Tell me about Great Falls, MT

[The Hedgehog]

Given the growth in Bozeman I've seen, I'm curious why GF has not experienced a similar rise in home values, employment etc.

Bozeman:

Great Falls:

 

[Hunting Wife]

Ah, the Pueblo of Montana.

Hey! Now that you mention it…similar vibe

 

[BenInMT]

It has all of the problems of a big city with none of the redeeming qualities. Every restaurant is also a casino. I think getting stationed there is some kind of punishment because all of the military people seem terribly unhappy. That said, I’d live near there if I had to, maybe Ft. Benton or Vaughn or somewhere nearby.

 

[MThuntr]

I lived there for just over 2 years...didn't necessarily hate it but never felt like I belonged there and struggled to find friends. There were activities but every weekend the forests within 2 hours were overrun (well so it seemed at the time). As a 20 something I had a few unsavory encounters with with "fly boys"...they were likely equally unhappy since they were guarding big holes in the ground while driving half broken Humvees

 

[Art Vandeley]

Great Falls could be a cross breed of Havre & Butte in my opinion if that helps you at all...

 

[D4570]

Well...
I am a born and raised Great Fallsite.
So I'm kind of predigest.
69 years of experience.
Crime is only bad in a small part of town, Missoula is WAY worse.
We have not been overrun with Washington and Oregon transplants.
Homes are cheap compared to anything on the other side of the mountain.
Rent is stupid high due to government giveaways.
Jobs and low pay are an issue. The "Military town" is a misnomer, the base is about shut down. We do have an air guard base too.
Are BIG claim to fame was the anaconda copper plant and the 5 hydro dams on the river. nicknamed "Electric city".
We have good schools not mucked up with liberal crap, did I mention it is a very strong conservative city. Taxes are a bit high.
For whatever reason, the city council has been trying for years to drive out small businesses. We do get -40* and at times we get a lot of snow but normally we get a big chinook every 3 to 4 weeks and it melts all the snow.
Very dry here 15" of moisture a year-ish.
Now for the 500-pound gorilla.
The WIND, yes it does blow, a lot and hard.
Anywhere along the Rocky front, it blows.
Our Trees all lean to the east, and when it does stop we all fall down.
We were just out in the boat and the wind blew the water away and we had to walk home....

 

[Southern Elk]

I’ve visited a few times and like it there. I get tired of living in a tourist town and Great Falls is more blue collar.

There’s a Scheels, a really nice park by the Missouri River, and a minor league baseball team.

 

[elkduds]

Ah, the Pueblo of Montana.

As a new resident of Florence CO, Pueblo is now the Big Lights. It is an armpit I wouldn't want to live in, but now I kind of look forward to going to P-town. . . once in awhile.

 

[MTHunter1321]

I’ve lived in GF for the last 5 years. Moved here from Helena after going to college there and living there for 10 years due to career and personal life changes. Also have lived in Billings growing up. Here are my thoughts on it:
While I don’t see myself spending the rest of my life here, I do think it is a good place to work and raise a family. My wife and I make a decent enough income to afford a nice house, go out to dinners, save for retirement, etc and do things we like to do. While we are by no means rich, if we made the same amount of money in a Bozeman or Missoula or Kalispell, we would have to make a significant downgrade on housing and likely not be able to afford the same stuff as we have the luxury of doing here. You can go out to dinner on a Friday night and not have to wait an hour or more to be seated, unlike Bozo and Missoula. Summers are not overrun by tourists and out of staters. The river through town is under utilized and provides some recreation opportunity if you like water.
On to the wind…it blows. I’m still not used to it and it’s the one thing that probably makes me complain about living here more than anything else because there’s no escaping it and it can be near impossible to enjoy anything outdoors when it is blowing.
Overall though, I’d rather live here than a lot of other places in MT. While not perfect, I find that not having to deal with the issues that Bozeman, Missoula, and Kalispell have with housing affordability or that Billings has with crime and bigger population make it overall enjoyable. Feel free to PM me if you have any further questions, I’d be happy to share my thoughts on it! Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[Straight Arrow]

I think getting stationed there is some kind of punishment because all of the military people seem terribly unhappy.

I wonder why so many of them retire and remain in GF then.

 

[peterk1234]

The issue with winter in GF isnt what youd normally think. It is wind. Think 30+ sustained 2-4 days/week Oct/Nov-Mar. Youll never get truly 'use to it', no matter how long youre there, and youll either cope or not. The wind really sucks - or blows, as it were.

Windier than Livingston? Asking just because I am curious.

 

[D4570]

The wind blows there too and VERY hard.
But the wind blows more often in GF

 

[BirdManMike]

Ya, Livingston is often brutal, too.

 

[corndog1]

If you drive through great falls in November and December around lunch time, the sky is full of geese. I would live there but my wife is from Havre and wouldn't live there.

 

[diamond hitch]

I'm attracted small towns and there are some around GF. I can't say that I have seen it snowed in for long. The cold fronts travel down the east side and GF share that with Helena and Townsend.

Wind ? There is some but not the much differant than the Dakotas or the rest of the prarie areas. I do remember Palouse dust storms that blew dirt all the way into western Montana.

I lived in North Spokane and north of Spokane for 12 years. I wouldn't move back. GF would be an improvement and a tremendous improvement over Bozeman.

The restaurants are good and I prefer shopping there for a lot of items. Hence we visit in February to see dirt after being snowed in since October. Buy good boots and coats and be willing to drive to see the sites.

 

[The Hedgehog]

I'm attracted small towns and there are some around GF. I can't say that I have seen it snowed in for long. The cold fronts travel down the east side and GF share that with Helena and Townsend.

Wind ? There is some but not the much differant than the Dakotas or the rest of the prarie areas. I do remember Palouse dust storms that blew dirt all the way into western Montana.

I lived in North Spokane and north of Spokane for 12 years. I wouldn't move back. GF would be an improvement and a tremendous improvement over Bozeman.

The restaurants are good and I prefer shopping there for a lot of items. Hence we visit in February to see dirt after being snowed in since October. Buy good boots and coats and be willing to drive to see the sites.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Nameless Range]

As far as Montana’s “big” towns go, I’d put Great Falls ahead of Bozeman, Missoula, Kalispell, and Billings. And quite a ways ahead.

 

[C17loadclear]

WIND…. As said before it is way out there too. The wind was a big factor with us picking our new location.

 

[Marshian]

I lived in GF from 2010 to 2016 and would’ve been ok remaining longer but my wife, who never liked it to begin with, grew to loathe it. This was similar to many of my coworkers. The men usually can handle it, and I definitely lived the hunting opportunities there, but it’s tough for most ladies. So if you’re married or attached, just be forewarned. I live elsewhere in Montana now and it’s better overall. The hunting where I live is worse but it’s easy enough to drive and overall, the quality of life is superior.

 

[shrapnel]

The Good: Great Falls is like 2 hours from everywhere great in Montana
The Bad: It's like 2 hours from anything worth doing