Wishing to relocate to Billings, MT (Helena: neighborhoods, high schools, living in)

[MochaFrapQueen]

My Husband and I and our 3 teenagers live in Sacramento, CA. We want to leave due to California being a nut job state. We would like to live in Billings, MT and raise our kids in a better environment. We have researched Montana because his Dad was from Helena in the 1930's and grew up listening to stories about how nice the state is. My Husband wants to visit Billings looking for work and staying for about 2 weeks. We want to keep it economic as possible so he can return to CA if he can't find work. We are desperate to leave here. My Husband has worked in the High Tech field as a Braze operator and High Tech assembler for 10 years. Bonding of metals he leak detection, light tig welding and fork lift operation are any of his duties. He has many other skills and could work just about anywhere. Any information about Lodging for his visit, local High Schools, good neighborhoods, Mom and Pop places to eat, activities for the kids. Any information would be a great help.....Thank you very much

[Mt-7]

Hi and welcome to the board.
Here is a thread to get you started
//www.city-data.com/forum/monta...-billings.html

Just drop in Billings mt in the search above and you will get many others. Let us know if you have more questions, we are few but loyal posters

[Reziac]

My understanding is that good welders are always in demand, tho it's like anything else, depends on whether anyone else can pay 'em. But your husband sounds like a useful fellow who can work a lot of different jobs and learn whatever he has to. If nothing else try Costco -- being a forklift operator is always a bonus there.

I think you'll find the very worst school in all of MT is better than the best in all of CA. No worries there.

And... having grown up in MT but living in CA ... yeah, CA used to be great but it's gone perfectly nutjob down here. How they expect to continue (especially having re-elected Governor Moonbeam) escapes me; the state has set itself up for total economic collapse.

[flyingcat2k]

Good welders are in demand if they can do pressure vessel/piping work. The refineries do a good job of keeping welders busy and there is always the work in North Dakota in the oil patch. There's little demand for structural steel work.

Agree on schools. I've met more than a few CA HS graduates who found their knowledge base to be extremely lacking.