Quoted: g/f has a lead on a job there-just curious size/economy/weather/machineguns?

I fixed it for you
machineguns/economy/weather/size

It's just about the order,  Good luck on your decision.

Helena is about medium sized for a city in Montana. (I'm guessing around 50,000 people in Lewis & Clark county)
Economy is about the same as everywhere else in this state, pretty much isolated from the rest of the US. Most here think the economy is crap, and compared to elsewhere it is, but our cost of living is also a bit different. If you're coming from New York the sale of your properties there (if you have them) should allow you to buy a house here, bigger than the one you had there and still have a lot of money left over. Finding a good job can be tough.

Helena weather is mostly like western Montana weather. You just never know. Doesn't usually get super cold or super hot. Few if any crazy weather events. Expect snow and icy roads in the winter.

Machine guns are probably a go. Most of the Sheriffs in this state are quite gun friendly and there are several Class III dealers. If there isn't one in Helena, Missoula is about 2 hours away and we have plenty of good gun shops here.

The winters are not as bad as what they used to be. We have generally had less snow the last few winters and that leads to drought and fires. It can get cold, temperatures of -20 to -30 are not too uncommon. Helena is the capital of Montana. The population from  2000 is about 25800, with more living around in the valley.

If you are going to live on the east side of the divide(which Helena is located) you better tolerate the wind, it always blows. This is a mixed blessing as it can cause drastic temperature changes. The winds, which are called Chinook, blow from the southwest and Great Falls holds the short term record for temperature rise. On Jan 11, 1980 it warmed from -32 to 15( a 47 degree rise ) in seven minutes. Loma, a small community north, holds the greatest at -54 to 49( a 105 degree rise) in 24 hours. This occurred on Jan 15, 1972. The saying goes" if you don't like the weather in Montana, wait five minutes". The downside is that it can cool off quickly also. I have seen it snow in every month of the year. Nine inches in Aug, you never know. The record cold for the lower 48 was measured at Roger's Pass, about 60 miles from Helena, at -70.

I can't give you much info on machine guns, other than they are legal and we are a shall issue state for cwp.

Like some others mentioned, good paying jobs are hard to come by but the cost of living is also lower. If you like outdoor activities this is the place for you. Great hunting, fishing, camping, skiing, hiking and lots of places to shoot. Montana is pretty gun friendly, although most are hunting arms.

I just returned from a shoot about 30 miles south of Helena called Rolling Thunder.  There were several machine guns there.  One guy even fired a three round burst with a 50 Beowulf.  What a hoot.