To the people who want to move to Montana to get away from big cities, people and enjoy "nature". (Missoula: car insurance, houses)

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by hopelesslylost

My husband , kids and i would love to move to montana to get away from all the noise and lights and crazy people. We want our kids to grow up kinda old fashioned. They gotta work for what they want. We want peace quiet and privacy with animals to hunt for food and fishing and place where they can learn survival. Ya just cant do that in a city. We dont know where to start. Do we look for jobs online or start looking for a place?

You're about 100 years too late for that lifestyle.

[historyfan]

It depends on what you are seeking. Montana is a large rural state so even in the towns services are nominal. Out in the country they are non-existent. The thing that urban folks can not grasp is that we are happy with that. Your old hometown's location will have little to do with how welcoming or unwelcoming your new neighbors will be. This is golden rule part of the world. It is also a very self reliant part of the world where whiners really are not tolerated. Most people are just darn nice.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by Sabinerose

Please, for pity's sake... do not think that MT is a free for all and we all survive by hunting and gathering. We work, we pay rent, power, water... just like the "big cities". We supplement our meat supply by hunting for the couple of months that the government allows us to. We pay for it (licenses, tags, etc...) just like any other state. "where they can learn survival"... they can learn this anywhere. Even high population states have classes where your children can learn to live self sufficiently. What you are envisioning, is simply NOT HOW IT IS!! I moved from the Seattle area years ago... know what I found out?? I still have to pay taxes and bills; I still have to license my car and pay insurance; I still have to pay to heat my home and feed my family (from a grocery store most times)... Yes, the people are nicer and more friendly, but nothing else changed much.

Have a job BEFORE you look for a place. Have the normal rent charges (first, last, deposit, etc...) BEFORE you look for a place. Land is not free here, living is not free here... in fact, you may find yourself driving further than you did for a job and paying more for certain necessities. Living in MT is not cheap.

This is what spring cleaning is for. People move in, generally during early summer and the following spring rent the first truck they can find to get the heck out.

[magoomafoo]

Yep, jimj, it's that time of year when we start waving goodbye to the folks who moved here a year ago. Winter is hitting a little early this year and for some odd reason, those same folks who said they could "hack" it are packing up.

[michael11747]

Originally Posted by hopelesslylost

I was told that i could get free land in montana if im willing to work it and live there. Is that true and if so how do i get signed up?

LOL, who told you that, a hobo on a train? Let me tell you something about "free land". My wife and I, before we moved to Montana for good, spent a summer in Alaska, and wanted to "homestead". The deal was, that any citizen of Alaska could claim 40 acres, stake it out, build a cabin, and stay on it for a few years. Then the government would sell it to that person for a "fair" price. After suffering a summer of no night, and TERRIBLE mosquitoes, and then a few mishaps, we decided to head back to Montana.

Fast forward to now, and we are still trying to get our land, ten years later. We have remodeled homes, sold homes, worked, went to school, done whatever we can so that we can afford land here. Whoever told you, you can get free land doesn't know anything about Montana.

First of all, you don't just come up here and build yourself a sod house and fashion tools out of wood and leather. You will need tools and be an expert at using them, because the hypothetical land you would be getting for free, has a 4 month growing season. I just harvested my pumpkins after the first snowfall. We just built a greenhouse out of scrap wood and windows people give away in an effort to become more sustainable.

Also, the Homesteading Act was repealed sometime in the 1970's, but it's funny to just think about free land in Montana! LOL. It's more like a quarter million dollars an acre for half way decent arable land, near a decent sized town. You deal with wind, drought, cold, and pests here. Free land... what a hoot!

[Airborneguy]

How do Montanans look at relatively young pensioners moving in? When we're looking to move, I'll be a mid-late 40's retiree with a decent pension even for the expensive East Coast. I'm hoping to land somewhere I don't have to find a job unless I get too bored. I'm not worried about our personalities being a problem because my wife and I are regular down to earth people who never have a problem getting along with new people, but I do worry about people from wherever we land looking down on our situation for political (or other) reasons.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by Airborneguy

How do Montanans look at relatively young pensioners moving in? When we're looking to move, I'll be a mid-late 40's retiree with a decent pension even for the expensive East Coast. I'm hoping to land somewhere I don't have to find a job unless I get too bored. I'm not worried about our personalities being a problem because my wife and I are regular down to earth people who never have a problem getting along with new people, but I do worry about people from wherever we land looking down on our situation for political (or other) reasons.

I'll be honest with you, in most places in MT the only way you'll last there is to either A.Be retired with your own income or B.Bring your own job. Either way people won't care much. How you're received is not about what you have but who you are. Sure, you're going to find people who are jealous that you're financially set but you'll find that anywhere you go.
The best advice I can give you from someone who did exactly what you're talking about is don't do what I did as it could cause you issues for quite a while. We moved in and out of MT 3 times, the third one stuck and we lived there for over ten years and only left because we had to (physical issues).
We did the opposite of what I list here the first two times we lived there, 3rd time was the charm I guess.

1.When you first arrive, listen more than you talk. You'll find out the lay of the land without ticking people off and understand the culture there much better. Trust me, it's wayyy different than the east/west coast or suburbs of most anywhere.

2.Depending on where you move, understand that there's not a mall on every corner and there may not be a bunch of shopping or entertainment AND be happy with that. You'll drive yourself (and others) crazy by constantly wishing there was this or that nearby, if it's not there it probably never will be and the locals like it that way. To be real honest, most everyone I know wished the stores/hotels/homes that came never were built to begin with. They were fine with driving to Missoula or Spokane if they needed something they couldn't find in the valley. This took us 2 times moving in and out to come to peace with and embrace it.

3.One of the biggest things, leave where you're moving from in the rearview mirror. Nobody cares or wants to hear how it was done "back home" since if it was that great why'd you move?

4. Don't expect to make friends (or as fast) like you would in/near a big city. Most times (with rare exceptions) those types are really just superficial friends. We found when you have friends there they're really what friends should be, just an extension of family. It takes time for that to happen, at least with the old time residents as they want to see if you're going to last more than a year and aren't just another city putz trying to play Grizzly Adams.

Lastly, be sure that the first thing you buy when you get there is a walking stick with a bell on it to keep you safe from being attacked by a bear.

[ElkHunter]

Be aware, you can tell what kind of bear is in the area by examining their feces. Feces with nuts and berrys in it, indicate a Black Bear. Feces with bells and pieces of walking stick, indicate a Grizzly.

[historyfan]

Airborne,
If you love the outdoors, Montana could be perfect for you. Our residents are of every income and economic circumstance. People tend to be private about their finances. You will be judged by your actions not your accomplishments or bank account. It depends on what you want in a retirement area. You should take long visits in different areas in different seasons to see if you like it. Having a pension will give you great flexibility in picking a locale. Good luck.

[brightdoglover]

For the poster who romanticized kids learning survival and all in Montana, I gently suggest something like upstate New York, where there is plenty of rural land (and no homesteading, etc.) but is away from the big city and isn't overly populated without serious outside money.