david

Get me facts. Are the winters really rough? Thinking of moving wife and myself there. We visited Glacier on our honeymoon and loved it. Of course. it was June not Jan. We are both late 20's and figure if we don't do it now we will never have the chance. Our careers are nursing and tv . Any ideas?

Bob Brown

Have you selected a town in MT as your possible homebase?? Given the geographical size of the state, 4th in the Union behind Alaska, Texas, and California, there is a lot of open space, particularly east of Billings.
It is a state where one can easily find
isolation and solitude. I have no feel for the job market for skilled professionals. But a nurse who has passed the state boards, particularly one who has a BSN from a good school, should be able to find employment.
But the hospitals are few and far between. Billings, Helena, Great Falls, Bozeman, Butte, Kalispell, and Missoula are the population centers where you will find major medical facilities.
As for TV, I am out of my element there.
I never went through a Montana winter, but good friends of mine lived in Great Falls for 4 years. Yes, it can get cold, with snow storms as late as April or even May. If you like to ski, there are plenty of places in the southwestern part of the state. Any you know what the summers are like. So good luck.
It will be interesting to read the views of other posters.

Bill

Winters in Montana.
Let me tell you a Story.
I moved to Havre Montana from Texas and I had never seen snow before. I was there in Havre from Dec to April then I left, I vowed never to go thru another winter like that again. There was snow on the ground the whole time, every morning I had to brush 4 inches of snow off the car, and when the wind was blowing, it could get down to -80F. I used to sprint from the parking lot to my house, work etc.
Then I left Montana for the East Coast, and I missed it so bad that after 3 years I moved back to Havre and loved it ever since. The winters are just a matter of getting used to. I love to snowboard, and there is nothing like the fresh daily powder to plow thru.
Our summer days are long and warm. The trees change in Fall. Montana is my favourite place to live in the USA (followed closely by New Hampshire).
If I had a choice where to live in Montana, I'd probably go for Whitefish (Glacier Park) or Bozeman (Big Sky).
Hope that helps
Big Bill

Jud Compton

We spent the first years of married life in Kalispell starting in 1947 after being Oregonians. We were transfered after 5 years. Our experience was great but we wouldn't want to do it again. We only experienced -19 degrees, and I did a lot of traveling. It's beautiful country, and, for us, much better than eastern Montana. Go for it! Your careers could possibly take you many other places before you retire.

Mary

Our winters are ususally not that bad. Usually about a month of "real" cold weather. Billings is the largest city, about 120,000 & has 2 big hospitals. Also 3 local tv stations. People who move here & get transferred seem to keep their ties here &/or move back. Billings isn't in the mountains like Kalispell, but the mountains are 60 miles away, which is the entrance to Yellowstone Park. Billings has good schools & 2 colleges.

Cheryl Z.

David, I have relatives living in Montana for years, but I must tell you they are of sturdy Norwegian stock. I say - go for it! You're young, you can always change your mind once you're there, and you may never have the chance again. Just do it.

justlooking

We are also 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