopping would be for you... if you mean WalMart, Macy's, and Home Depot type chains, yes we have them, but Bozeman also supports "buy local" with many locally owned businesses that thrive.

Have you visited Bozeman? If you come here, you will be able to see for yourself if the shopping is "abundant".

All the best,
H.I.
Bozeman

[happiness is]

For a partial calendar of events, bookmark
Lively Times | Montana Arts and Entertainment Calendar, a complete statewide searchable database of music, concerts, events, theater, dance, recreation and art exhibits

That will give you an idea of the variety of some of the cultural events happening in Bozeman.

[Geo Roam]

Coming from a metro of 500,000, we are right at home in Bozeman. More so in every case!

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by markg91359

My wife and I have considered moving to Bozeman in a few years when we get towards retirement age. I'd appreciate an answer to a few questions:

1. What is the attitude of locals towards those who move in? I heard second hand that Bozeman has experienced an influx of migrants that has strained the system and that longtime residents are not too keen on newcomers anymore.

2. We'd be coming from Utah. I know it is colder there. Are winters cold to the point of being unendurable?

3. Are prices (real estate, gasoline, groceries, insurance) higher than normal?

4. What is medical care in Bozeman like?

5. I know there is much outdoor recreation in the area. Are there any art or cultural type activities?

6. Is Bozeman a popular retirement destination?

7. What is shopping like? Are stores abundant and plentiful?

I'd appreciate hearing negatives as well as positives.

1. Most of Montana is generally suspicious of outsiders. In some cases this is justified since many trust fund babies have moved to Bozeman and driven up the housing costs. Being from Utah you shouldn't be looked on as suspiciously as outsiders from California or "back east." Also be aware that because of this and the college there are quite a few outsiders.

2. Winters are long but I always found them to be bearable. Bozeman isn't as windy as other areas of Montana.

3. Bozeman is an expensive place to live across the board.

4. Medical care seems pretty good. Deaconess Hospital is a pretty big complex and seems to have quite a few specialists. The Medical Arts Center also seems to have quite a few.

5. There are cultural scenes with the college. The Fieldhouse has events there such as concerts and when I was in college they had Broadway in Bozeman, not sure if that is still around or not. There is also the Emerson Cultural Center that has various events and the Bozeman Symphony.

6. Not sure how popular of a retirement destination it is.

7. Bozeman has quite a few chain stores and no sales tax.

I lived in Bozeman as a college student and although there were some nice things about it, I couldn't wait to get out of there and haven't looked back. I hated the town's anti-student attitude and the general pretentiousness of it. I found Bozemanites to be the most unfriendly people anywhere I have gone, and that includes the southern Californians they claim to hate. That being said, if I was there as professional, I might have a different view of it.

[flyingcat2k]

Originally Posted by WyoEagle

1. Most of Montana is generally suspicious of outsiders. In some cases this is justified since many trust fund babies have moved to Bozeman and driven up the housing costs. Being from Utah you shouldn't be looked on as suspiciously as outsiders from California or "back east." Also be aware that because of this and the college there are quite a few outsiders.

2. Winters are long but I always found them to be bearable. Bozeman isn't as windy as other areas of Montana.

3. Bozeman is an expensive place to live across the board.

4. Medical care seems pretty good. Deaconess Hospital is a pretty big complex and seems to have quite a few specialists. The Medical Arts Center also seems to have quite a few.

5. There are cultural scenes with the college. The Fieldhouse has events there such as concerts and when I was in college they had Broadway in Bozeman, not sure if that is still around or not. There is also the Emerson Cultural Center that has various events and the Bozeman Symphony.

6. Not sure how popular of a retirement destination it is.

7. Bozeman has quite a few chain stores and no sales tax.

I lived in Bozeman as a college student and although there were some nice things about it, I couldn't wait to get out of there and haven't looked back. I hated the town's anti-student attitude and the general pretentiousness of it. I found Bozemanites to be the most unfriendly people anywhere I have gone, and that includes the southern Californians they claim to hate. That being said, if I was there as professional, I might have a different view of it.

+1

The trust fund babies have taken a decent town and converted it to the most expensive place to live on I-90 between Seattle and Minneapolis. The funny thing is that as much as the locals talk about how "good" their cultural events are, even people in Billings laugh at them because Boozeman-ites try to compare them to Park City, Aspen, Vail, Sun Valley, ect. They aren't even in the same league. It also bothered me how town people fail to recognize that the town depends on MSU for the majority of their economy. Be happy with it and move on.

