Pick a place in MT to live (list) (Billings, Missoula: transplants, insurance)

[GiftShoppeGuy]

Originally Posted by lorelei2873

I lived in Great Falls for about a year. I got my furniture stolen while I was moving in. Even though I lived only a few blocks from my part-time bartending job, I had to take a car because of the crime in my neighborhood. I also witnessed a drug deal taking place at my dumpster. I also walked out and found a man passed out next to his bike at 9 a.m. I tried to wake him up because I thought he was having a heart attack. He wasn't; he was just passed out drunk already. So, check out the neighborhoods first. I lived in a historic apartment building in a cute-looking area on 6th St. South. Geez. Appearances were deceiving. Avoid that area. Great Falls has some great qualities, but don't be like me. Ask for neighborhood references first! I was naive because I came from Helena, and it didn't really have any high crime areas except for about one block in the radius of 6th Ave. & Rodney. So, Great Falls was an eye-opener. I had lived in Bozeman, Missoula, & Helena, but I found my neighborhood in Great Falls to have way more crime. I missed being so close to the lakes, too.

But, the people were really friendly and the cost of living was fabulous. I didn't really notice a lot of professional jobs compared to service industry, but I might have been looking in the wrong places. Great Falls has lots of great jobs in the health sector, but I didn't see as many of the administrative or managerial jobs like one sees in Helena with the state.

I feel a resounding, "It's okay" about Great Falls. I think my experience with the bad neighborhood biased me terribly. So, just get a local opinion about neighborhoods first. But, again, overall, the city residents are very warm/friendly and it is centrally located. It's definitely got a lot of potential for a family to buy a nice house at a reasonable price. If I had to pick a city to live in based on the criteria you recommended, I would probably consider Great Falls second after Helena.

As with Great Falls, any town can have it's ups and downs..... The area that you describe in Great Falls wasn't usually the best area, but then again, the sort of life one leads usually draws them "closer to" or "further away" from "good or bad things".

Most who wish to move here aren't interested in the lifestyle that might involve alchohol or seedy downtown apartments. So I'll venture to guess that they'll be just fine overall.

The potential for having property stolen is usually enhanced greatly by the lack of attentiveness on the part of the owner...... and it happens in every town...... if you aren't paying attention, then this is what happens.

I would sure hate to see someone deciding not to come here.....just because you weren't paying attention to your things....... and they got stolen.

[lorelei2873]

I admitted that not choosing the right neighborhood was my fault. It is really presumptuous of you to think that I was not paying attention to my stuff. My whole family was there helping me, and we were moving a couch in for just as long as it takes to move a couch into a first floor apartment while my table was stolen.

It's disappointing to me that you would characterize ANY criticisms of Great Falls as completely inaccurate. Every town has it's ups and downs. I tried to say some positive things about Great Falls in my earlier post, because really, the people are warm and friendly. Gift Shoppe Guy, I've tried to give you positive support in some of your other posts, and you just made this personal.

I'm glad that the original poster didn't specifically ask about Great Falls because now I don't feel compelled to say much more that might offend you.

[JoeJoeMan]

Ah.....unless this guy is loaded and doesn't need a job....? Shouldn't the priority of advice be about "where you gonna get a job, what are you gonna do for work".... not "there 3 lakes near by", and the like.
I noticed alot of that on these threads, "where's a nice place to live" not "where am I going to get a good job"............maybe I'm just out of it but shouldn't one be worrying about how am I going to make a living for my family, don't people need jobs anymore ? Doesn't seem like it in Montana anymore.

[GiftShoppeGuy]

Originally Posted by lorelei2873

I admitted that not choosing the right neighborhood was my fault. It is really presumptuous of you to think that I was not paying attention to my stuff. My whole family was there helping me, and we were moving a couch in for just as long as it takes to move a couch into a first floor apartment while my table was stolen.

It's disappointing to me that you would characterize ANY criticisms of Great Falls as completely inaccurate. Every town has it's ups and downs. I tried to say some positive things about Great Falls in my earlier post, because really, the people are warm and friendly. Gift Shoppe Guy, I've tried to give you positive support in some of your other posts, and you just made this personal.

I'm glad that the original poster didn't specifically ask about Great Falls because now I don't feel compelled to say much more that might offend you.

Nothing at all personal mind you......

I could go on and on about how my garage in Missoula was broken into several times, or on about how folks in Helena just love to use the back of my truck as a garbage can for beer cans...... but what purpose would that serve?

People who would want to move here most likely already know that things like this can and do occur. I'm just as guilty of "not paying attention" as anyone else.
I just don't see the point in telling everybody about it.
I could go on and on about Helena..... and about all of the "bad things" that happens there... But instead, I might say that Great Falls pays higher wages for better jobs than Helena does.... property taxes are lower than those in Helena...... there are more professional people in Great Falls than in Helena, and new homes are much less expensive here, and so is the land that your new home is built on.

