Eureka or Whitefish/Kalispell area vs Libby/Troy & asbestos cleanup? (real estate, rental)

[movintime]

I see Libby (& nearby Troy too) has major issues w/ asbestos. Is this true? If so, it'll be a cancer cluster soon. But Whitefish/Kalispell areas are higher cost as they've more jobs, etc. On a fixed income, so it'd be best to rent/buy in Eureka, I guess, vs there. But will be awaiting your opinions on this. Thx.

[flyingcat2k]

Libby and Troy were the towns supported by a W.R. Grace asbestos mine. It's kind of a tragic tale where the mine workers were provided asbestos training and PPE. The workers didn't want to really wear the equipment and management really didn't make them. That's kind of the impression I got from reading the paper articles. The reason the town is so bad for asbestos is that the workers wore their work clothes home for many years even after the hazards of asbestos were known. The asbestos fibers got into many homes and contaminated home washers and dryers and their family's clothing. It is a cancer cluster now and will get worse but now that the mine is closed, the economy is in the toilet.

The rural area tends to attract these anti-gub'ment types that are a bit eccentric. I wouldn't recommend it for fixed income people as Montana taxes that income whereas Wyoming does not. The benefit is that the real estate there isn't taxed as high as Flathead County. Health care in the immediate area is not be great either. I have a distant relative with land there and it's a value trap. It's pretty but you can't sell easily because it's so isolated. Renting is a better option, IMHO.

[cumminszhere]

There is a documentary on the asbestos subject in Libby. It is titled simply, “Libby, Montana”. It may clear up some misconceptions about the mine operators role in this disaster. Workers weren’t notified of the hazards despite the company knowing for decades. I remember a scene from the film that shows the company’s internal employe mortality chart. It showed that employees who had worked at the mine for X years, I think 25, had a mortality rate above 90% if my memory is still intact.

Eureka is a nice town in a beautiful area, but it’s a little isolated. The Flathead is about 50~ miles away.
If you like to be away from the hustle & bustle then it would be a good fit. Rent first before you get locked in to anything.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

If you do a search here you'll find updated info about the great cleanup job. We were looking for land in Troy some years ago, and even with maximum diligence we didn't run into any red flags. I would be hesitant about certain areas of Libby (older homes), but not Troy. Just my perspective. And, BTW, we are not eccentric anti-gub'ment types...we were looking for a beautiful place to retire, and we found it in Clark Fork, 30 miles southwest of Troy. Not a lot of eccentric folks there, either--just folks...and "isolated" is a relative concept.

(In response to Flyingcat's post.)

[historyfan]

I think it unwise to move to any Superfund site, period.

A not much mentioned fact is that tons of contaminated wood chips from the area forests were shipped & used as mulch in public parks, playgrounds, & as surface amendment in arenas across Montana.

Eureka is located in an attractive location. It is remote. Medical and other services senior retirees might require will be very limited or non-existent. Real estate re-sale may be difficult due to lack of available employment for any prospective buyers. Be aware that small towns in Montana rarely have much available rental housing.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by historyfan

I think it unwise to move to any Superfund site, period.

A not much mentioned fact is that tons of contaminated wood chips from the area forests were shipped & used as mulch in public parks, playgrounds, & as surface amendment in arenas across Montana.

Eureka is located in an attractive location. It is remote. Medical and other services senior retirees might require will be very limited or non-existent. Real estate re-sale may be difficult due to lack of available employment for any prospective buyers. Be aware that small towns in Montana rarely have much available rental housing.

[flyingcat2k]

I think someone moving in from out of state should know that this area has some eccentrics. Not everyone is but they are there. When the WSJ writes a story about a FedEx driver having to explain repeatedly that he is not a Federal employee to people around Yaak, you may have some eccentrics.

[movintime]

Yes, I do realize, you're right, that there's eccentrics but it is so true everywhere. Here in AZ is no exception. But still I think it has benefits vs cons to find a healthier place among other things. I like Kalispell for stores, services, etc. & Whitefish is unique, & so near Canada so good for my hockey interests, but unsure where is best here.

We have portable incomes so that isn't an issue but I need to keep costs down, & I see cost of living in Kalispell or Whitefish is much higher, obviously, then in Eureka or Troy/Libby (though food is cheaper due to being able to be less remote from deliveries there vs in Eureka/Libby/Troy).

The problem is anything other than Kalispell/Whitefish areas puts you far from services thus costing more to get goods, etc. Ok, turning it back to you folks.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Don't forget that Troy is only about 30 min from Bonner's Ferry, ID, and another 30 min from Sandpoint, with a WalMart, BigR, Home Depot, a hospital, and three major and very well stocked supermarkets. Troy really doesn't feel remote in that respect, which was why we included it in our search for property. However, it does feel remote in another sense: no cell signal except for a few spots!

[movintime]

Clarker, but Troy & Libby worry me w/ asbestos. Unfortunately off our list for now, I think.