Moving to Montana Need Help Deciding Where To Go. (Billings: real estate, rental)

[beachbuni]

My son and I are moving from So Cal (can't take the traffic, smog, noise, cost etc). We want to move to Montana and have looked into Bozeman, Missoula and Kalispell. I wanted to get some opinions on each place. We want to rent a house and are on a tight budget. We will also need to get jobs at some point. So any advice? By the way we have never been to Montana. Just following our dreams.

[Geo Roam]

Originally Posted by beachbuni

My son and I are moving from So Cal (can't take the traffic, smog, noise, cost etc). We want to move to Montana and have looked into Bozeman, Missoula and Kalispell. I wanted to get some opinions on each place. We want to rent a house and are on a tight budget. We will also need to get jobs at some point. So any advice? By the way we have never been to Montana. Just following our dreams.

Explain a little more about the "dreams". If you have never been to Montana, how do you know it will fulfill those dreams?

Check out US Census 2010 for myriad data.

Check out retirement sites for additional demographic and tax info. Google "retirement" and then the city.

Check out Montana tourism websites.

Check out a google search "Real Estate Rental ______" insert the town.

[Heart]

Be prepared for your winter bill. Our current Northwestern Energy bill this month was $230.00 for one month.

Be prepared that coming from California to here (read my thread I started) will be extremely different. You may find yourself unhappy and bored for the first couple years. There is a HUGE adjustment coming out of the city to up here.

Be very realistic about what winter is going to be like. It can be rough, it can be really long, and it can seem to go on forever. The cold set in back in October 2011, and it's been cold since. Trust me, winters here are loooonnnnng. Sometimes it seems like summer doesn't last long enough. If you land yourself near forest fires, you'll feel choked out by smoke.

Realistically, jobs are HARD to find. My husband took a call center job in Missoula.... while finishing his degree. I have MS and do not work. It is real hard to live on low wages. Rents can be high. You will not get California pay up here.

The places down the road for me rent out from $750 - $900 a month. In town it may be higher.

From an ex city girl to another, here's the realities...

Used to your entertainment being in close proximity? Used to new movies hitting the theaters when you want to see them? Used to go anywhere you please all year round because the weather is not much of an issue? Used to going shopping late at night, or things being open 24/7? Used to sunny warm weather?

These are a few things you are going to find that will change drastically, in moving up here, depending on your area.

I'm just pointing out some of the tough stuff off the bat for you to consider. I really came to like it here... but I will be honest and say that it can be difficult when adjusting.

[binxterdoodles]

I wouldn't rule out Billings as it's the largest "city" in Montana with around 150,000 people in the metro area. Not as scenic as those other towns you listed but jobs are easier to come by, cost of living is much cheaper and you will get many of the amenities you're used to in a city without the smog etc. It's also only about an hour from Red Lodge and the Beartooth path which is one of the most scenic areas in MT. It's not small-town Montana, but it would make a transition from a large city easier.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by binxterdoodles

I wouldn't rule out Billings as it's the largest "city" in Montana with around 150,000 people in the metro area. Not as scenic as those other towns you listed but jobs are easier to come by, cost of living is much cheaper and you will get many of the amenities you're used to in a city without the smog etc. It's also only about an hour from Red Lodge and the Beartooth path which is one of the most scenic areas in MT. It's not small-town Montana, but it would make a transition from a large city easier.

This is good advice right here. If you want small town Montana consider Laurel which is close.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by beachbuni

My son and I are moving from So Cal (can't take the traffic, smog, noise, cost etc). We want to move to Montana and have looked into Bozeman, Missoula and Kalispell. I wanted to get some opinions on each place. We want to rent a house and are on a tight budget. We will also need to get jobs at some point. So any advice? By the way we have never been to Montana. Just following our dreams.

