Relocating to Billings, MT area - looking at Roundup (Columbus: fit in, coop)

[terrapinie]

Hey folks -

I will be relocating to Montana and want to get some feedback from people - good and bad....

I should be negotiating salary and relocation costs this coming week for a job in Billings. We have been doing some house hunting online, and I have been working with a realtor, as well as my future co-worker regarding where to live. I have found, what my fiance and I consider, a perfect house and piece of property south of Roundup.

I currently live in Upstate NY (read - small towns, lots of farms - corn and cows, and commuting at least half hour to get to a city. I don't mean to sound like a smart-ass - but I find a lot of folks hear New York - and assume sky scrapers and concrete.) We desire a decent house - nothing fancy, and a nice piece of property to simply enjoy nature - go hiking, hunting, have some horses, take some fabulous pictures, fish (if possible), etc.

I've been cautioned by both my co-worker and realtor about my consideration of Roundup. I am wondering why... I have read here that sometimes locals are not all that accepting of outsiders. And I have a feeling maybe they are thinking the town might be too small for us - however, I currently live in a town of 2000 & 'downtown' consists of one street with a handful of businesses on either side.

We're not a couple of yuppie north-easterners looking to live the suburbanite life 'in the wild'. We're simply looking to live and play in the wild. We're in our upper-20s and very outdoorsy, nature enthusiasts. We're more likely to live self-sustained with a garden outback and a freezer full of game than we are a couple who desires a 'night life' and all things modern. And PS - we HATE Wal-mart and large chain stores - so the more locally owned businesses and less box-stores, the happier we are....

I'm looking for some feedback on Roundup - good and bad - and what living outside of town would be like. The property we found is actually in Klein, just off Route 87.

I'm also looking for information on what we can expect for a commute to Billings. I am an engineer & my job will be in Billings. My fiance is a chef, so I have a feeling - he will most likely be working in Billings as well. I'm wondering how long the drive actually is from Klein to Billings - as well as how bad does Route 87 get in the winter... As I said - we're from Upstate NY and VERY accustomed to driving in the snow, ice, sleet, slush, mud - you name it, we drive in it here in the fall, winter, and spring lol.

I hugely appreciate any feedback you guys can provide. We're very excited - and actually LOVE the house we just found online. We're just wondering what Roundup is like, as we're finding contradictory opinions. So, please - give us more good and bad opinions for us to mull over until we actually get there to see it ourselves

Thanks again!!
Be Happy.

[Redraven]

Klein is a wide spot in the road, with a name.
Roundup is the nearest town. IMO, it is a nice little town, a couple of restaurants, a small hospital, the normal businesses you would expect to find.
Now, as to the commute to Billings...
you will be driving over the Bull Mountains. these mountains are not real high, and the road isn't real steep. BUT, in the winter it can be bad. Sometimes VERY bad!
There are people there who make that commute almost every day, some do it EVERY day!
You will find a LOT of Subaru Outback SUVs around here, just for that reason. Many people have a set of snow tires with VERY agressive tread mounted and ready to install at the first snowflake. They are the smart ones.
The distance from Klein to Billings is 40 to 45 miles, depending on what part of Billings you are going to. It can take a half hour to 45 minutes on a good day, and an hour to an hour and a half on a bad day.

Whether you will be accepted or not depends to a large degree on you. If you accept the area for what it is, and the people for what they are, you will have very few problems. If, as some do, you are constantly putting the area, the people, the infrastructure, the businesses, etc. down, and are wont to say "Well, back where I come from, we did THAT, THIS way!" you are very likely to be invited to return to where you came from, without allowing the door to hit you in the nether regions on your way out!
If the town doesn't have a Summer Stock Playhouse or a symphony or a ballet group, and you miss it, too bad. There is probably at least two reasons why such things are not there; one, the town can't afford it, and two, there are not enough interested people to support it.
If you make an effort to fit in, you will be accepted. It may take a while, but it will happen.
How do I know? My entire family; mother, aunts, uncles, came West from Pennsylvania long ago. We managed to fit in. I think you can, too.

[Reziac]

When you got as far as "freezer full of game" I stopped worrying about whether you'd fit in

Roundup is a little old cowboy town. Personally I like it, tho I haven't spent a lot of time there. When I lived in MT there was a really good feed and tack store there, don't know if it's still around but they carried stuff you couldn't get anywhere else.

Never been to Klein... <eyeing map> ...I take that back, apparently I've driven through it and didn't notice it

[imbobbbb]

I think redraven summed it up pretty well.Coming from upstate new york,I doubt you will be too bothered by the winter driving.If you follow redravens advice you should have no trouble fitting in.....after a while.Some people come west and expect everyone in town to want to entertain them every spare minute.Just take your time,ease into things,and you will be fine.

[terrapinie]

Thanks for the feedback everybody.

