Looking for info for Lewistown (Billings, Great Falls: for sale, how much, job outlook)

[lookingforachange15]

Can any locals or anyone tell me anything about Lewiston. We are looking to move summer 2016. We have 5 kids ages 12 to infant.. So I'm looking to see what there is for medical care, grocery shopping, schools, youth sports, ETC!! I see there are 3 elementary schools are there really that many kids there?

Thank You

[Senah]

Can you give a little more info about what you want to know? Do you have a job there? How much time have you spent in MT? Where are you moving from? What are you interested in knowing about?

[rambrush]

Have to agree with Senah. Lewistown is the darn near the center of the state and it has the basic needs for the community.
Thus you may end up making trips into Great Falls or Billings for supplies.

[Threerun]

I like Lewistown but it is shrinking. A lot of land getting bought by out of state interests, shops are closing.. Yes- the have basic needs covered and will for some time, but it is a shrinking town. Beautiful, but not growing.

[historyfan]

My understanding is Lewistown gets more snow than many spots in MT.

There are late 1880's buildings on the business main street which gives character. It does seem to be off beaten path.

[Senah]

We were in Lewistown 2 weeks ago, and two of their major restaurants just stopped serving their full menus, or substantially limited their hours, which is a pity. That leaves very few options left. With so many places withdrawing from CRP, the fact that many BMA properties withdrew from the program (or were forced out) this past year also means that there is a lot less public or private land access now than there was even 3 years ago. That is a real blow to people who hunt and fish, as we talked to a lot of folks we know there and everyone who lives there long-term has been scrambling to put pressure on connections to get access.

The job outlook is tough right now - I know that the hospital is recruiting for a lot of jobs. It is a lovely town, but like others have said it is kind of heading in a downward spiral, like places such as Broadview or even Livingston. There doesn't seem to be a lot of investment - a lot of in town properties for sale, and a lot of the out of town properties are being bought by wealthy out of staters so their taxes aren't going into the town, and they aren't full time residents so they are less involved in the vibrancy of the town, which is a pity. Great folks in and around Lewistown, and really a lot of good places to hunt and fish. We have always enjoyed our time there.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by lookingforachange15

Can any locals or anyone tell me anything about Lewiston. We are looking to move summer 2016. We have 5 kids ages 12 to infant.. So I'm looking to see what there is for medical care, grocery shopping, schools, youth sports, ETC!! I see there are 3 elementary schools are there really that many kids there?

Thank You

We used to play Lewistown in high school so I made multiple trips there growing up. I always thought it seemed like a nice town and I knew many people from there in college who were down to earth people. That being said, make sure you have a job lined out before moving. I don't know what the cost of living there is but as a whole, wages across Montana tend to be lower than the U.S. average. I'm not sure if it's still like this or not, but Lewistown did strike me as a rather gray community with a fair amount of elders, and this was 15 years ago.