Just moved from NY (Missoula, Bozeman: crime, buying a house, find job)

[jjojobean]

Absaroka was there anything said that she cannot afford to live there? She said she's only been there a week and you're already sending her packing. If you know what the traffic is like in Bozeman, then obviously you are operating one of those vehicles on the road. From your attitude you drive with roadrage. I know what the 5 o'clock traffic is like all backed up on 19th from Costco to almost Main Street. Big deal. You still get from point a to point b. Chill out. The past is the past. Progress with the times. People have to live somewhere. If you have kids they will reside somewhere too.

New York, try to be patient. Something will come along. Go have a bowl of Baked Potato Soup at Bennigan's and relax. I wish you lots of luck!

[YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY]

Originally Posted by jjojobean

I know what the 5 o'clock traffic is like all backed up on 19th from Costco to almost Main Street. Big deal. !

LOL that's funny. How much distance is that?

Here traffic goes on and on for miles and miles From my work to my house it is 30 miles, and it is solid bumper to bumper for 95% of that distance....starting at about 2 PM and getting worse through about 9 PM
Heck, we even have this 10 mile toll road that they charge people $10 at peak time to travel on, and it is full of cars too.

[JoeJoeMan]

Absaroka and JoeJoeMan, you certainly aren't helping the situation. There is no need to be rude and nasty to anyone.

Since when is exressing your observations rude. And I beg to differer warning someone of possible problems they may face IS "helping the situation". What is wrong is when you try to gloss something over and give people a false sense of "it'll be alright".....for this couple moving here, it may or not work out for them.
Truth is that it is very hard for the plain old average people to make a go of it in Montana, it's not a bigger metro area where you can commute to any surounding town to find work, in MT, if you don't find a living in say Bozeman, what are you options....packup your bags because you ain't going to commute to Helena or Great Falls for work, less you just wanna come home for weekends and keep to residence going.
Montana, albeit with some excpetion, is not a place you move to make a better livelyhood. You'll probably notice that places like Missoula are not family towns, you don't see many children, grade school enrollment is on the decline even while the population is increasing, there are probably more dogs than children (and that's not a joke). Why because it's just not economically that hospitable for making a living. So in Missoula you see lots of people who have "already got theirs $$" or young and not so well to do, that are free from the pressures of rasing a family and can afford to, do the "I work at the ski slope" kinda thing. That's not to say there aren't families here doing ok, it's just more the exception than the rule.
Sorry if you find my comments rude, discouraging or nasty, but I didn't create the situation I just observe it. And I wouldn't wish the newly arrived couple anything but good luck. And just to show I'm not being nasty or rude I won't slip in "Because your gonna need it" even though it would be most approbriate.

[Absaroka]

Originally Posted by jjojobean

Absaroka was there anything said that she cannot afford to live there? She said she's only been there a week and you're already sending her packing. If you know what the traffic is like in Bozeman, then obviously you are operating one of those vehicles on the road. From your attitude you drive with roadrage. I know what the 5 o'clock traffic is like all backed up on 19th from Costco to almost Main Street. Big deal. You still get from point a to point b. Chill out. The past is the past. Progress with the times. People have to live somewhere. If you have kids they will reside somewhere too.

New York, try to be patient. Something will come along. Go have a bowl of Baked Potato Soup at Bennigan's and relax. I wish you lots of luck!

I can't believe I'm even going to reply to your poorly thought out reply but here it goes...

1) She clearly states that that they can only afford a condo and even that is a stretch.

2) I don't drive 19th. Nor do I shop 99% of the time in any of the crappy chain stores that have popped up all over the place. Most people that just moved here don't care about this because they don't know what this town used to be like. They have no idea why supporting a local business with local owners is a good way to live. Plus its the same stores they had back home.

