May be moving to Bozeman...

[volosong]

A lady friend of mine has a small ranch about five miles north of Three Forks and works at the Bozeman airport in Belgrade. She makes the drive most days year round. The only really difficult part for her is the dirt road from her ranch to the paved highway, (which isn't plowed or otherwise state/county maintained). Her hours are all over the clock, so she drives in icy conditions from time to time. They are diligent on keeping I-90 open.

I really like Bozeman and considered relocating there when I retire in a couple more years. There is lots of great cycling in the Gallatin Valley and the surrounding mountains. But, I'd just be one more ex-Californian, (I'm looking to get away from the liberalism/progressive attitude that spoiled this once great state). Instead, I'm looking at Idaho, (where my ancestors a couple generations ago lived), and Wyoming.

[jerry1776]

I've lived in Bozeman since 1992, came for the university and never left (a very typical story btw), I'm now 42 with 2 kids (4 and 7 year olds), personally this city has become everything I hated about the east coast I came from and why I left there....yes I realize that I'm part of the problem by living and breeding here, if I could just convince my wife to move to Montana I would in a heartbeat, that's right, this place can hardly be called Montana any longer....but fortunately MT is only about 15 minutes away from Bozeman, what I call a Colorado outpost/colony.

1. Ugly urban sprawl as fast as they can crank it out and as far as the eye can see
2. McCulture - Bozeman has been taken over but the usual McCoporations, Costco/BestBuy/Lowes/Starbucks and you know the rest....ALL of it is here now where the cows used to live
3. Air pollution is real here now, and I'm not just talking about summer forest fires
4. Traffic - no one from the '90s would ever believe their eyes , I've noticed that traffic has resulted in speeding and much more reckless driving too.
5. Elitist trendies - yes most people are nice enough around here but all the college kids and the people that call themselves "liberals" or "progressives"....whom I consider statist authoritarian elists, are far too narrow minded for me and no I don't vote Republican.
6. Crowded ski area - if you ask your average bro why he moved here you'll likely hear two words "Bridger Bowl"....that's why I did too 20 years ago btw. The result is that most of the new 25k that moved here are skiers making lift lines much longer, parking more difficult to find and freshies much harder to be had

So if you're the type that loves Colorado cities, people, traffic and sprawl then you'll probably love it here too, but they why not move to Colorado? ....way less remote, much less expensive, far more jobs. If you really want to live in Montana you'll have to move to Montana and that's nearly 15 miles away from here.

[CTC]

Originally Posted by jerry1776

I've lived in Bozeman since 1992, came for the university and never left (a very typical story btw), I'm now 42 with 2 kids (4 and 7 year olds), personally this city has become everything I hated about the east coast I came from and why I left there....yes I realize that I'm part of the problem by living and breeding here, if I could just convince my wife to move to Montana I would in a heartbeat, that's right, this place can hardly be called Montana any longer....but fortunately MT is only about 15 minutes away from Bozeman, what I call a Colorado outpost/colony.

1. Ugly urban sprawl as fast as they can crank it out and as far as the eye can see
2. McCulture - Bozeman has been taken over but the usual McCoporations, Costco/BestBuy/Lowes/Starbucks and you know the rest....ALL of it is here now where the cows used to live
3. Air pollution is real here now, and I'm not just talking about summer forest fires
4. Traffic - no one from the '90s would ever believe their eyes , I've noticed that traffic has resulted in speeding and much more reckless driving too.
5. Elitist trendies - yes most people are nice enough around here but all the college kids and the people that call themselves "liberals" or "progressives"....whom I consider statist authoritarian elists, are far too narrow minded for me and no I don't vote Republican.
6. Crowded ski area - if you ask your average bro why he moved here you'll likely hear two words "Bridger Bowl"....that's why I did too 20 years ago btw. The result is that most of the new 25k that moved here are skiers making lift lines much longer, parking more difficult to find and freshies much harder to be had

So if you're the type that loves Colorado cities, people, traffic and sprawl then you'll probably love it here too, but they why not move to Colorado? ....way less remote, much less expensive, far more jobs. If you really want to live in Montana you'll have to move to Montana and that's nearly 15 miles away from here.

Air pollution in Bozeman?? You have got to be kidding-I think you are mistaking us for Missoula.