Take Heart's advice, well, to heart. Where would we be without dreams? This nation was built on them. But it seems to me that what you have may be more of a fantasy than an dream, and that can turn into a nightmare very quickly. You need to visit a few times, summer and winter, before making any decisions about moving--Montana is a different world altogether. That may be exactly what you need, but don't come to Montana unprepared--it wouldn't be fair to your son, either.

I absolutely understand your need to get out of SoCal, but keep an open mind about other options; Inland Northern CA has gorgeous scenery and a more traditional, slower-paced lifestyle, and the adjustment will be much more manageable. You might like the area from Redding and up to the OR border, though jobs are probably scarce. The state of WA should be on your radar, too--somewhere outside of the Tacoma-Seattle corridor (traffic, smog, noise, and cost!).

[bongo]

Lots of good personal incite shared here, Heart.

Could you put your energy bill into perspective by sharing the square footage of your home, where the thermostat is set in winter & the year build? Is that all electric or electric & natural gas?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Heart

Be prepared for your winter bill. Our current Northwestern Energy bill this month was $230.00 for one month.

Be prepared that coming from California to here (read my thread I started) will be extremely different. You may find yourself unhappy and bored for the first couple years. There is a HUGE adjustment coming out of the city to up here.

Be very realistic about what winter is going to be like. It can be rough, it can be really long, and it can seem to go on forever. The cold set in back in October 2011, and it's been cold since. Trust me, winters here are loooonnnnng. Sometimes it seems like summer doesn't last long enough. If you land yourself near forest fires, you'll feel choked out by smoke.

Realistically, jobs are HARD to find. My husband took a call center job in Missoula.... while finishing his degree. I have MS and do not work. It is real hard to live on low wages. Rents can be high. You will not get California pay up here.

The places down the road for me rent out from $750 - $900 a month. In town it may be higher.

From an ex city girl to another, here's the realities...

Used to your entertainment being in close proximity? Used to new movies hitting the theaters when you want to see them? Used to go anywhere you please all year round because the weather is not much of an issue? Used to going shopping late at night, or things being open 24/7? Used to sunny warm weather?

These are a few things you are going to find that will change drastically, in moving up here, depending on your area.

I'm just pointing out some of the tough stuff off the bat for you to consider. I really came to like it here... but I will be honest and say that it can be difficult when adjusting.

[bongo403]

Montana is about as different from Southern California as you can get. While there is a lot not to like about where you are currently, there are probably some things you like as well. I would suggest you make a list of everything you like about SoCal and really, really do your homework to see if you would get that in Montana. If not, consider how much you would miss it.

Others have given some great suggestions of things to think about. The difference in climate is probably the biggest thing. You'll need a whole new wardrobe for winter, and you'll need to learn to drive in snow and ice, and will probably need at least a new set of snowtires on your vehicle. In Montana, we don't get snow days, we just deal with it. Then there are jobs - they are scarce and don't pay well. Cost of living is better than California, but is still high for the low wages one can expect in Montana. In addition, there is limited shopping, air travel is expensive, public transportation is limited, entertainment not as readily avaialable, and we have no beaches. You need to weigh all of these very carefully, research extensively, and visit, before chasing the Montana dream. It's a place that really isn't for everyone. There are opportunities in more rural areas of Calfornia, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, and Washington that might suit your needs better than Montana.

[Michrdias]

California all the way around is crashing, there are no jobs and everything is priced way above what it should be, I have grown up in northern cali and the inland as you say... its not good anywhere I am also looking to move to montana never being there before

[Ms_Christina]

I recommend Bozeman. It is the home of Montana State University (Go Bobcats!). It is hard to find work. It was hard to find work before the economy went bad and it will probably be the same after the economy recovers. My uncle lives in town and currently holds 3 jobs to make ends meet.
The winters can be rough. There are no snow days. If the kids didn't go to school when it snowed, they would never go to school. There are 3 season in Montana: July, August and Winter. DO NOT tell people you are from California. You will be hated and ignored.