2) I ride my bicycle or walk almost everywhere. I have a beautiful trail system right at the end of my street and I live just a few blocks away from the local grocer, the hardware store, shopping, movies, and anything else I could need. You see I don't live in a crappy sprawl development built on land that used to be beautiful open space just outside of town. There are so many negatives for everyone when people build like that. I also don't have to drive in traffic to work, shopping, or school....you know your basic everyday stuff. I could go on and on about the problems with sprawl and I could go on in even greater detail about this effect on Bozeman.

3) I come off harsh here because I need to be. This is a public forum where people go to find out information on Bozeman and people telling other people to just add to the sprawl isn't the answer. They NEED to here what their decisions do to OUR town. Sadly, most will never know what they ruined. Were just going to be another Fort Collins, Co or some other generic Cali town.

4) Bozeman is 15 minutes from Montana and getting farther away everyday. I'm talking about Bozeman, not Wisdom.

5) No one from here would tell another person to get soup at Bennigan's.


Anyway,

If your just going to come back with childish "road rage" remarks beat it.

[JoeJoeMan]

OK, let's all just take a deep breath........then come out fighting.

[lorelei2873]

I lived in Bozeman in college and even when I was in high school, we did most of our clothes shopping in Bozeman because it was only an hour away. I don't recognize it. It's not a place to make a living or to see real Montana. I find it depressing! However, you're there now, and there are still some good things about it. Getting involved in some activities is key. If you're having a hard time making ends meet, consider that Montana one of the highest, if not the highest (I read the stat a while ago...sorry!) proportion of folks with more than one job. If you need to make ends meet and you're already working, get a second job. I'm still working two jobs, and my first job pays "well" for Montana (haha). But, make your second job a fun job where you can meet people...like a coffee shop, bartending, book store, etc. That way, you'll make some extra money and get to know people. It's worked well for me!

[jjojobean]

Absaroka, affording a condo is still more than a lot of Montanans can do. Have you ever been outside of Montana? There is a big world out here...with people in it too!! ;o) What do you mean no one from here would tell someone to get soup at Bennigans? I am a native Montanan and I was just giving my opinion on where to get some good soup. You don't know me so please don't speak for me. Anyway, I'm sure she won't see you there so don't worry about it. Did you really think Montana would remain unchanged from decade to decade? Roofers in Big Sky are making up to $40 an hour. Why wouldn't people flock to work there?

johns65vette, i think that maybe two to three miles is all. And it only lasts a couple of hours. Nothing major compared to other places I've lived. ;o)

NewYork, have your family and friends move to Montana too. Let's have a BBQ and drink some beer. ;o)

[YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY]

The original poster is probably long gone, since they posted this in early september of last year.

[JoeJoeMan]

absorka wrote:

Did you really think Montana would remain unchanged from decade to decade?

Ah...no I didn't but I was at least hoping it would change for the better ! We seem to be going out of our way to promote it for the worst of all out comes.
$40 bucks an hour you say to put roofs on......yea people use to make good money to clearcutting our forest and mining our streams. If it makes a buck it must be good.

Ok here is the basis for the 'new' economy in montana, build houses, move people in, give them jobs making more houses, move more people in, give them jobs building houses, move more people in, give them jobs building more houses, ...dah dah dah......oh course this is an over-simplied model, as we also need mass hordes of people to be build golf courses and shopping strips.
Keep your eyes peeled in those malls, my new book will be coming out soon ..."A housing developement runs thru it".....the life and times and dismantling of a Montana dream now turned nightmare.

[jjojobean]

Great point johns65vette. It's just disheartening to hear views of those that have become so bitter. Change has its upsides and downsides. Why dwell on the negative. Montana is far from having any "big cities". I've lived in heavily populated areas out of state where people will shoot you for your shoes or for a $10 rock. Gangs, dope, gunshots in the night, thousands of homeless people...that comes with being a big city. I can still go to the Big Hole River and not see anyone for half the day or go to Virginia City to watch a play and not worry about it being sold out. Montana is definitely changing. Maybe not the way we want it to, but it's far from ruined.