[Senah]

Hmm - as for air pollution, many of my patients who move here from California or Arizona have asthma that resolves or hugely improves by coming to Bozeman. So, I wouldn't worry to much about that except during fire season in the summer. It has definitely changed since the 90's when I was a teen, but cities change. You also have better educational opportunities, better food choices, and arts. You have at the same time, people trying to tell you what you can and can't do on your own property, McDonald's (though not downtown), more traffic (though not rush-hour), and yes, some Yuppies. Good and bad.

You would do fine with the weather - I spent 4 years in NH and it was cold and moist which is much worse. It's dry here when it is cold, and so sunny most of the time you can spend all winter outdoors (we do - hunting, fishing in the snow in March, snowshoeing, skiing...). I have an AWD vehicle and my husband has a truck with 4WD. It's enough. If you want slightly out of town but not too far away, Elk Grove is a GREAT community for kids, lots of open space, a pond, and near hiking trails. Check it out!

[Sierravalleyfam]

We have been coming once a year to Bozeman for the past ten years on business. We really like it!
We are thinking of moving here or Livingston. We prefer Livingston, yet we are afraid we will be disappointed due to the winds everyone talks about. We have not experienced it yet.

Are there any places around Livingston that may be more protected from the wind? We saw a home just northwest of the tracks, a few minutes from town. Not sure if it would get hit from the western funnel through the Bozeman Hill, and again from the south up through the valley?

Any wind feedback is helpful!
Thank you...

[ChrisWNC]

Originally Posted by tenortodd

Hi all. I've been reading other posts, looking for Bozeman info. I just wanted to get impressions from locals.

My wife, 2 year old baby, and I may be relocating to Bozeman from VA. I good job opportunity has come up and we're seriously considering it.

My wife is from OH...it gets fairly cold there. I did my masters work in Madison, WI, so I've been through long winters and -30 degree weather. I have lived most of my life in VA, though.

We love small towns and we love nature (we're hikers). Neither of us has ever been to MT.

Would you consider the winter similar to WI? I didn't have a problem with it at all when I was there. It started getting cold in October and we'd get snow into April and sometimes May. The summers were nice...not overly humid. If it's "warm" in Bozeman from May-September...that's a decent amount of nice weather.

Any info would be appreciated. If we move, we have an AWD SUV and a front wheel drive compact car.

We'd probably look to live slightly outside the city, if possible. Any suggestions for a less than 30 minute commute that's not over nasty areas during winter?

Thanks.

My wife and kids have been considering the same thing, but not quite nailed down a job yet. Its interesting to hear that you've had a good job opportunity; congratulations! Mind if I ask in what field? We have visited Bozeman also and we really like it as well. I'm sure you know that real estate is very expensive but it is encouraging to see that a working family will be making the move! I look forward to any advice you have. BTW, I am a firefighter and my wife is currently a respiratory therapist and in school for RN. Thanks!

[Senah]

Originally Posted by Sierravalleyfam

We have been coming once a year to Bozeman for the past ten years on business. We really like it!
We are thinking of moving here or Livingston. We prefer Livingston, yet we are afraid we will be disappointed due to the winds everyone talks about. We have not experienced it yet.

Are there any places around Livingston that may be more protected from the wind? We saw a home just northwest of the tracks, a few minutes from town. Not sure if it would get hit from the western funnel through the Bozeman Hill, and again from the south up through the valley?

Any wind feedback is helpful!
Thank you...

I mean, it is really windy there, and there isn't much of a way to get around it. That said, it is a cute small town, and many people love it there. So, it isn't the end of the world. But yeah, it's really windy. You notice it. However, wherever you life there are issues. Over the hill in Bozeman things are much more expensive - there is more traffic and more people, and it is very much more developed. That would drive some of my friends in Livingston crazy. To each their own.

One thing I would say is that if you have kids, the schools in Bozeman are much better - friends who have their kids in public school in Livingston really complain a lot and have problems, and I would hesitate, all things being equal, about putting my kids into school there. Now, that is not to say that great kids don't come out of schools in Livingston - I have a colleague and his sons did well. But I think you will really, really have to be on top of your kids' work, social issues, be a very involved parent with the school board and activities, and much more so than you would be over the hill in Bozeman. If you don't have kids that isn't going to be an issue.