Posted: 5/27/2026 12:50:40 AM EDT
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I have been in Montana on and off since 2014. Love it, love the public land, love the fishing, love the moto trails, love the hunting freedom, love everything except the cost and the job availability. Gota say the winters in Helena arnt bad except the short sunlight hours. Smoke season isnt always great. I am in Helena area and actually really like it. Trails and mountain (hills) for hiking or running right at the edge of town. Easy winters, light snow and wind. Lakes for bow fishing carp, fly fishing rivers arnt as good as some areas but can still be really good. Moto trails are pretty good and Pipestone isnt too far. 30 min from a fantastic 1100 yard shooting range. i actually dont mind the politics in Helena. It has a mix of liberal and a mix of some regular Montana. Like any city in the city is more Liberal, but as soon as you leave it get more rural pretty quickly. Much better than places like Bozeman. I can almost do liberal before i do rich and entitled. Housing in Helena has gotten kind of high in my opinion, not Bozeman high, but not far behind Missoula. Things are changing for me and i will be looking for a new job and have the opportunity to move. I want to stay in Montana. Probably in the western half near the mountains. I work in medical and can find jobs most places. But being within a 30 or 45 min of something like Helena, Butte, Missoula, Bozeman gives me better options then being down in Ennis or Craig. Or better yet being between two cities and having access to both. I was in Butte the other day and it was nicer than i remember. I dont know how the winters are at that elevation and it doesn't have lakes near buy which i kind of like. I have been meaning to check out Lewistown but it is kind of out there. Columbus had some nice homes cheap(er) but I would probably be working in Billings which isnt great. I still need to check out the Bitterroot valley and way down to Idaho. But anyone want to point to anywhere that you would look? |
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| Check out Great Falls and look at the indeed listings, there are a lot of medical positions listed. Right on the Missouri and a 45 minute drive puts you in the little belts with a lot of trails and roads to explore. |
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Originally Posted By sunnybean: Sounds like you’re right where you want to be.  I have traveled all over the US, except California which i have no interest in. This is my favorite place. Northen New Mexico in the mountains was also nice but a lot of poverty and almost more remote than Montana. Western North Carolina was also nice but to many people. |
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Originally Posted By m1awolf: Check out Great Falls and look at the indeed listings, there are a lot of medical positions listed. Right on the Missouri and a 45 minute drive puts you in the little belts with a lot of trails and roads to explore. I had a friend in nursing that wanted to come to Montana a few years ago. She settled in Great Falls and really likes it. Housing is definitely cheaper there. But i think they get a lot of wind in the winter. Got another friend in Livingston that says the wind is pretty brutal there as well. |
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I agree with sunnybean, sounds like you may be where you want to be. Most all the western cities went nuts after the Covid work remote push. Overall I would say that Butte got spared to some extent, as did Great Falls. I have heard of late that Butte is having more issues since the housing is less expensive than other places. Rents, and housing, has well over doubled in Helena the last five years as you have seen. Helena is more liberal than you let on, but they seem to keep themselves confined to the city limits. :D I have considered Great Falls more than a few times, along with Dillon and Lewistown. As to Helena weather, it has been downright mild here for quite a few winters now. I wish it would get back to the normal level of snow, and the weeks straight of -20. For quite a few years now I have been riding the motorcycle year round. That just ain't right. :D It used to be that people would move here.. Montana and all... and within two years, maybe three, the wife and kids would move back to whereever with the husband in tow (usually). |
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I wouldn't mind living in Helena. If I had to choose, I would live in the Bitterroot Valley but it's expensive. |
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Originally Posted By dana: I had a friend in nursing that wanted to come to Montana a few years ago. She settled in Great Falls and really likes it. Housing is definitely cheaper there. But i think they get a lot of wind in the winter. Got another friend in Livingston that says the wind is pretty brutal there as well. Originally Posted By dana: Originally Posted By m1awolf: Check out Great Falls and look at the indeed listings, there are a lot of medical positions listed. Right on the Missouri and a 45 minute drive puts you in the little belts with a lot of trails and roads to explore. I had a friend in nursing that wanted to come to Montana a few years ago. She settled in Great Falls and really likes it. Housing is definitely cheaper there. But i think they get a lot of wind in the winter. Got another friend in Livingston that says the wind is pretty brutal there as well. Anywhere east of the divide is going to suffer the wind coming off the divide. The last few winters have been pretty mild temp wise but there is no escaping the wind. |
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Originally Posted By Cornsweat: I agree with sunnybean, sounds like you may be where you want to be. Most all the western cities went nuts after the Covid work remote push. Overall I would say that Butte got spared to some extent, as did Great Falls. I have heard of late that Butte is having more issues since the housing is less expensive than other places. Rents, and housing, has well over doubled in Helena the last five years as you have seen. Helena is more liberal than you let on, but they seem to keep themselves confined to the city limits. :D I have considered Great Falls more than a few times, along with Dillon and Lewistown. As to Helena weather, it has been downright mild here for quite a few winters now. I wish it would get back to the normal level of snow, and the weeks straight of -20. For quite a few years now I have been riding the motorcycle year round. That just ain't right. :D It used to be that people would move here.. Montana and all... and within two years, maybe three, the wife and kids would move back to whereever with the husband in tow (usually). Great Falls housing for moderately priced homes has spiked, anything under 200k is probably in need of some major work and old. Decent 3 bdrm houses that were built in the 50's-70's were going for 150K-200K before covid are now 300K+ |
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Originally Posted By Cornsweat: I agree with sunnybean, sounds like you may be where you want to be. Most all the western cities went nuts after the Covid work remote push. Overall I would say that Butte got spared to some extent, as did Great Falls. I have heard of late that Butte is having more issues since the housing is less expensive than other places. Rents, and housing, has well over doubled in Helena the last five years as you have seen. Helena is more liberal than you let on, but they seem to keep themselves confined to the city limits. :D I have considered Great Falls more than a few times, along with Dillon and Lewistown. As to Helena weather, it has been downright mild here for quite a few winters now. I wish it would get back to the normal level of snow, and the weeks straight of -20. For quite a few years now I have been riding the motorcycle year round. That just ain't right. :D It used to be that people would move here.. Montana and all... and within two years, maybe three, the wife and kids would move back to whereever with the husband in tow (usually). Funny you say moto year round. I had winter plans for a bunch of maintenance. But riding season never stopped. Now i am scrambling to do a suspension rebuild. |
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Originally Posted By 49north: The southern Bitterroot is pretty cool, but I have doubts about the CDC lab in Hamilton. This place is not BFE America. CDC lab is new to me. Going to have to read about that. Not in MT but I have been meaning to check out Salmon ID for a long time. Kind of the southern Bitterroot valley |