I’ve been in the PA area (or close to) all of my life. The only places I have ventured to have been as far south as Florida and as far west as Tennessee. We purchased some land about 20 minutes away from our existing house that we plan on building in the next 2-3 years. BUT I just want to make sure that’s where I’ll be happiest. I have a few coworkers that are from Idaho and states near there. They always rave about how beautiful northern Idaho and Montana are, and how they plan on moving back out there one day soon.

My only experience has been spending countless hours (almost daily) just being amazed by the beautiful landscape and hearing my coworkers reminisce about their time out there. I know I obviously have to make the trip out there at least once (preferably several time to get a feel for the climate and winters), but I’m curious. How many have moved from PA or surrounding areas to rural areas in Montana? Is it as magical as it appears it would be? Thanks for any and all input.

I'm a born and raised Montanan. Not the transplant you're looking for, but I have relatives that settled in Northeastern PA, up in the Poconos. Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. I've been there a few times to visit. There are similarities, and there are differences. It might really help to compare, if you mention what you like or don't like about it? Everything is a essentially a trade. We have fewer people, which means more space per person, but also less "civilized" amenities.

Since I don't know what parts you might find attractive or off-putting, here's a few samples:
For food and drink, we don't have quite as much pizza in Montana. Like most of the world outside of Eastern PA, no one around here can make a "real" Philly sandwich. We have plenty of fine beer, but you might struggle to find a Yuengling if that's your thing.
I think our ratio of evergreen to deciduous trees leans a LOT more towards the evergreen side - but I've only ever been to PA in the summer.
I went to a zoo while I was there a few years back, and remember one of the workers saying that PA handed out only 40 Elk tags for the entire State. You can multiply that by ten, just in some districts in Montana.
We don't have any Turnpike tolls to pay, but we also have to slow down to 25mph in some places on the interstate and other highways. An example is I-15 through the Basin Creek Canyon.

Thank you for chiming in. I’m about an hour south west from the Pocono area. We’re on 4 acres now but bought a 22 acre area that we’ll most likely move to eventually. We have some small rolling hills around here and a few mountains but nothing amazing.
To try to answer your question: My idea of paradise is a few hundred acres to myself to do various activities on (hiking, farming, hunting, fishing, shooting, etc.), breathtaking views (those you see in western Montana and northern Idaho), no crowds/friendly neighbors, etc. My wife isn’t “outdoorsy” as me, so asking her what her idea of paradise is would most likely yield varying results.
I commute about 45 minutes to work be in a more rural area and have more privacy. Any closer and it just wouldn’t be feasible with how much land is in my area. I don’t mind towns being far away. I’m always asking my wife to try and group her trips together to save fuel and wear and tear on her vehicle.
My biggest concern with going to a drastically rural area is employment. I’m a CRNA so demand varies widely by region. Jobs are plentiful in PA but very few ever seem to pop up in Montana and surrounding areas. Even if I was able to get a job, if there’s only one hospital system in that area and they go under, I’m toast. If my employer were to fold out here, there’s at least a half dozen places I could get in without having to move.
I also like how much public land there is out there. Around here there are some game lands to hunt, but I avoid them like the plague since they are crowded by amateur hunters. There are some waterways for rafting and canoeing. There are also some trails by us. The Appalachian is just a few miles from us.
Schools are another concern of mine since in just a few short years we’ll have three children that are school aged.

I Moved to NW MT from Near Clarion PA about 19 years ago. Now, every time I cross the Miss river, I feel I need to get my passport stamped.

I have been in Montana for over 20 years now, I moved here from the west coast and there is no other place I want to live, but I have to say the Pocono area is very nice, I have been the NASCAR race there a few times and it is beautiful.

But for me, I have found home and I have no regrets at all.  My wife is born and raised Montana and we have lots of relatives in the area, they started in Great Falls and Lincoln in the late 1800's and they have all pretty much stayed put.

Any stumbling blocks when you moved or things that took getting used to? What made you happiest with your move? Any regrets?

Thanks for sharing. The Poconos certainly has some nice scenery, particularly in the fall. It’s gotten over run with people flocking in from NJ and more so NY. Drug trafficking, bad driving, and bad attitudes up there as well. I picture Montana with even better scenery and people who are generally more kind and pleasant.

Some of the ethnic foods around the Pittsburgh area I miss. Happiest, that would take more than I can type before dinner, I'll think more on it.

I don't live in Montana, so the guys here may advise you different, but in my experience finding a place on significant acreage (>10-20 acres) for a reasonable price close to anything in the western states is extremely difficult.

My wife is finishing up her NP and we are hoping to find a nice rural area to settle down in, which is partly why I'm lurking in the MT Hometown Forum.  What we have found is that the amount that will buy a nice hobby farm on 30 to 40 acres in the Midwest, might get you 5 acres in the western states.  A significant portion of the land in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, etc is owned by the Federal Government which causes land scarcity.  