Personally, if you want decent medical care, you're better off somewhere else. Some of the specialists in Bozeman are very good, but I found the rank and file medical care to be substandard when I lived there. You're better off in Billings or Helena.

[happiness is]

There are many, many kinds of people living in Bozeman, and to completely smear the town as "trust fund" is just not fair.

Yes, it has changed a lot in the 41 years I've lived here, and I have seen the wealthy types who have built second homes here come into a college town and add to the changes, but I think the blanket condemnation is over-the-top.

I came from a working class family, I've never been wealthy, I've lived and worked in other towns in Montana, including Helena, Billings, and Butte, and I feel much more at home in Bozeman, because I keep my mind open to the positive things here. It all depends on who you choose to be your friends and neighbors. Look for people with your values and you will find them.

[Montana Griz]

Originally Posted by markg91359

My wife and I have considered moving to Bozeman in a few years when we get towards retirement age. I'd appreciate an answer to a few questions:

1. What is the attitude of locals from my understanding....the locals are definitely in the minority.......thus the majority of people "judging you will be other transplants (ranging from 1 to 10 years or so. And the majority of them are from the west coast......so you may fit right in. towards those who move in? I heard second hand that Bozeman has experienced an influx of migrants that has strained the system and that longtime residents are not too keen on newcomers anymore. ....and haven't been for several years.

2. We'd be coming from Utah. I know it is colder there. Are winters cold to the point of being unendurable?.....all depends on how you define "unendurable'?. Depending on the severity of the winter: "wind chill factors of MINUS 30 (plus or minus 10 degrees can be common during the "heart of the winter season. "Still-Air temps during the same period can get down to minus 25 with a fair degree of regularity. (NOTE: over here in the Bitterroot Valley, I have had MINUS 42 in Mid-January recorded on my back deck (that's a "still-air" temp!!!

3. Are prices (real estate, gasoline, groceries, insurance) higher than normal?

4. What is medical care in Bozeman like?

5. I know there is much outdoor recreation in the area. Are there any art or cultural type activities?

6. Is Bozeman a popular retirement destination?

7. What is shopping like? Are stores abundant and plentiful?

I'd appreciate hearing negatives as well as positives.

........I know you stated that you'd be "coming from Utah"....however the limited info from your Bio indicates "Thousand Oaks, Calif??? What ever the case may be......I'd strongly suggest that you spend at least 2 weeks in the Bozeman area in: February, May, October & December...........Then "see-if-the-Shoe-fits".

[CTC]

Originally Posted by flyingcat2k

+1

The trust fund babies have taken a decent town and converted it to the most expensive place to live on I-90 between Seattle and Minneapolis. The funny thing is that as much as the locals talk about how "good" their cultural events are, even people in Billings laugh at them because Boozeman-ites try to compare them to Park City, Aspen, Vail, Sun Valley, ect. They aren't even in the same league. It also bothered me how town people fail to recognize that the town depends on MSU for the majority of their economy. Be happy with it and move on.

Personally, if you want decent medical care, you're better off somewhere else. Some of the specialists in Bozeman are very good, but I found the rank and file medical care to be substandard when I lived there. You're better off in Billings or Helena.

you have a right to your opinions, but Bozeman Deaconess is a very highly rated institution and is an independent hospital unlike Saint Vincent's in Billings. BD is financially very sound-the top rated hospital in the state by this category-and continually upgrades their equipment and facilities. My wife is in upper management there and has worked all around the country (including St Vincent's in Billings-which is very good too) and has seen both the good and the bad-Bozeman Deaconess is very good.

[NDak15]

It also bothered me how town people fail to recognize that the town depends on MSU for the majority of their economy. Be happy with it and move on.

This was what bothered me the most about Bozeman. The lifeblood of the town is the university and yet there is so little pride in. The landlords hated college students and would either not rent to them or treat them like third-class citizens. Maybe they have had problems with them in the past but if you are in a college town you should expect that to be a large portion of your tenants. The businesses would not hire students even though they had a shortage of employees. You could go into several stores and be guaranteed to see the same people working in them every day of the week and at the same time see college students desperate for part-time work since there is only so much on-campus work available.