Where in Montana? Need help! (Bozeman, Helena: for sale, real estate, 2015)

[MnViking]

Hello all -

We currently live in Minnesota, and are looking at several states to relocate to next year, and Montana is one of them.

The problem we're having is knowing what city or town in Montana to consider. My wife and I are in our 30's with a young child, and have never been to Montana, so we don't even have a clue where to begin.

A few questions..

1) Are the winters in Montana as cold/snowy as we get here in the Minneapolis area?
2) We would like a smaller city preferably with a population no higher than 40k, but yet no further than 20 minutes or so to amenities like grocery shopping and restaurants
3) Employment at this time is not an issue, but we would like to be close to good schools and a non-denominational church
4) And last, but very important, we want a safe city with little crime and a place we can raise our kids and feel safe

Thank you. Any suggestions are appreciated!

[NW Crow]

Climate data for cities can be accessed here https://wrcc.dri.edu/Climate/west_coop_summaries.php Snowfalls for towns vary from maybe around 40 to 150 inches annually. Probably
from 15-50 days with lows below zero depending on where in state / elevation.

For under 40k in a city, look at Helena and Kalispell. And maybe Butte if you are more open minded than most about community conditions or more housing cost conscious than average. There is a big drop off in city size after that, with nothing else under 40k but above 10k. You could live outside one of these bigger MT cities in either houses within 10 miles or true small towns and rural. One of the few "suburbs" of "size" would be Belgrade (8-9k), west of Bozeman. Ravalli County has over 40k... in the whole county and might be another option.

Kalispell has less reported violent crime than Helena but more property crime. Butte is highest on violent crime but near tied with Helena for lower property crime among the 3. With the exception of Kalispell's violent crime rating, these crime rates are above national average.

Kalispell schools seem to get better ratings than Helena schools, fwiw. Average satisfaction and quality aren't always the same. Average school funding in MT is generally 40-60% less per student than in Minneapolis (though there might be exceptions), so you'll probably see some differences. Maybe more than you prefer or can accept.


Until you can visit (preferably in good weather & bad to taste it), use google maps street view to wander around https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mo...4d-110.3625658
Use gold stick man icon at bottom right of map. Drop him where you want to look.


Lots of threads here, poke around and / or search for specific topics (like schools, crime, snow, etc.) using key words with the search tool at top right of forum page. Ask more questions as needed. People are often more willing to answer specific questions than to try to rehash a summary over and over for each new inquiry. Also can look at pages like this one: //www.city-data.com/city/Helena-Montana.html

[historyfan]

Prior to deciding on Montana. you may want to compare real estate prices. In most cases it will cost considerably more to buy a similiar house in Montana than Minnesota.


I think Helena probably fits your needs best. The only downside I can think of is the poor air connections, but it's not that far to drive to Bozeman if you need catch a flight.


In general Minnesota gets more snow & it's more humid so real feel "feels" colder. But if in areas of Montana that gets North wind in winter, that arctic blast makes it frigid cold with the wind chill.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by MnViking

Hello all -

We currently live in Minnesota, and are looking at several states to relocate to next year, and Montana is one of them.

The problem we're having is knowing what city or town in Montana to consider. My wife and I are in our 30's with a young child, and have never been to Montana, so we don't even have a clue where to begin.

A few questions..

1) Are the winters in Montana as cold/snowy as we get here in the Minneapolis area?
2) We would like a smaller city preferably with a population no higher than 40k, but yet no further than 20 minutes or so to amenities like grocery shopping and restaurants
3) Employment at this time is not an issue, but we would like to be close to good schools and a non-denominational church
4) And last, but very important, we want a safe city with little crime and a place we can raise our kids and feel safe

Thank you. Any suggestions are appreciated!

How small are you willing to go? Most towns are well under 40k. Do you want mountains or plains? The state is massive and there is a lot of variation. Be aware that the pretty parts are often very expensive to live in. You say employment isn't an issue, are you working from home? If employment will be an issue later on be aware wages in the state are often lower than the national average.

[mjstef]

You also have to take into consideration the drug problems..... Montana

[AirborneVespa]

Originally Posted by mjstef

You also have to take into consideration the drug problems..... Montana

Did you read your link?

In 2010 the Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation had 68 meth cases. By 2012 that was up to 143 cases and in 2015 they had 232 cases.

232 meth cases, in a state that is massive with a population around a million.

Most of all these scary statistics are for a different motive: To carve a larger slice of taxpayer dollars.

[ericsvibe]

I am going to recommend Helena. We have a large family with 4 children, all going to school. Helen is a very safe community. We live in East Helena which is a small town 3 miles from Helena, and in our opinion the schools are some of the best in the state. We just built a new elementary, the middle school is only 5 years old, and they are just about to break ground on the brand new high school. Yes, our property taxes have increased, but we wouldn't have it any other way. Our kids will be attending brand new, fully modern schools. There are lots of affordable homes in East Helena for sale right now. All of the households without children are selling to avoid the property taxes. Most of the homes are in the 180k to 280k price range. Check out Realtor.com.


Most crime in the Helena area is drug related. Most violent crime is from domestic violence.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by AirborneVespa

Did you read your link?

In 2010 the Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation had 68 meth cases. By 2012 that was up to 143 cases and in 2015 they had 232 cases.

232 meth cases, in a state that is massive with a population around a million.

Most of all these scary statistics are for a different motive: To carve a larger slice of taxpayer dollars.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by ericsvibe

I am going to recommend Helena. We have a large family with 4 children, all going to school. Helen is a very safe community. We live in East Helena which is a small town 3 miles from Helena, and in our opinion the schools are some of the best in the state. We just built a new elementary, the middle school is only 5 years old, and they are just about to break ground on the brand new high school. Yes, our property taxes have increased, but we wouldn't have it any other way. Our kids will be attending brand new, fully modern schools. There are lots of affordable homes in East Helena for sale right now. All of the households without children are selling to avoid the property taxes. Most of the homes are in the 180k to 280k price range. Check out Realtor.com.


Most crime in the Helena area is drug related. Most violent crime is from domestic violence.

So Helena crime is worse than East Helena?
How does East Helena compare to Helena as a whole?

Housing is more affordable in East Helena but property taxes very high in East Helena? Lower crime rate in East Helena?

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by nowhereman427

So Helena crime is worse than East Helena?
How does East Helena compare to Helena as a whole?

Housing is more affordable in East Helena but property taxes very high in East Helena? Lower crime rate in East Helena?

Both Helena and East Helena are pretty safe. I've spent a fair amount of time there although it's been quite some time. At one point there was a possibility of moving there. But that situation ended up pretty ugly.