Alternatives to Red Lodge, Montana. (Billings, Great Falls: motel, homes, camping)

[NorCalMan]

This past summer we were camping on the Beartooth Pass when a hellacious storm blew in and forced us off the pass and down into Red Lodge. We hadn't planned on going to RL, but it was the closest town, and since we rolled into town and the motel in the dark we didn't have an idea of what the town looked like or what it offered. The next morning after the storm had cleared we thought about just leaving town and getting on the road, but we instead decided to go through town and well, we ended up staying another night. Something about the town spoke to us. It was homey, friendly, appeared community oriented, the homes were charming, there's a nice unpretentious ski area nearby, it was great... except for the lack of jobs.

I ended up talking with a local in the grocery store parking lot when she inquired about our camping setup. She explained that she was a transplant to the area from many years ago and that everything I mentioned above was true; RL is great. She also said that if you wanted to live there comfortably you needed to either be retired with a good savings, or work three or four jobs.

Fortunately we have careers in health care, unfortunately the hospital there is small. And it's my suspicion that since its affiliated with the hospital in Billings that the employees who work in Billings would get first crack at any open positions in Red Lodge. Can anyone confirm or deny that theory?

This leads me to my actual question: are there other towns in Montana that are like Red Lodge, but offer better job prospects? We would love to find a town that was like Park City, Utah before it became what it is now, or Truckee, California before it became Vail West.

Are there other towns that are near-ish to a ski area, have quaint old homes, have a little bit larger hospital that might employ more people, but doesn't cost what it costs to live in Bozeman or Whitefish?

You get the gist. We're heading out there next summer on a trip through Wyoming and Montana and would appreciate some input on other smaller towns that we might be able to visit that might offer what we're looking for. Thanks in advance for your time.

[MTSilvertip]

Helena.

St Pete's hospital had 150 openings this summer.
Not quite as pretty as Bozeman or Red Lodge, but a lot more affordable. Fairly laid back, ski hill, 3 reservoirs for boating, easy access to a lot of forest land.

Good luck.

[NorCalMan]

Originally Posted by MTSilvertip

Helena.

St Pete's hospital had 150 openings this summer.
Not quite as pretty as Bozeman or Red Lodge, but a lot more affordable. Fairly laid back, ski hill, 3 reservoirs for boating, easy access to a lot of forest land.

Good luck.

Thanks for your input. We'll put Helena on our list.

[Threerun]

Kalispell area has a booming health care industry as well. It’s a big town compared to Red Lodge though, but Whitefish and Glacier NP are close by.

[NorCalMan]

Originally Posted by Threerun

Kalispell area has a booming health care industry as well. It’s a big town compared to Red Lodge though, but Whitefish and Glacier NP are close by.

Thanks for your input. Kalispell is an area we've wanted to explore. While the population is certainly larger than Red Lodge it's still smaller than almost any place in California. But I've heard and read about the gray, gray winters. Is it as bad as they say?

[Threerun]

Originally Posted by NorCalMan

Thanks for your input. Kalispell is an area we've wanted to explore. While the population is certainly larger than Red Lodge it's still smaller than almost any place in California. But I've heard and read about the gray, gray winters. Is it as bad as they say?

Generally it is cloudy.
https://www.currentresults.com/Weath.../cloudiest.php

I used to live in WV, and my wife wanted to move to Elkins, WV. I had her look up that data- Super cloudy and RAINY. She changed her mind. Also Snowshoe WV is one of the snowiest places in the country..

[NorCalMan]

Originally Posted by Threerun

Generally it is cloudy.
https://www.currentresults.com/Weath.../cloudiest.php

I used to live in WV, and my wife wanted to move to Elkins, WV. I had her look up that data- Super cloudy and RAINY. She changed her mind. Also Snowshoe WV is one of the snowiest places in the country..

Thanks for that link. We had considered Olympia because of the cool, clean air. But the idea of living in an area that is cloudy 2/3 of the year seems unbearable. I guess that rules out Kalispell too.

[NW Crow]

Is near-ish to a ski area, nice or essential?

Does it have to be a small town?

What price range for housing?



Some possibilities (before knowing these answers):

WA (Wenatchee Spokane /Spokane Valley/ other nearby like Mead. Deer Park, Cheney, White Salmon, Cle Elum), north Idaho (work Sandpoint, could live outside it in Priest River, Bonner's Ferry or work CDA / live in Kellogg, Athol, etc.), Montana (Dillon, Hamilton, Laurel, Great Falls, Butte), CA (Bishop, Yreka, Grass Valley, Pollock Pines, Jamestown) , Oregon (Prineville, La Grande, Baker City), Idaho (Driggs, Rexburg, Pocatello, Hailey, Montpelier, McCall, Kimberly), Ruidoso NM, AZ (Springerville, Williams), Gardnerville / Minden / Yerington NV., WY (Evanston, Buffalo), CO (Salida, Bayfield, Gunnison, Montrose, Ridgway, Hayden, Pagosa Springs), UT (Heber City, Cedar City) ...

[NorCalMan]

Originally Posted by NW Crow

Is near-ish to a ski area, nice or essential?


Does it have to be a small town?


Some possibilities:

WA (Wenatchee Spokane /Spokane Valley/ other nearby like Mead. Deer Park, Cheney, White Salmon, Cle Elum), north Idaho (work Sandpoint, could live outside it in Priest River, Bonner's Ferry or work CDA / live in Kellogg, Athol, etc.), Montana (Dillon, Hamilton, Laurel, Great Falls, Butte), CA (Bishop, Yreka, Grass Valley, Pollock Pines, Jamestown) , Oregon (Prineville, La Grande, Baker City), Idaho (Rexburg, Pocatello, Hailey), Ruidoso NM, Springerville AZ, Gardnerville / Minden / Yerington NV., Evanston WY, Bayfield CO...

We don't HAVE to live near-ish to a ski hill, but it provides an avenue to being outside during the winter. Here in the Sacramento area we spend 4-5 months a year indoors or in a pool to beat the heat. It would be great if we lived in a colder climate if we had a reason to not stay homebound when it's snowing/ cold. I suppose a snow mobile would be a good alternative to skiing.

Thanks for the city ideas. Some we've thought about already, others I've never heard of. I'll check them out, see what they're about.

In California, Bishop is a great place half the year, otherwise it's hot,hot,hot. Great outdoor opportunities in Bishop. We lived up in Siskiyou county for a time and regularly visited Yreka. My wife liked living up there, but it wasn't quite for me for various reasons. Grass Valley is too close to home, too hot, too smoggy. Nice town in the winter though- great Christmas display. Same with Pollack Pines. I can be to Pollack in 30min. Jamestown, nah.

We're looking to leave California, been here our whole lives, time to join the Exodus. Thanks again!

[NW Crow]

https://helenair.com/news/local/st-p...d5cfba0fb.html