Getting something stolen, whether it be from your garage or out of the back of your pickup doesn't make a town bad or good...... It's the schools, wages and taxes that foots the bill, or not, in any community.

I mentioned that the list described Great Falls.... but since Great Falls wasn't mentioned in the list, I didn't go on to elaborate about the advantages of Great Falls.

Great Falls, being somewhat larger than Helena, presents many more advantages monitarily than Helena does, and you still have all of the cool mountains, lakes and other activities.

I'm sorry that your experince here wasn't a good one.....

[greaterfalls]

What others said: you described Great Falls in your original question! But if you can't make it to GF, then I've got to agree with the rest: Helena is likely your best bet.

[NativeMontanan]

Originally Posted by JJMAC

Background:

Moving in September.

young family (2 kids: 2,4)

Looking for:
- good schools
- safe nieghborhood
- access to outdoor activities (hiking, skiing etc)
- resonable access to accomodations (restaurants and shopping)
- all around great place to live and work.


we have a house budget of $300-350k.


Here are the choices of work place. Any recommendations with in these areas OR WITHIN a Resonable commute.

Billings
Helena
Havre
Shelby
Whitefish


Thank you for your responses!!

Mac

Ahhh, I get it. Everyone is giving you all the Godforsaken places on the list to keep you away from Whitefish....I'll catch on one day.

No really, I would pick Whitefish if I had that kind of money for housing. Our "Governor" is from the area and I am certain monies will be funneled that way for special "projects" for employment opportunities. The kids could become Olympic champion skiers with Big Mountain in your backyard.

If you really do hike and such, your kids and you don't require regular medical attention...I would pick Whitefish. Besides if you don't like that beautiful area, your home will appreciate in price and you could sell and "perhaps just move." (Inside joke)

[NativeMontanan]

Originally Posted by greaterfalls

What others said: you described Great Falls in your original question! But if you can't make it to GF, then I've got to agree with the rest: Helena is likely your best bet.

I have yet to see where the capitol of any State is a productive city...Can't think of one. Its full of government workers sucking off the big t*tt. Not just Helena, but any city where the State capitol resides.
Check stats of unemployment...though with the jobs at an all time high it may not be an accurate figure....
Helena is pretty around there. Pretty geologically active area...
But then again Billings is near the largest caldera, Yellowstone Park.
Same with Bozeman.

Havre is on the highline. It is progressing, but as one goes towards Havre the trees lean a little more because of prevailing winds. There are pretty areas up there, Bears Paw mountains. Less inhabited.

Whitefish pretty. Great golf course. If you say you have a housing budget of $350K you could pay cash for a home? Then both parents could spend less time working and more time being there for the kids or volunteering in the school for the kids.

[Reziac]

Great Falls' lower north side (below about 6th St., mainly along 2nd Ave. North) historically is the red-light district. It looks nice enough (lots of classic brownstone apartments, generally well-kept) but where you have hookers you usually have druggies and other lowlife. But unlike the lowlife sections of Helena and Billings, I never felt unsafe walking around that part of GtF in daylight, nor in the adjacent downtown area even in the dead of night. I woudn't have walked around east-downtown Billings at night on a bet.

Of course that was in the 1970s/early 80s, and older downtown areas typically change for the worse, not the better.

As to jobs, as others mentioned -- Great Falls probably has a wider range of professional positions available, whereas Helena does suffer from capitalcityitis. But if your market is some really yuppie type job, the opportunity areas in MT are -- well, where the yuppies are, Bozeman and probably Kalispell too.

A good indicator of how yuppieized the job market and economy are, is the number of "doggie day care" facilities compared to the population growth over the past decade. Bozeman has doubled in size and has half a dozen "doggie day care" outfits. Great Falls is twice the size of Bozeman, hasn't grown significantly in decades, and has NONE.

(Why? Because "doggie day care" indicates two things: people clueless about rural/smalltown life, ie. not born and raised in a farm state; and people with a LOT of disposable income. -- As a professional dog trainer, I am very aware of this market area and how it relates to an area's population base.)

[MT-Mike]

Billings for sure. Small towns like Lewistown are nice, but very much good old boy oriented. You don't get stuff done, like building permits for instance, if they don't know you for the last 3 generations. Also, many of the small towns are basically closed down on the weekends. Don 't look for a car part, hardware, iron, or bottle of carpet shampoo on the weekends in the small towns. Helena is nice, but pricey and snooty. Bozeman is very pricey and growing like crazy. Missoula is pricey and extremely liberal in politics. If you want access to schools, extra-curricular activities, restaurants, businesses, etc, Billings is the place. Towns close to Billings, such as Lockwood, or Huntley, would be my preference, best of both worlds, small town living, decent prices, access to Billings' business.

[Rickers]

There is an oil refinery in Black Eagal smack dab next to great Falls and sometimes the stink from it wafts accross Great Falls.