We are considering a move to Helena, Mt.
 

We are interested in moving to Helena, Mt.

What has us confused is looking at all the real estate listings which tell us Upper west side, Upper east side, lower WS ES, central valley, in town outside of town--and on and on! We have not yet talked to an agent, I just wanted to ask if there are Helena locals here--can you fill us in on the differences between these areas? I have a 2 yr old and so I am also researching the schools. he will be going in a few short years. I want to figure out where we can live that is in the school dist I want to send him into. This is all very confusing as there are helena sch dist, east helena, west helena sc dist!!!! AGHGHGHGH. help. We'd really appreciate any brutally honest opinions on the various demographics of each place. We notice that our dollar would go very far there- but we cannot tell if there are enclaves or tiers of income levels there like there are here- in CA. in Ca you can live on a great street, but one street over is he** with lots of crime. we want to know what the differences are here. We will of course be asking the agency these questions. Thank you! Mrs. Johnson


Please: DO NOT REPLY TO THIS POST IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A GENUINE INTEREST IN COMMENTING ONLY ON THE SUBJECT MENTIONED ABOVE. IF YOUR SOLE PURPOUSE IS TO POST ON TOP OF MY POST TO ANTAGONSIE ME IN ANY WAY- YOUR POST WILL BE REPORTED TO THE OWNERS OF THIS FORUM. I DO NOT APPRECIATE BEING TREATED AS IF I SHOULD NOT BE ASKING THIS QUESTION, AS I SEE IT HAS BEEN POSED BEFORE IN THIS VERY FORUM WITH REPONSES TO BOOT- HOWEVER OLD IT MAY BE! LET'S ALL ACT LIKE ADULTS, SHALL WE? THANK YOU~

Bless your heart.

My brother made a similar move and had similar questions. Honestly, the best advice he was given was to consult with a realtor - especially in regard to the schools since the school systems/ districts operated differently from what we had been used to.

I do know that Montana is VERY different from California - in virtually every way - but I am VERY hesitant to say much more with concerns as to your reactions.

Good luck with your move.

ah, I can tell that I'm barking up the wrong tree by posting here in the forum.

Probably. This IS a travel forum. Try www.helenamontanarelocation.com

Hi, we've lived in Helena for about 20 years so I'll try to help. The city was built on the slopes of a modest mountain around the placer gold deposits in "Last Chance Gulch." Lots of gold mining history along with a touch of the old railroads and Charlie Russell. The Gulch is one of two N-S devides in the city. The other is generally Montana Ave. This avenue runs by the Capitol. The space in between is Central. Check a map. Now very quickly:
Upper West ... Lovely old mansions to nicer newer homes.
Upper East... lots of near-trophy homes to modest 60's ranchers lower down the slopes.
Lower West ... working class homes and some modest early town-site houses.
Lower East ... Can be patchy with the old rail yards running through it. Also some multi-family structures.
The Central area of Helena is an interesting mix of original town site near-mansions, bungalows, and nice modest post WWII homes (often good values are found in these neighborhoods, but the lots are usually small).
In evey Helena neighborhood beautiful old gold-era mansions can be found...it's just a matter of how dense they are with the Upper West side clearly the winner.

The valley is sprawl-land, but some very nice houses. East Helena has a closed lead smelter and is a superfund site.

I personally would feel safe walking at night anywhere in Helena. Good luck house hunting. Sandy

Missoula is the location of the University of Montana, and a beautiful place. I much prefer it to Helena or Butte, + it's closer to Spokane for flights, entertainment, etc.
Just a thought....

justlooking (if you are still looking on this site) try this little experiment. Pull out a map of the US and draw a circle with an 8 hour radius around the place you live now. Then, do the same around Helena (or Billings or wherever you think you may want to relocate). Compare the differences within those 2 circles.

Said brother wanted to move to Billings. Wife had never been far away from home. He was shocked at how little was within an 8 hour drive of his 1st choice. They settled on his distant 2nd choice - and happily raised a family there. Although it was still in the west and had everything he wanted it wasn't as isolated as Billings.

Just consider. Some people like wide open spaces and not much around. Some don't. His wife would have gone absolutely crazy.