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Hi to the people of Montana. I have been reading a lot of posts on here about moving there and only lasting a year. I am from Philadelphia, Pa. and me and my wife are tired of the rat race as they call it. We have 6 children and one on the way. We have been considering moving out west for awhile now, and we have been looking all over and we keep coming back to Montana. It looks beautiful out there. From what I gather it wont be easy but I wouldn't expect it to be. My main concern is finding work to support my family. I am a general contractor in business for myself. I am qualified in most all construction type work. it seems that maybe that type of work would be scarce. Me and my family would love to move out there, so what I am asking is for some honest opinions about whether city people from the east would survive in your state. My wife and I are extremely hard working people and don't give up easily. Like I said before my main worry is supporting my large family. Thank you all in advance.
Lately the threads from people wanting to move here to escape big city life, people, crime and live in harmony with nature have been multiplying at an alarming rate. While I'm not going to be one of those "locals" who tell others not to come, I would like to explain something very simple.
If everyone who wanted to move here to escape whatever it is that they want to escape from, Montana is going to become exactly what you left behind.
Yes we have open spaces, not for long if everyone comes to live in the open spaces. Yes our crime rate is lower than most other states, not for long if our population takes a sudden leap.
Exactly how many people can Montana absorb, before it starts to run out of space?
Have you ever calculated that? I suspect the answer is more than double its present population.
It may do that, but by then you'll have lived to the end of your years.
Hi to the people of Montana. I have been reading a lot of posts on here about moving there and only lasting a year. I am from Philadelphia, Pa. and me and my wife are tired of the rat race as they call it. We have 6 children and one on the way. We have been considering moving out west for awhile now, and we have been looking all over and we keep coming back to Montana. It looks beautiful out there. From what I gather it wont be easy but I wouldn't expect it to be. My main concern is finding work to support my family. I am a general contractor in business for myself. I am qualified in most all construction type work. it seems that maybe that type of work would be scarce. Me and my family would love to move out there, so what I am asking is for some honest opinions about whether city people from the east would survive in your state. My wife and I are extremely hard working people and don't give up easily. Like I said before my main worry is supporting my large family. Thank you all in advance.
We aren't exactly the frontier, we have cars and flush toilets and everything! It has been at least a couple weeks since the last scalping party went through
Seriously, I don't think you would have any problems with the exception that while we have a large contracting industry it is based on people building their McMansions here.
If the economy in the rest of the country is poor, the disposable income goes down and the building industry stagnates, very boom and bust kind of thing.
However, because so many of these homes are slapped together with duct tape and chewing gum, they fall apart quickly so the remodel and repair business can be pretty good.
Yes, the climate can be pretty rough depending on where you are, we are pretty isolated from the rest of the country, not a lot of concerts from headliners and during the winter things close down so for kids it can be boring unless you are really into the outdoor stuff.
City people I don't classify as a "one size fits all" definition. Some people from the cities back east make it, some don't, some excel and thrive here. It depends on the individual or family and what they want.
I know a couple families from New York City that took to rural living like a duck to water and are more rural now than I am.
Make the best decision you can for your family based on your wants and desires, nobody but you can make that decison for you.
Come out and visit, see for yourself what is here, and don't just come in the summer, come out in mid winter for a couple of weeks to get a feel for it.
Once you are comfortable you have the answers you need, then come on out. We aren't full yet when it comes to good folks that want to live a good life, be good neighbors and part of the community
If you're a jerk, you can stay where you are, we already have more than enough of those.
I've lived in Louisiana, Texas, Alaska, Colorado, S. Dakota, Nebraska, Maine and Virginia. I now, recently and hopefully permanently, live in N/W Montana. The arrogance expressed here is no stranger to those of us who've ventured about the country. Montana is, no doubt, awesome. So is every state I've lived in. Locals will be locals, and resentment of newcomers will always be present.
I'm a "local" in 8 states. Now 9. Never had personal resistance. I always blend in. Relax Montanans....worry a bit more about incursion from the far south if you know what I mean.
Last edited by Bumper383; 11-15-2014 at 03:53 PM..
I've lived in Louisiana, Texas, Alaska, Colorado, S. Dakota, Nebraska, Maine and Virginia. I now, recently and hopefully permanently, live in N/W Montana. The arrogance expressed here is no stranger to those of us who've ventured about the country. Montana is, no doubt, awesome. So is every state I've lived in. Locals will be locals, and resentment of newcomers will always be present.
I'm a "local" in 8 states. Now 9. Never had personal resistance. I always blend in. Relax Montanans....worry a bit more about incursion from the far south if you know what I mean.
You mean Bible Belt transplants? Yeah, they scare the **** out of me, too.
With all do respect. I am not voicing criticism. I think the comments I have seen people say kinda left the criticism on them. Heck all people have to do is read and then tell the truth about what people have said on their own accord. I think Big Sky Montana's pictures are not manipulated to show it more beautiful than what it is. I feel that like everything else "people" are ruining that image on their own. As I spoke about my teacher he was a great man. And if judging Montana on 1 person is possible he would have been a great representative of Montana. But when all I see is condescension from people in Montana speaking about outsiders...should I close my eyes and pretend I can't read? I'm sorry I will some day visit Montana and I know it will be as awesome as I imagined. If people have attitudes or don't I will treat them accordingly. But of course even though being from Texas I believe in Southern Charm and Southern Hospitality...I still call a spade a spade. And even though being from Texas we are known for our hospitality we are also known for a little saying that resonates across the entire U.S. It goes...."Don't mess with Texas"
Well here is my 2 cents, If you come to Montana think real hard about why. Do you live in a cesspool, and have you helped develop that cesspool and now don't like what you have and are ready to move on and, YES, start creating another cesspool (Montana) well don't. We are very happy here and enjoy our life style. If you want to live in Montana then do not try to change our state into that which you just left. Most of us are here for life and don't want to try to pick up the pieces when it becomes the cesspool you made it and then left again to carry on that which you do everywhere.
