Pro's and Con's to Living in Great Falls, MT

[ID_deerslayer]

So I am going to visit GF this weekend with my fiancee as she has been offered a position up there working with youth and is having her final interview. I am compiling a list of good and bad and what to expect as We would most likely be moving up in September after getting hitched. I know one of the best things IMO is the hunting opportunities are a bit better than here in ID, but am curious as to local residents experiences and what to expect regarding economy, housing market, K-12 education, etc.? looking forward to some insight!

 

[2rocky]

City Data Great Falls.

 

[Goldtip]

Wind, and more wind. Then it will calm down to just being windy.

 

[MThuntr]

Wind, and more wind. Then it will calm down to just being windy.

Yup...you either tolerate it or you go freaking crazy that you can't get a good day at the range without wind drift.

 

[Goldtip]

Yup...you either tolerate it or you go freaking crazy that you can't get a good day at the range without wind drift.

I agree. But everything I said and Mthuntr said is true, I could never, personally live there myself. However, I do love hunting around there. If you can tolerate the wind, you will love the hunting.

 

[----]

With my last job I had the opportunity to live at least a month in every major MT town except for Kalispell. Of all of them, Great Falls was far and away my least favorite. The only good thing I could find was that it was only a little over an hour to the Front. The town seems run down, spread out, and doesn't really have any personality. Pretty dead downtown, not much for food or entertainment, and it's a long drive before you hit any kind of public land to hunt on.

Sorry to anyone on here that lives there, but just one guy's opinion that was only there for 6-7 weeks.

 

[ID_deerslayer]

this is all good to know, thanks guys. I am not a big fan of the wind so I will have to learn to tolerate it I suppose. Hearing that public land is not close by is not something I wanted to hear, but I will not let that deter me... keep feeding the info!

 

[jlmatthew]

Pro: Its in Montana

Con: I cant think of any, its in Montana

 

[Frequently Banned Troll]

Commute to Great Falls. It a dirty hole for a town and even the wind can't blow the white trash out of town. That's anchored in pretty solid.

 

[webejmn]

Yep the wind blows here. A great Falls breeze is about 40 mph. Public land is about an hr away It definetly aint Bozeman or Missoula, but downtown is improving and has improved a lot in just the last three years. You don't have all the granolas here either. Got the base and lots of farmers and ranchers here so real leather and furs are in. Of all the places I've lived the hunting and fishing opportunities are close to the top if not the top. They have whats called the Block Management program that opens up a lot of ground. You can check that out on the fwp website. One of my favorite antelope and deer spots is a 15 minute drive from house. Yup its private land but anyone can go out and hunt with a phone call and respect. Waterfowl, upland, deer, elk, antelope, moose, big horn, mtn lion, bear, predators, wolves, trout, walleye, northerns, catfish, paddlefish, salmon, ling, the list goes on. Like anyplace its what you make of it. Been here since 82 and I kinda like it. Just my opinion.

 

[FishN4Eyes]

Did anybody mention the wind?

It is close to lots of good stuff but not sure I could live there.

Although the last few years Helena has been experiencing it's share of wind for some reason.

 

[Frenchy]

The variety of hunting opportunities with in a short drive is by far the biggest pro. If you like to bird hunt / waterfowl hunt, its a great location.

 

[ID_deerslayer]

If you like to bird hunt / waterfowl hunt, its a great location.

I have never done any bird hunting but would consider it if it meant filling the freezer! I arrived at around 5 this evening and had great appreciation for the airport having the mounts displayed, that is something the Boise airport is lacking in. looking forward to some better weather tomorrow instead of the rain.

 

[RobG]

The good thing is the wind (did you know about the wind?) comes as a Chinook in the winter and melts all the snow. The Missouri River has some recreation opportunities.