Winter driving doesn't worry me much - I have a Honda Element - AWD. And I've been driving in Upstate winters with front wheel drive cars until I bought my Element. And I bought my vehicle more for all its uses (water resistant, dog hair resistant, attachable tent for camping, etc.) than I did for the AWD.
But I still wouldn't classify as a 'red sticker' car from one of the other posts (getting a red sticker on your vehicle for every time you get pulled from the ditch). I'd actually be a green sticker vehicle - even getting called out late at night to pull friends out of ditches in their snowmobiles. lol

As far as 'looking for entertainment'.... The property we are looking at has 60 acres, and will for sure provide all the entertainment we need. While I'm more of a bow hunting enthusiast - I'm sure I'll get much more accustomed to gun hunting - especially in my backyard. I am just a girl so I only pull back about 45lbs. Not so sure I can take a moose with that unless I manage to get a damn good shot....

We will for sure find more entertainment in hiking through acres of woods, hunting in our own backyard - hell, in Upstate NY we actually pay to go camping.... I'll get to do it right on my own property - vacation at home! We're not looking for any type of extravagance, nor anything or anyone to 'entertain' us than the pure scenery, wildlife, and relaxed atmosphere to envelop us.

Klein being a hole in the wall / wide spot in the road - is exactly what we're looking for.... If we can walk outside and yell - and the neighbors hear us - they're too close ;-)

From what I gather - we're probably a bit on the liberal side of some issues as compared to native Montanans. I would call myself liberal on some issues - but definitely do not 'side with the liberals' on other issues. However, I certainly don't intend on doing any 'campaigning' on anything lol.
So long as certain rights aren't violated - such as the right to live free, speak my mind, own guns, protect my home, family, & property, and simply live to live simply - the same rights the original G.W. gave us - I'm good to go....

And I know I mentioned being an engineer relocating.... I asked a company I work with, out in the mid-west, if they had openings. They said they did, and were interested in me. I had the choice between the Denver area, or Billings, MT. We picked Montana. I only mention that because I just didn't want to sound like one of the hokey 'I love nature' folk who's forced to move here due to a job change/relocation. I sought out the relocation. We're looking to make a new start, new fresh scenery, and new wholesome 'friendly farm folk' - that we don't run into but few and far between up here in NY.

Thanks again everyone!!
Be Happy-
Laurie

[Rickers]

Originally Posted by terrapinie

We picked Montana. I only mention that because I just didn't want to sound like one of the hokey 'I love nature' folk who's forced to move here due to a job change/relocation. I sought out the relocation. We're looking to make a new start, new fresh scenery, and new wholesome 'friendly farm folk' - that we don't run into but few and far between up here in NY.

I think you will be fine. We did the same thing but we came from San Diego with very little money (about $ 2,000), no place to stay and no jobs to start off with. It was not easy at all, but we did stick. You should be fine in Klein if you have jobs to go to !

[redhead]

But to the poster ......if you are wanting roundup because you want to be in the country..........well you don't need to go all the way to roundup. billings is country just will more people.....so you can be just a few miles out and feel like you are in the middle of nowhere....but just need to drive lots fewer miles to work or shopping. so i'm not sure why you'd want to be so far from work because you can get all the privacy and small town feel and not be very far from the center of billings. ...............that's must my take on it. people in billings are VERY friendly and have a small town attitude.......they are very accepting of outsiders and people of all political thought so i think you should consider comming in closer to billings. also need to consider the cost of utilities when you get that far out. they have coops and are having 300-500% increases in their utilities due to some no good going down. cost of water is a problem as well. so when you are in the area of billings utilities you don't have to worry about what is going to happen with your local coop or water bill.

[terrapinie]

Thanks everyone!!
It's not that we're purposefully looking at Roundup. We're just finding a lot of properties that we really like, and really like the price as well - that happen to be closer to Roundup. We're looking at basically Columbus to Roundup to Worden - and everywhere in between.... I'm sure as we get to actually packing up ship and trekking out there - other properties will present themselves. New houses are listed everyday.
I was just looking for an opinion as to why we were being told to be cautious about Roundup....

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by terrapinie

Klein being a hole in the wall / wide spot in the road - is exactly what we're looking for.... If we can walk outside and yell - and the neighbors hear us - they're too close ;-)

HAHA! My sentiments exactly!!!

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by terrapinie

We're looking at basically Columbus to Roundup to Worden - and everywhere in between.... I'm sure as we get to actually packing up ship and trekking out there

Now I have this vision of y'all living on a houseboat on the Yellowstone River... tee hee

Come to mention it, I wonder if anyone still does that? (And what regulations there are about it??) I know they still do down on the lower Mississippi but I can't recall ever hearing of any in the upper drainage (above St.Louis or so). Rickers?? you're our resident boatman, what d'ya know about this??

Of course, worst case you get something like this

http://www.larsonsworld.com/images_blog/060508_FEMA.jpg (broken link)

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