Information for and around Fairfield (Missoula, Great Falls: co-ops, how much, schools)

[emosi]

Could someone tell me about living around Fairfield Montana? I have a family and am thinking of re-locating depending on job and so forth. We currently live in Wyoming and love the small town lifestyle. I wouldn't mind living a little closer to Great Falls. I have been trying to research and find housing in between Fairfield and Great Falls. Can anyone help with suggestions on where to live? Some other questions I have. How much snow do you get in the winter time? How are the roads in between Fairfield and Great Falls? We plan on taking a trip to check out the scenary, however wouldn't mind some help before doing so. Thanks

[MHT]

Originally Posted by emosi

Could someone tell me about living around Fairfield Montana? I have a family and am thinking of re-locating depending on job and so forth. We currently live in Wyoming and love the small town lifestyle. I wouldn't mind living a little closer to Great Falls. I have been trying to research and find housing in between Fairfield and Great Falls. Can anyone help with suggestions on where to live? Some other questions I have. How much snow do you get in the winter time? How are the roads in between Fairfield and Great Falls? We plan on taking a trip to check out the scenary, however wouldn't mind some help before doing so. Thanks

I'm from Fairfield, MT - actually I grew up around Missoula but when we got married we moved to Fairfield. Lived there many years. Now live in Wheatland, WY. Loved Fairfield - good school, excellent people. For a small town there's quite a bit of "industry". The telephone and electric co-ops are two good employers. There is a weekly newspaper. Gorgeous views of the mountains.

There's not much for housing between Fairfield and Great Falls except for Vaughn. Not a great place. The road between Fairfield and Great Falls is a good road. My husband worked in Great Falls so drove it every day. Don't get much snow there. It may get cold and snowy but only lasts a couple of days then the chinook wind blows and soon it's like spring. Our plan has always been to move back there when we retire.

If you have any other questions just ask - either here or by private message.

[robinhood]

Originally Posted by MHT

I'm from Fairfield, MT - actually I grew up around Missoula but when we got married we moved to Fairfield. Lived there many years. Now live in Wheatland, WY. Loved Fairfield - good school, excellent people. For a small town there's quite a bit of "industry". The telephone and electric co-ops are two good employers. There is a weekly newspaper. Gorgeous views of the mountains.

There's not much for housing between Fairfield and Great Falls except for Vaughn. Not a great place. The road between Fairfield and Great Falls is a good road. My husband worked in Great Falls so drove it every day. Don't get much snow there. It may get cold and snowy but only lasts a couple of days then the chinook wind blows and soon it's like spring. Our plan has always been to move back there when we retire.

If you have any other questions just ask - either here or by private message.

Wow! I didn't realize that there were places in Montana that received very little snow. I wish to move my family up north, but we are interested in an area that has more snow. I know this may sound crazy, but where in Montana is there reasonably good amount of snowfall? Also, are there places in Wyoming that you know of that receive more snowfall than others? I'm not really interested in living in the mountains, but I was really thinking about Helena. Where I come from in Texas, we never see snow, and rarely freezing temperatures. My children have never seen real snow, only a light flurry that melted in the air, and a coat is something they may wear maybe a dozen times throughout the year. I would appreciate you input.

[emosi]

Originally Posted by MHT

I'm from Fairfield, MT - actually I grew up around Missoula but when we got married we moved to Fairfield. Lived there many years. Now live in Wheatland, WY. Loved Fairfield - good school, excellent people. For a small town there's quite a bit of "industry". The telephone and electric co-ops are two good employers. There is a weekly newspaper. Gorgeous views of the mountains.

There's not much for housing between Fairfield and Great Falls except for Vaughn. Not a great place. The road between Fairfield and Great Falls is a good road. My husband worked in Great Falls so drove it every day. Don't get much snow there. It may get cold and snowy but only lasts a couple of days then the chinook wind blows and soon it's like spring. Our plan has always been to move back there when we retire.

If you have any other questions just ask - either here or by private message.

