Bozeman ??? (Three Forks: real estate, loan, new home)

[Troy13]

What is the economic base in Bozeman? How does the winter weather in Bozeman compare to Chicago's winter weather?

[NYMTman]

Being close to Yellowstone, the economy is powered by the tourist industry as well as Montana State University. Growing tech there as well.

Winters are 10-20 degrees F colder and about twice as snowy as Chicago. But you get a lot more sun which beats down hard and feels nice at Bozeman's high altitude. Summers are mild and dry.

[colsteve]

Unless you ski, the winters suck as you can watch the latest bombardment of snow come rolling in from Three Forks to sit up against the mountains - often for days on end. This continues throughout the year as Bozeman actually gets a good deal more precipitation than Seattle from May through September - 12.84(B); 9.3 (S). It gets old but the outdoor activities balance it out. I can't imagine how anyone can live there if they have no such interests.

[mandapanda]

The weather is great except for about 2-3 weeks when it is downright frigid. I imagine Chicago as cold and damp. It is usually very dry here - winter and summer - low humidity. The sun makes the winters very bearable. When the sun goes down, it is a different story. Snow doesn't stop anything. The winters are longer than many other spots.

[colsteve]

Originally Posted by mandapanda

The weather is great

Ha, ha! Another transplant trying to soften the blow for those who want to join. Trust me, the weather in Bozeman is beyond painful. I would suggest Boise as the best alternative.

[mandapanda]

We find the heat the last several weeks much more unbearable than the winters. Transplant? Get a life!

[ladyflyfsh]

I agree, the last month has been unbearable with heat. We are not looking at something like 20 days straight of above 90 and about 8 days of 100 or better. Is this the new summers to come? I sure hope not. 102 in Bozeman yesterday!!! Also no end in sight.

Winters are cold and Bozeman gets lots more snow than surrounding areas.

[NYMTman]

New York City summers are more mild than what Montana's been getting! It's ridiculous.

[jimj]

Ahh, but it sure makes it nice for floating the rivers and gives you and excuse to be on the water all of the time!

[michael11747]

back to the economic base:

nymt was right about tech jobs growing here in bozeman. the city has been voted as the best place to start a small business in the country amongst mid sized cities bizjournals: Quality of life in small towns -- bizjournals.com (http://www.bizjournals.com/edit_special/41.html - broken link). there are many great opportunities here for tech jobs and startups. for one the techranch.org gets a huge high five from me. an indispensable tool for tech startups... the outsourcing of quality tech work and research to the university is another awesome boom for techies.

but alas, we always come back to real estate here in old bozeman don't we. who isn't involved in some kind of real estate here. a few years back they would give out a loan to a panhandler to start a construction business. twenty years ago i heard you could submit your new home plans on a napkin to the city. my how that has changed. real estate i think will be taking precedent over all other economic factors here very shortly. it is so sad to see the land go, but this is the crazy frenzy people fall victim to all over the country. nice land? build on it!

but the hospital and MSU cannot be forgotten when talking about bozeman's economy as well, employing approximately 1/15th of the town.

agriculture and livestock also accounts for 63 million in revenues in gallatin county, which also makes it number one in the state for milk, alfalfa, and potato production.

but what it really all boils down to is tourism. without tourism, no one would move here, the farms would be smaller, and MSU would be a backwater research facility specializing in snow sciences.

if you are a professional serious about moving here to start a business or work for one, i suggest checking this out: Prospera : Economic Profile (http://www.bozeman.org/Default2.aspx?ID=19 - broken link)

the weather is not bad. i think it is beautiful here year round. it gets cold but you get used to it, or die miserably on your couch while watching everyone else have fun in the snow. mike.