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View Poll Results: The best city in Montana is...?
Billings 7 17.07%
Bozeman 10 24.39%
Great Falls 1 2.44%
Helena 6 14.63%
Butte-Silver Bow 0 0%
Missoula 7 17.07%
Kalispell 10 24.39%
Voters: 41. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 09-12-2020, 08:27 AM
 
Location: Currently in Florida for a little while
1,301 posts, read 665,566 times
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Which Montana city do you fancy the most? (city = 20,000+ in population)

Things to take into account:
-Food scene
-Shopping
-Entertainment
-Access to outdoorsy activities
-Education
-Crime/safety
-Economy
-Overall aesthetic (beauty)
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Old 09-12-2020, 10:46 AM
 
Location: North Dakota
10,350 posts, read 13,928,406 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sumerian_Summer View Post
Which Montana city do you fancy the most? (city = 20,000+ in population)

Things to take into account:
-Food scene
-Shopping
-Entertainment
-Access to outdoorsy activities
-Education
-Crime/safety
-Economy
-Overall aesthetic (beauty)
To live in or visit?
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Old 09-12-2020, 06:36 PM
 
5,583 posts, read 5,005,899 times
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Old 09-13-2020, 03:25 PM
 
8,489 posts, read 8,774,574 times
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The best city in Montana will vary by person and experience. Some might have a definite answer based on their interests snd experiences. Some may know several or all the cities. Some not.

Comments allow explanations, if desired.
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Old 09-13-2020, 04:25 PM
 
1,706 posts, read 1,147,358 times
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I favor Bozeman but many cities have their charms...It's just a really general question to ask about a fairly diverse state. I like Havre too but it's very opposite of Bozeman, still neat though. Depends on what you seek....
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Old 09-13-2020, 10:09 PM
 
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I live in Bozeman, but could live in Helena or Kalispell as well. For me it is all about access to public land. Bozeman is at the cusp of 22 million acres of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Yellowstone itself, is just lines on a map drawn back in the 1800's. But this ecosystem... It recharges my spirit and it is where I raise my family. I am teaching them to live off the land, to respect nature, to clean up after the other human pigs who come to visit here, and how to conserve this knowledge for their own children. My kids know the best plants to eat, where to find elk, where the best mushrooms and berry spots are, and it makes me so proud... This will not last, as more and more people move here, but we know MANY spots in SW Montana like this, where we will have to move if the mountains keep getting more visitors. They are already crawling with people.

I would not live in Billings, Butte, or Missoula, for different reasons.
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Old 09-14-2020, 09:48 AM
 
Location: Currently in Florida for a little while
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NDak15 View Post
To live in or visit?

Both I suppose.
But livability would probably outweigh the other.
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Old 09-14-2020, 09:52 AM
 
Location: Currently in Florida for a little while
1,301 posts, read 665,566 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeyMike11 View Post
I live in Bozeman, but could live in Helena or Kalispell as well. For me it is all about access to public land. Bozeman is at the cusp of 22 million acres of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Yellowstone itself, is just lines on a map drawn back in the 1800's. But this ecosystem... It recharges my spirit and it is where I raise my family. I am teaching them to live off the land, to respect nature, to clean up after the other human pigs who come to visit here, and how to conserve this knowledge for their own children. My kids know the best plants to eat, where to find elk, where the best mushrooms and berry spots are, and it makes me so proud... This will not last, as more and more people move here, but we know MANY spots in SW Montana like this, where we will have to move if the mountains keep getting more visitors. They are already crawling with people.

The rising housing costs and harsh winters should keep most people at bay. I always hate hearing about people having to clean up after others -- littering should be a jailable offence, like in Singapore.


Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeyMike11 View Post
I would not live in Billings, Butte, or Missoula, for different reasons.

Can you briefly elaborate on that?
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Old 09-14-2020, 05:10 PM
 
Location: Washington State
343 posts, read 352,822 times
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I'm gonna be the devils advocate and inform you all that Butte is my favorite. No BS. To me it is the best balance of things to do compared against cost of living. It is dirt cheap whilst having plenty of hiking trails and forest lands nearby. The city itself is super historic, ugly or not. It oozes history (literal toxic ooze from a historic mining pit ) in a way that other Montana cities don't quite do.

The Montana State Prison is a good well rounded employer for the area, being the best paying and benefited job for the lowest overall hiring standards of most employers in the state. Meaning any clown can live and work here and expect a reasonable (read: acceptable minimum) standard of living. Add to that the Montana Tech College should any employees decide to raise their standards to a niche market.

Being around 35ish thousand residents means its big enough to have all the major resources people need, but not so big that it overwhelms. Still feels very much like a small town.

Super cool brick uptown architecture combined with wildly outlandish home floor plans make for a unique experience no matter where one turns. accessible location being almost perfectly equidistant to Missoula, Helena, and Bozeman, and sitting on the intersection of two major interstates means road trips are an always manageable prospect.

To be honest, I still don't get why people don't like the place. Outside of its rugged nature and environmentally unfriendly superfund site, I've only ever enjoyed every minute there.
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Old 09-15-2020, 06:29 AM
 
1,706 posts, read 1,147,358 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sylentvoyce View Post
I'm gonna be the devils advocate and inform you all that Butte is my favorite. No BS. To me it is the best balance of things to do compared against cost of living. It is dirt cheap whilst having plenty of hiking trails and forest lands nearby. The city itself is super historic, ugly or not. It oozes history (literal toxic ooze from a historic mining pit ) in a way that other Montana cities don't quite do.

The Montana State Prison is a good well rounded employer for the area, being the best paying and benefited job for the lowest overall hiring standards of most employers in the state. Meaning any clown can live and work here and expect a reasonable (read: acceptable minimum) standard of living. Add to that the Montana Tech College should any employees decide to raise their standards to a niche market.

Being around 35ish thousand residents means its big enough to have all the major resources people need, but not so big that it overwhelms. Still feels very much like a small town.

Super cool brick uptown architecture combined with wildly outlandish home floor plans make for a unique experience no matter where one turns. accessible location being almost perfectly equidistant to Missoula, Helena, and Bozeman, and sitting on the intersection of two major interstates means road trips are an always manageable prospect.

To be honest, I still don't get why people don't like the place. Outside of its rugged nature and environmentally unfriendly superfund site, I've only ever enjoyed every minute there.

I'm glad you weighed in. Butte does have its small cosmetic issues but for the lower cost of living can be the right choice for someone wanting proximity to Nature without paying a high cost of living.
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