Where should I move to in MT?

Dan O said:
Great Falls is a possible choice. As said close to the Little Belt mountains and the Rocky mountain front. Plus 2 ski areas Showdown or Teton ski area. No smog due to a steady breeze lol. Plus the real estate prices have not gone bonkers compared to most of the towns mentioned. Missoula County has never met a bond issue they did not love aka property tax's are high. Real estate prices have increased every where west of the divide. This summer it was common for people to buy a home sight unseen due to the Covid situation.
No matter where you end up someone else will think their idea was much better. lol

Good luck,
Dan
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I think it is worth mentioning that a lot of what makes a person love a place is the people. Before we moved to Yakima, WA all we heard about was how bad it was. Then we moved there and found an amazing group of friends which was proceeded with a lot of adventures in the areas around it. We would move back if it wasn't so far from ND. You can't believe everything you read on the internet as one person's perspective may not fit yours. I appreciate your input Dan!
 
SnowyMountaineer said:
Kalispell could fit your bill and has lots of diverse outdoor opportunities. My brother works in the medical field there and seems to generally enjoy his colleagues and location. Lewistown is maybe pushing it on size, otherwise might work for you.
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I grew up in Kalispell before moving to helena in 2000. Kalispell is beautiful and remote, lots of precipitation compared to helena, a little more conservative, totally different landscape/environment. Kalispell is wet and thick, helena is dry. I hunt around helena a good deal and its not exactly a hot spot, but there is plenty of public land.

MT's people are our number one asset. If you move here, show us some respect. Don't build a mansion on a riverfront bluff or on the peak of a mountain. Don't buy up a bunch of land and cut off public access. Dont spend 100k on a truck and then expect smiles at the trailhead. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, don't hesitate when folks ask if you're from California (hesitation=yes).

P.S. Don't listen to me or anyone else, its your life dude. If you want to come check out Helena, we have an extra room and I'd be happy to show you around my terrible hunting spots (more like molasses holes than honey holes).
 
RidgeRoamingRichard said:
I grew up in Kalispell before moving to helena in 2000. Kalispell is beautiful and remote, lots of precipitation compared to helena, a little more conservative, totally different landscape/environment. Kalispell is wet and thick, helena is dry. I hunt around helena a good deal and its not exactly a hot spot, but there is plenty of public land.

MT's people are our number one asset. If you move here, show us some respect. Don't build a mansion on a riverfront bluff or on the peak of a mountain. Don't buy up a bunch of land and cut off public access. Dont spend 100k on a truck and then expect smiles at the trailhead. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, don't hesitate when folks ask if you're from California (hesitation=yes).

P.S. Don't listen to me or anyone else, its your life dude. If you want to come check out Helena, we have an extra room and I'd be happy to show you around my terrible hunting spots (more like molasses holes than honey holes).
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Helena wins out over Great Falls every time on just about everything with me. When given a choice between driving to town for supplies I take the extra 25/30 minutes and head for Helena. If the airport, Scheel’s and North 40 weren’t there I’m not sure I would do anything but pass through when traveling. Don’t misunderstand me. The businesses and people in Great Falls are great. it just always feels congested in the business districts to me and Helena is a much prettier drive weather permitting.
 
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RidgeRoamingRichard said:
I grew up in Kalispell before moving to helena in 2000. Kalispell is beautiful and remote, lots of precipitation compared to helena, a little more conservative, totally different landscape/environment. Kalispell is wet and thick, helena is dry. I hunt around helena a good deal and its not exactly a hot spot, but there is plenty of public land.

MT's people are our number one asset. If you move here, show us some respect. Don't build a mansion on a riverfront bluff or on the peak of a mountain. Don't buy up a bunch of land and cut off public access. Dont spend 100k on a truck and then expect smiles at the trailhead. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, don't hesitate when folks ask if you're from California (hesitation=yes).

P.S. Don't listen to me or anyone else, its your life dude. If you want to come check out Helena, we have an extra room and I'd be happy to show you around my terrible hunting spots (more like molasses holes than honey holes).
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This seems like solid feedback. I’m not too worried about fitting in as someone who grew up in ND. I don’t look like a Californian I look like a very average person from rural Midwest who says please and thank you and who would offer to help jump your car if you needed ha.

I might have to let you know when we are coming to town this year! Not looking for hunting spots but I’m interested in meeting people from Helena being as though that’s highest on our list. Her Aunt and Uncle live there so we plan to visit often regardless of if we live there.
 
How many OB/GYN's are there in Montana currently? After asking the question, I did a quick search and came up with 207. I presume that there are standard ratios for population per GP and or specialists. Should you move to a practice area (or start her own) that is already saturated with OB's your income may suffer. Billings is a big referral center for large swaths of Montana, WY, and NoDak with 31 OB's. Great for sharing call, but how will she build a practice of her own patients?

If it were me, I would want to be in a hospital/clinic situation where the after office hours were shared among a few folks, or better yet, a good handful of fellow doctors. @mr_steve I think I'd say that job comes first, then housing/hunting opportunities follow.

I hope you all get the ideal outcome and I commend you for not waiting for the last minute to make the decision.
 
Ok, I’m only gonna let you in on this cause you’re currently my neighbor across the river; I’m in Council Bluffs... I’ve been all over Montana many times and of all the places I’ve been, if I could settle down, it’d be Ekalaka. Too small for your criteria, but I sure enjoy The scenery and the friendly people in that country.
 
We like Helena. Real estate here is off the charts. I would not want to buy in this market. My neighbors house just sold in less than a day for an insane (at least to me) amount of cash.
 
I’ve lived in Billings, Helena, and currently in Great Falls. If a job opportunity came up back in Helena I would move back there in a heartbeat. You’re 3.5 hours from pretty much anywhere you’d want to be, ie Billings or Kalispell. Lots of FS land around, albeit as others have mentioned I’d say marginal hunting, but still opportunities. You’re not far from Canyon Ferry, Holter, the Missouri River. Has an awesome trail system just south of town for hiking, mountain biking, etc., and has 2 of the best breweries in the state in my opinion. That being said, the hospital there seems to have constant issues. That’d be something to look into for you and your wife. If I had to list in order the “bigger” cities in Montana that I’d pick to live in it’d be
1. Helena
2. Missoula
3. Kalispell
4. bozeman
5. Great Falls
6. Billings
7. Butte

The next tier down would be Lewistown or Red Lodge. Maybe Livingston too since I’m used to wind now.
Good luck with your decision!
 
neffa3 said:
Scobey. Retire early
www.zillow.com

105 A St, Scobey, MT 59263 | Zillow

Zestimate® Home Value: $94,815. 105 A St, Scobey, MT is a single family home that contains 1,350 sq ft and was built in 1955. It contains 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The Rent Zestimate for this home is $1,369/mo, which has decreased by $148/mo in the last 30 days.
www.zillow.com www.zillow.com
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I could live in Scobey or Glasgow. Anywhere along the highline as long as I was a single man.
 
Carnage2011 said:
I’ve never understood why people love Billings. It’s the box store capital of the world, and really doesn’t have much to offer from what I can tell. The views are well below average for MT and you have to travel a least a little ways for most outdoor rec.
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The only good thing about Billings would be the close proximity to the A-B. Everything else would suck.

EDIT: especially after Golden Corral closed.
 
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