Another thing to consider is that rural hospitals out here, well at least in AZ tend to be pretty poor.  I assume MT would likely have a similar situation.

Thank you for your input. My knowledge with land prices out there is quite limited. It doesn’t go very far passed numerous website searches. Land here in PA varies WIDELY even within a short drive. On the same sized parcel (20+), you can spend upwards of $15k per acre down to $5k per acre. School systems and built up communities seem to dictate costs. I’ve found a handful I would be able to afford for the size I’m looking for, but sadly I know absolutely nothing about the area. I’ve never talked to an agent out that way either. Any more info you have would be greatly appreciated.

Moved out west in the late 70's from NE of P-Burgh.  Lived in Oregon, Idaho and Montana (staying there now) for nearly 40 yrs now, except for an assignment for 3.5 yrs in N. MN.  Hated N. MN and couldn't wait till I got west of the 100th meridian.

Still have family in the P-burgh area and go back each year to help them out. Every time I go back I'm bummed out since the area has changed so much, everyone has an bad attitude & I hate the climate back there. It seems a very foreign place to me now. Never going back.  

Every time I go east of the Mississippi River I feel I'm going behind the old Iron Curtain.

The thing about living in the west is adjusting to the distances and that everything isn't just 10 min away since there's a ton of country that is out in the boonies.  Travel in the winter can be very hazardous during storms and/or going over mountain passes.

I'm westernized enough now to notice how some newcomers are with their attitudes and try to bring to MT/ID what they think they were getting away from especially Californians (where my sister lives now), some Coloradans, Oregonians and WA staters from those parts of those states that are all F-ed up. IMO most Montanans are nice folks but there are exceptions.

Also, regarding employment most parts of Idaho and Montana are low-wage/poor job opportunity areas except for population centers that concentrate businesses/service, and have growing economies like Bozeman, MT.  A lot of folks living down the Bitterroot Valley commute 70 mi. each way each day to work in Missoula. You can live near the population centers in the state but be prepared to pay for it, and if you're still working you better have a marketable profession.  

Contrary to a previous comment that Fed lands drive up land prices it's not entirely correct.  Alot of Fed lands aren't really habitatable due to terrain, etc., and there are huge ranches, commercial timberlands and farms that suck up a lot of non-fed country, as well as other lands bought up by celebrities that drive up prices and put up no-trespassing signs. There are farms and ranches that are now subdivisions around Bozeman, Missoula & Helena that used to be in ag 30 years ago. Famers and ranchers have sold out to get out of the business and make some retirement $$ when some celebrity moves into with BIG $$. Folks moving to desireable locations drive up prices, but if you don't mind living out in the sagebrush boonies you can find cheaper land but with MAJOR tradeoffs.

The 20 ac. farm I grew up on with a nice 2-story house and out buildings cost less back there than a small subdivision house in my neighborhood here.

My .02

BTW -  I used to miss the Euro ethnic foods back east but I've learned to cook those on my own, but adopt the more diverse ethnic foods out here now.

BTW2 - If you move out west be prepared for fire season each summer which can either smoke up your air for extended periods of time or cause you to evac your place when they get too close like a lot of Montanans experienced this past summer.  Had a 54,000 ac fire come within 2 miles of me in August/Sept. Had a grandstand view of multiple blow-ups of mountain sides for several days.  Over 1,000,000 ac. burned in MT this summer.

If you want a place in the woods be careful what you're getting yourself into, and even in sage and grassland areas.  Everything in the semi-arid west, outside of the concrete urban areas, were made to burn.

It just boils down to when, where and how bad. That includes forested and non-forested, i.e. sagebrush & grasslands. And that's from 25 years of fire fighting experience in the three western states I've lived in.

There’s some great information in there. Thanks for taking the time to write all that. I knew MT had fires but isn’t realize how prevalent they were until I just looked. That’s pretty scary to me. I also put much thought into long commutes (30+ miles). I commute more than that to work now, and it feels like nothing to me. BUT add in a few feet of snow and some ice on mountain roads out there, and that presents a lot more problems.
Logic tells me it would be wise to be wait a few decades to make my way out there for retirement, but I’m not sure I’ll have the desire or capability to enjoy the aspects of the state that are drawing me out there by the time I’m 60+ years old.

I don't mean to discourage you regarding a move, but there are differences and realities out here that folks back east don't have to deal with. Basically everything east of the Mississippi River is a moist climate and relatively low elevation compared to out here. ne sees a very noticeable vegetation change west of the Mississippi.

