Moving to Montana my Southern Nevada (Billings, Great Falls: fit in, for sale, apartment)

[Hayseed44]

We have been dreaming of moving to the Bitterroot Valley since 2000. My Husband has retired from the police department and we are raising our 9 year old son. We have 6 horses, and a small herd of Dexter cows. We love the ranch/mountain life which we live now but in the southern NV high dessert mountains. We struggle with the high winds, high heat in the summer, and very little water. We love the 4 seasons and snow is not a problem. My family enjoys, hunting, fishing, camping, shooting guns and bows, and competing in gymkhana rodeo. We have a realtor in Hamilton and getting ready to list our home in NV. My biggest concern is how are the schools? My son is a straight A student working at one grade level higher in math. He is a good student that loves being around kids. We are used to not having neighbors close by but we still seem to always have lots of kiddos over for play days and slumber parties. We are retired and won't be looking for work in town. We want to take care of our family, home, property and animals that is our dream job. We live a busy life because we like to enjoy our outdoor hobbies but we are simple happy country type people. Hoping we fit in and we all can make some life long friends.

[PNW4us]

We've lived in Corvallis for 10 years. We have 4 girls and all of them have been through the district and we have absolutely no complaints whatsoever. They have been personally involved in our children's lives in school through their entire time here.

But we're moving out of the valley soon due to my own job situation.

And hey, since you're looking to move, our house will be for sale very soon. We have a 4 bed, 2 bath, 2 story (+ loft so technically 3 story) home on 5 acres. Extra detached apartment and rec room. Also tons of out buildings and a two story play house for the kiddo. Most of the people up here own horses and other livestock so that wouldn't be an issue either.

Let me know if interested!

[Hayseed44]

Thank you for the information on Corvalis. I would be very interested in your property. We are house searching the 2nd week in August for about 10 days. We are lined up with a realtor in Hamilton. Can you PM me with info on the this
thread?

[Antonio Montana]

Southern Nevada. Does that mean you're near Vegas?

[Hayseed44]

Yes we are near Las Vegas. I don't like to say Las Vegas, because people seem to get the wrong idea. We try and avoid going into town except for the essentials. Vegas is a great place to live if your are trying to make money but not the best place to raise a family.

[Antonio Montana]

Originally Posted by Hayseed44

Yes we are near Las Vegas. I don't like to say Las Vegas, because people seem to get the wrong idea. We try and avoid going into town except for the essentials. Vegas is a great place to live if your are trying to make money but not the best place to raise a family.

Understood. I think you'll love Montana and I can certainly understand why you'd want to move here. I was just in Vegas recently. i've been there a few times now. On my latest trip, I realized it's actually quite boring. All those casinos are basically all the same, plus I got tired of the noise. The food in Vegas is very good though, but the sacrifice is worth it to move to Montana.

[Reziac]

You might want to look at Roundup as an alternative. Not so expensive, the occasional working ranch on the market for $200k or less, an hour from Billings, and pretty country. Drier than west of the divide but nothing like Nevada. Ditto right around south of Billings but before you get out to where there's no water. Last year there was a 40ac place for $200k, livable apartment in the stable, on the creek and paved road, only about 15 miles from town.

No matter where you are in MT, the schools will be better. I'm not familiar with the Nevada school system but I'd put the worst in MT against the best in CA (where I also lived for 28 years) and expect ours to beat 'em without raising a sweat. A kid with specialized talents and interests will find more opportunity in a bigger system than a small one, tho. I went to school in Great Falls and even 40+ years ago we had everything you could want in a school.

I love the desert, Nevada sends my desert-rat side to heaven, but I absolutely hate Los Wages -- and all I've ever done is drive through it a few times cursing the lack of gas stations accessible to someone pulling a big trailer, not to mention the astoundingly bad traffic all the way to that last 'hotel and resort'. So I'm with ya there!!