Come here and fit in and be happy or do not come at all. Yes I am a Conservative, but first and above all I am a Christian American, there is room here but please do not try to change us or our state. Think hard about why you are leaving where you are at and are you ready to really fit in to our state without changing us. Will you embrace us, the way we live, the way we look at things and the way we believe without trying to change us, if not then stay where you are with bars on your windows and doors, sirens sounding throughout the night and gang members running through your backyard. We don't want any of that and will not tolerate it. Be ready to do the same if you move here.
Well here is my 2 cents, If you come to Montana think real hard about why. Do you live in a cesspool, and have you helped develop that cesspool and now don't like what you have and are ready to move on and, YES, start creating another cesspool (Montana) well don't. We are very happy here and enjoy our life style. If you want to live in Montana then do not try to change our state into that which you just left. Most of us are here for life and don't want to try to pick up the pieces when it becomes the cesspool you made it and then left again to carry on that which you do everywhere.
Come here and fit in and be happy or do not come at all. Yes I am a Conservative, but first and above all I am a Christian American, there is room here but please do not try to change us or our state. Think hard about why you are leaving where you are at and are you ready to really fit in to our state without changing us. Will you embrace us, the way we live, the way we look at things and the way we believe without trying to change us, if not then stay where you are with bars on your windows and doors, sirens sounding throughout the night and gang members running through your backyard. We don't want any of that and will not tolerate it. Be ready to do the same if you move here.
I'm glad you like Montana, Mike.
But what sort of "cesspool", pray tell, do you fear engulfing the state in your lifetime? Are you scared that Bozeman might explode into Denver North? Could Billings become a replication of Dallas in twenty years? Is Missoula another Seattle waiting to happen? Is Great Falls going to abruptly morph into Minneapolis? Could transplants cause even a fraction of those changes in, I don't know, fifty years even, eventually consolidating all political power to one or two metro areas that will destroy whatever culture and status-quo that, apparently in your mind, all Montanans must honor and conform to should they want to live here?
Montana doesn't exactly have a shortage of people who possess a deeply emotional fear of change that has birthed a massive sense of nativism that most likely doesn't exist to the same extreme in any other state in this country. What I find most interesting is that one needn't adhere to any religion or political ideology to think this way; being a Christian conservative or a secular liberal isn't all that relevant as Montana contains both types of people and many of them seem to agree on one thing: Montana should never, ever change in any meaningful way whatsoever, no matter how practical, ethical, beneficial and logical a given change of direction would be, and anyone who disagrees should leave. Reject our group-think? Well, GTFO. (And don't worry--we have all the special interest-sponsored hyperbole we need to control the political discourse around here!)
Mike, rest assured that there are a lot of people on your side at the end of the day. Although I believe that there's a respectable portion of Montanans who completely reject your mentality, there simply may not be enough at this juncture. People like you have successfully advocated keeping the state off its axis for 100 years, and I think you might just do it for 100 more.
Lately the threads from people wanting to move here to escape big city life, people, crime and live in harmony with nature have been multiplying at an alarming rate. While I'm not going to be one of those "locals" who tell others not to come, I would like to explain something very simple.
If everyone who wanted to move here to escape whatever it is that they want to escape from, Montana is going to become exactly what you left behind.
Yes we have open spaces, not for long if everyone comes to live in the open spaces. Yes our crime rate is lower than most other states, not for long if our population takes a sudden leap.
Yes we have an abundance of "nature", and that nature is going to disappear when you come and build your home in that subdivision.
Yes we have wildlife beyond belief. That subdivion your home was built on just forced whatever wildlife that was living there to relocate to another area in which it's competing with other wildlife and it's chances of survival are slim. No, I am not a "bunny hugger", I hunt, fish ect... No I'm not a "tree hugger", we are a timber industry family.
I don't know how many threads have been started by locals explaining how those wanting to move here should "come in the winter", "have a job lined up", "be prepared for the weather", "driving in winter is not a treat" ect, ect, ect...... Those threads are started so that we don't end up answering every single thread by those wanting to move here and there are new ones everyday.
You want harmony and peace with nature and wide open spaces? Every state in America has that, some you just have to travel to get there. Everyone moves to Montana to acheive that and Montana is going to be just like the state you moved here from. So please read the informational threads before jumping right into a new "help, have to get out the city, crime and want to be one with nature" thread.
I don't necessarily want to LIVE in Montana - I just want a Montana License plate! See, people think they know all about my state so when I travel I get all kinds of comments and expectations. Sometimes I play up on them if it's to my advantage, but usually I just laugh along.
If they pick up on the accent, sometimes they will ask where I'm from. And when I tell them they just look at me and nod! No kidding. They never say anything in response!
So. Do people throw rocks at cars with Montana license plates?
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