You can't minimize the effects of fire by living in areas that are less vulnerable to fire. Some valley bottoms are less forested than a bit higher in elevation. Except for western Oregon and Washington which are wet and heavily forested east of the Cascade Mtn range most of the Interior West are semi-arid, except for sections of Northern Idaho and Western Montana that are in prevalent weather patterns coming off the Pacific and have high mountain ranges that catch more rain on their west-sides than areas on immediately on their east-sides that are drier because of the "rain-shadow effect".

If you want to live in forested areas one has to realize the fire risk. One can build a lace with materials that are more resistant to a fire (like metal roofs) and by applying "defendable space" (little or no flammable vegetation and other stuff) around their home. I've lost count of the homes I've seen that survive a fire because of that, and lots of others than burn down right next door because the owners don't do that.

June & early July are best for Idaho and Montana since the fire season usually hasn't started so the scenic areas aren't smoked up.  Mostly the prevailing winds are out of the west here so we could have a easy fire season but Oregon, Washington state and British Columbia could have fires and ID and MT are typically down wind. mid-July to mid-September is typically fire season due to the vegetation drying out and the warmer temps, but that can vary. In my area we had a good winter with a good snow pack and a wet spring into the end of June then it turned real hot and dry and by mid-July things were burning and did so till mid-Sept. Other areas like eastern MT were in a drought and had fires earlier.

What I've learned over the years that the West is ruled by elevation and water. Typically the lower elevations are drier and warmer and visa versa the higher you go. And like I just said the terrain can also govern how vegetation patterns are.  One can go east-west and north-south and the climate and veg patterns can dramatically change. All that rules what vegetation grows there.  So one can literally pick their climate and whether they like it dry or wet. Some areas are really great in the summer but it's a different ball game in the winter. Some major highways in the eastern MT and Wyoming areas are gated when things get nasty.

Also, like I said yesterday one has to deal with the greater distances out here than back there. Folks out here don't think twice about driving hundreds of miles to get somewhere, and some have to to get to services. Except in locales that are related to the well-known larger population centers in Montana/Idaho there can be significant distances between towns especially off the Interstate system.  When I was back east it was rare in PA to go places without always seeing a house.  But if you chose to live in the major population centers then there's really nothing different than back there since all the nicities of life are close by. But there is ALOT of out-in-the-sticks country out here, and if you want to live in the sticks or even travel through it one has to be prepared.

One has to recognize these realities out here. It took me a bit to understand all this but I had a career where I lived/worked in a lot of areas and was able to figure these things out and accept them.  

Like I said I don't mean to discourage you regarding a move. If you haven't been out west before I suggest taking some road trips to see the famous park areas and get a feel for the country out here.

If you can't handle the crappy politics back there and have marketable employment in some areas then think about what's important to you. Live is too short to let opportunities get lost.

Federally "administered" lands are owned by all the citizens of the US, and that doesn't cause land scarcity. The land is the land and it's all about who either owns it, or administers it. Some western states have a large percentage of federally-administered lands, and some are alot less than some think. Below are the facts of states west (or partially of *) of the Mississippi River.  
.
Note: Indian Reservations consist of treaty boundaries but not all lands within those boundaries are owned by those tribes.

Also, some states have little public lands, especially Nebraska and Texas. In the case of Texas having access for hunting and fishing is dependent on "paying to play".  That mentality is prevalent in several areas like Montana where out-of-state owners buy up large tracts of land and often lock out the public from access to adjacent (land-locked) public lands.

So one has to pick their poison, either complain about public land ownership where access is readily available, pay for access to locked out public lands, and/or pay to hunt on private lands (if you can afford to do so), or "marry" into the ranchers/farmers family.

Federal land ownership by state (as of 2013)

State - Federal land acreage  / Total state acreage  /  Percentage of federal land

Alaska - 223,803,098 /365,481,600 /61.2%  
Arizona - 28,064,307 /72,688,000 /38.6%  
Arkansas - 3,151,685 /33,599,360 /9.4%  
California - 45,864,800 /100,206,720 /45.8%  
Colorado - 23,870,652 /66,485,760 /35.9%  

Hawaii - 820,725 /4,105,600 /20.0%  
Idaho - 32,621,631 /52,933,120 /61.6%  

Iowa - 122,076 /35,860,480 /0.3%  
Kansas - 272,987 /52,510,720 /0.5%  

Louisiana* - 1,325,780 /28,867,840 /4.6%  

Minnesota*  - 3,491,586 /51,205,760 /6.8%  

Missouri - 1,635,122 /44,248,320 /3.7%  
Montana - 27,003,251 /93,271,040 /29.0%  
Nebraska - 546,759 /49,031,680 /1.1%  
Nevada - 59,681,502 /70,264,320 /84.9%  

