Flathead/Bitterroot Valleys vs SW MT has best access to mountains? (Missoula: condo, co-ops)

[Shuffler]

I think it's insane to be pondering a move like this right now, especially to an increasingly unaffordable area like the Flathead, as we go deeper into recession.

Rates are over 6% and that's going to hit buyers and sellers alike - days on market are way up, and many delusional sellers are realizing they missed the party and need to lower their price.

Have you even looked at what's available within your budget? Land alone is going for well over 100k/acre ... here's an example of a 'great deal' ... 2 acres adjacent to a power substation - got cancer?

[AGRusco]

Yes - its like that everywhere right now. We are not in a hurry.

[ejisme]

You might want to take a look at McCall and Cascade, ID. Smaller towns that have great ski, mountain and water access. Boise is within a couple hours for business and other shopping. Both have bicycle shops and the food environment you are looking for. The people are generally health conscious, unless your health concerns revolve around vaccines and mask wear. Not much of that going on in Idaho, or Montana.

[AGRusco]

Originally Posted by ejisme

You might want to take a look at McCall and Cascade, ID. Smaller towns that have great ski, mountain and water access. Boise is within a couple hours for business and other shopping. Both have bicycle shops and the food environment you are looking for. The people are generally health conscious, unless your health concerns revolve around vaccines and mask wear. Not much of that going on in Idaho, or Montana.

ha not that but thank you, I enjoy visiting that area!

[AGRusco]

Originally Posted by Zulu Kono

Flathead's where it's at!!!

Thanks, we plan to spend a good amount of time here this month

[AGRusco]

Originally Posted by SilverBear

Sounds like the PNW is a perfect fit for you. Why would you want to move to an area that has very little of the small mountain/charming towns with active life style, farm to table, etc?
Outside of the tourist areas, much of western Montana has working families that don't have buckets of money or time to hike and bike the mountain trails. Those are more tourist things.

Access to cities for business, Kalispell and Missoula aren't really cities in the classic sense of the word. Most of the towns in that area are less than 10,000 people, (some way less), although Spokane and Cour de 'Laine would be your best bet for real cities in the area, neither is in Montana.

Silverbear, are you a photographer in the Flathead? I saw 'Silver Bear' and recognized it while looking at rodeos We have outgrown our area and are ready for a change. It's not great to be a resident here any longer, If you have any recommendations on fun events going on in July in the Flathead, locals please message me or if anyone does.

[SilverBear]

Originally Posted by AGRusco

Silverbear, are you a photographer in the Flathead? I saw 'Silver Bear' and recognized it while looking at rodeos We have outgrown our area and are ready for a change. It's not great to be a resident here any longer, If you have any recommendations on fun events going on in July in the Flathead, locals please message me or if anyone does.

No, I'm a rancher in SW Montana. I've spent some time in the Flathead, but I haven't been to Kalispell in years.
Personally, I prefer events like the old Logger Days in Libby, or Nordic fest.

Look on the state tourist website. They like putting events on there to call in people.
Best I could tell you is that the acapella group Home Free is going to be performing in Billings in September.

[ejisme]

Originally Posted by AGRusco

Thanks, we plan to spend a good amount of time here this month

It's good that you are going for a visit. Make sure you also set up time to visit in early November and late April so you can see what it's like in early and late winter.

[ejisme]

I saw this post on the "Why is Everyone Moving to Montana" listing and thought it might be pertinent to you.

"I have to travel all over the state due to work. I just got back from Bozeman. To all who are worried about illegal immigrants moving to Montana in mass, you can relax. The general contractors here have ethical standards. Right next to my Bozeman office they are building a giant apartment complex. During my lunch I walked over and noticed all of the trucks had Texas plates. The construction guys were all eating lunch so I talked to them for a bit. They were subcontracted to come up for a year and work on a long list of projects. The GC is paying for hotel and per diem expenses. That's the reason many of the hotels are booked solid. Every single one of the workers were Mexican American and they were funny as heck. They asked me if white women in Montana ever wear anything other than yoga pants, I let them know that's just Bozeman and they should get out of town when they have a chance. They all had families back home and no one had any interest in staying in Montana after the work ended.

I went to Kalispell early in June. The traffic to get to Kalispell was horrible with all of the tourists, but once in town the traffic wasn't as bad, except for Chick Fil-A. Expect to wait an hour in the drive through during the afternoon. I swear they must sell a million dollars worth of chicken a month. At my hotel there was a construction crew, and a telecom crew that is running fiber optic. Both were from, you guessed it, Texas. There must be a "hire a Texan" website somewhere. I think what the locals are seeing is the temp workers that are building all of these homes and businesses, and mistaking them for people moving in permanently. Once the construction boom dies down and they clear out, I think things will settle down.

In Great Falls the refinery hired a company from Texas to build a bunch of storage tanks and there are tons of workers from both Texas and Louisiana at the hotels down the road from the refinery. They use an old school bus to shuttle them from the hotel to the worksite each day.

It sucks that Montana doesn't have enough skilled labor where the money could have stayed in the state."

I'd assume if you are moving with your own excavation equipment then you may have local subcontracting work available. Maybe you can reduce the number of Texas plates by a couple, lol

[AGRusco]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

Add the Clark Fork-Heron-Noxon area to your list, straddling the Idaho-Montana border along the Clark Fork River and Hwy 200. Easy hiking access to the wild Cabinet Mountains and Scotsman Peaks to the north, and the Bitterroots to the south. And definitely not touristy (yet). Less than an hour's drive from the ski resort Schweitzer in Sandpoint (and Sandpoint itself has some of the sustainability vibe you're looking for). Heron is a tiny community, about 2 1/2 hours from Missoula and 2 hours from Spokane.

F!


We are going to go home that way after we hit 2. How does this area compare to north of Whitefish? I like Missoula as a bike friendly/foodie city, but way too busy for us. Not digging the Bitterroot Valley, cool to visit but we need more water and forests. Do you have any other suggestions? We are arborists/contractors and plan to relocate our business even if it’s just 4-6 mos a year. Thanks, CF!