Thanks so much for your comments on Fairfield and the roads. Sounds like a nice place to live and raise a family. One more question if you don't mind. How is the schools there? What is your opinion on the little school versus the Great Falls schooling system? Thanks for your time

[MHT]

Originally Posted by emosi

Thanks so much for your comments on Fairfield and the roads. Sounds like a nice place to live and raise a family. One more question if you don't mind. How is the schools there? What is your opinion on the little school versus the Great Falls schooling system? Thanks for your time

We loved the school in Fairfield. When we left there and went to MN our kids went to a huge school. A small school was a "must have" when we moved to WY. I think the Great Falls schools are good - at least my friends in Great Falls think so. I like a smaller school myself - there's just a better student/teacher ratio usually.

[MHT]

Originally Posted by Robyn Smith

Wow! I didn't realize that there were places in Montana that received very little snow. I wish to move my family up north, but we are interested in an area that has more snow. I know this may sound crazy, but where in Montana is there reasonably good amount of snowfall? Also, are there places in Wyoming that you know of that receive more snowfall than others? I'm not really interested in living in the mountains, but I was really thinking about Helena. Where I come from in Texas, we never see snow, and rarely freezing temperatures. My children have never seen real snow, only a light flurry that melted in the air, and a coat is something they may wear maybe a dozen times throughout the year. I would appreciate you input.

There are places in MT and WY that do get a lot of snow. However, they are in the mountains. Western Montana and western Wyoming both get snow. (Jackson, WY gets snow depths that are measured in feet - not inches. Last winter they had something like 12' of snow.) Helena does get snow, but not like Whitefish for example. Just because MT is a northern state does not mean the whole state gets snow. It gets much colder in the north central part but not much snow - if it does snow it doesn't stay very long.

[MTer]

Originally Posted by Robyn Smith

Wow! I didn't realize that there were places in Montana that received very little snow. I wish to move my family up north, but we are interested in an area that has more snow. I know this may sound crazy, but where in Montana is there reasonably good amount of snowfall? Also, are there places in Wyoming that you know of that receive more snowfall than others? I'm not really interested in living in the mountains, but I was really thinking about Helena. Where I come from in Texas, we never see snow, and rarely freezing temperatures. My children have never seen real snow, only a light flurry that melted in the air, and a coat is something they may wear maybe a dozen times throughout the year. I would appreciate you input.

Be careful what you ask for. In general, all of Montana gets snow, but recent years have been relatively dry. That means no huge snowfalls in most places (other than up in the mountains, e.g., at ski areas and such), and snow then thaw then more snow then thaw, etc. throughout the winter. Pretty much anywhere in Montana your children will get some snow to play in in winter.

Also each year is different, though most climate experts are saying Montana has warmed up on the average in recent years (so less snow, more summer fire danger). However, if you really want lots of snow, generally you want to be on the west side of the Continental Divide (since precipitation falls out of clouds as it moves up mountains), which means in west Montana. Also further northwest tends to get more snow--the region west of Glacier NP (Kalispell, Whitefish, etc.).

The other thing to look for is higher elevation. Higher elevations tend to get more snow. So mountainsides at, say, 6000-9000 feet may have snow while their nearby valleys get rain.

You really should consider whether you want to be in a very snowy area, however. Long winters can be trying (autumn then winter come earlier in MT than, say, in the upper midwest, for example, and spring comes later). Also you need to consider driving. Driving in heavy snow requires expertise and nerves of steel (if you can even get out).

Also with colder temps you will pay significantly more for heat each year.

Many issues should be factored into your decision, not just wanting lots of snow for your kids to play in.

That said, you will get snow in Helena (though it's quite low elevation for MT--only around 3000 feet), though in recent years the snow hasn't been on the ground all winter. It might be a good place for you, based on what you've said. The mountains outside of Helena (McDonald Pass, down towards Boulder, etc.) already have had a few inches of snow this year, in fact, though it melted within a day.

[emosi]

Originally Posted by MHT

We loved the school in Fairfield. When we left there and went to MN our kids went to a huge school. A small school was a "must have" when we moved to WY. I think the Great Falls schools are good - at least my friends in Great Falls think so. I like a smaller school myself - there's just a better student/teacher ratio usually.

Thanks, that helps a lot. I also enjoy the teacher/student ratio where we are at.

[robinhood]

Thank you to everyone who answered my question!