New Mexico - 26,981,490 /77,766,400 /34.7%  
 
North Dakota - 1,736,611 /44,452,480 /3.9%  

Oklahoma - 701,365 /44,087,680 /1.6%  
Oregon - 32,614,185 /61,598,720 /52.9%  

South Dakota - 2,642,601 /48,881,920 /5.4%  

Texas - 2,998,280 /168,217,600 /1.8%  
Utah - 34,202,920 /52,696,960 /64.9%  

Washington - 12,176,293 /42,693,760 /28.5%  
Wyoming - 30,013,219 /62,343,040 /48.1%  

United States total - 623,313,931 /2,271,343,360 /27.4%  

Source: U.S. Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data"  

Federal landownership by state

So only four Western states have federal lands more than 50% of the total area. If you know anything about these states, and even the two above 40%, it's easy to know why. Montana is at 29% with the majority of that being west of the Continental Divide. East of the Divide the majority is privately owned in large tracts.

Note: the only state were "new" land is being created is Hawaii.

Moved to MT from about an hour east of Pittsburgh.

I'm only speaking for the western parts of the state in the valleys.

Climate wise, is not too different. It can get upwards of a hundred for a week or two in the summer. And can go below freezing for a week or two of the year. Unlike pa though, when we get snow, it tends to stay for months and hover in the 20s. You also get a lot less snow. Thing 3-4 feet a year. But it's nice fluffy white stuff that's great. There is also no humidity, which makes things great.

About the biggest difference you'll notice is how dry it gets in the summer. We're talking no rain for months at a time. And the fires and smoke are completely unheard of from pa.

The biggest difference is the cost to live and jobs. In montana to have a good job means either a very in demand career. Or to bring your own job. Another thing is that housing and land is expensive. If you're looking to get 10 to even 20 acres of just land any place habitable, look to spend 4 times what it would in pa. And if you're just looking for a home on an acre or two. Well you're talking at least 3 times more than in pa.

If you stay out of the towns, driving isn't bad. A 50 mile commute here is world A better than even a 15 mile commute in pa. Our roads are straight, and you can do 75 or 80. It still amazes me that a road that would be 55 in pa, you can do 75 here.

While I love montana, it's not really the promised land you think. Shits expensive. Often times way over priced for what you get. If you like to eat out, be prepared for almost no variety. If you like going to a sports game, well that won't happen. If you hunt, game is plenty but you have to work more for it. If you like to fish from a boat, you've got a few choices, but if you fish for trout, it's heaven.

If say if you're okay with not making tons of money, paying more for housing. And are okay with driving, to get to basically anywhere, then here is your place.

If you like to fish from a boat, there are actually quite a few large lakes to fish, the Flathead lake can make you feel like you are in the ocean, I have been out there on some really wild days, and the fishing is normally pretty good, it is not unusual to pick up 30 pound lake trout which fight as hard as any pacific salmon I have ever caught.

If you want access to a lot of land, you do like I did, pick up a 5 acre partial and make sure it butts up to a timber companies land, I own a 5 acre, but I am butted up to over 50,000 acres of Stoltz timber land that we can hunt, fish and ride our ATV's, Snowmobiles and basically just about, we have Elk, Deer(whitetail and mule), Moose, Bear and a host of other small game, so the freezer is never empty.  Where I live, I am less than 5 hours from good Pronghorn hunting, now I bought over 20 years ago, so I didn't pay much, but there are still some properties around that you can do well with.

There are good jobs popping up slowly, but it would be good if you are skilled, lots of construction going on in my area, but we have some stuff going on that looks like it will bring higher tech jobs into the area.

Just one little note on the employment perspective. I'm making an assumption that the fancy acronym boils down to Nurse Assistant?

One potential landing spot could be a Federal job with the Indian Health Services (IHS). There have to be downsides to it, as they always have openings. Someone was in here not too long ago, saying that they (or their spouse?) got a temporary contract to do it. It appears that they have trouble keeping people. However, it may just be that a lot of people who put in for it are from more populated areas, and end up not being able to adjust to rural life or to being a minority among a population of Native Americans. It might also be the pay, the work, or just people having trouble living on/near a reservation. I just can't say for sure. A few other issues that might arise, is that it can be difficult to find a place to live ON a reservation, if you don't have native blood. There are usually decent sized towns right on the edge of them where you can normally find better amenities than elsewhere in the areas, as well as schools for your non-native children.

Thanks for sharing the chart Talyn. That was quite eye opening. Ensuring that I back up to accessible tracts if land is genius. I’ve found a few properties that do so and would make that a high priority when buying. I’ve found that even if something is a short drive away, it’s not as appealing as walking out of your backyard and doing said activity (i.e. hunting, shooting, etc). The acronym I provided is a nurse anesthetist. Luckily, Montana is one of the highest paying states for my profession, but again, employment seems to be scarce. I suppose the lucrative salary and the total number of jobs being so small keep the positions full/near full capacity. This also gives me an indication of the lifestyle out there as well. It says something great about your state.