Butte Montana Living

[X-file]

Well I stumbled upon this thread reading butte reviews on google. Never thought to ask here! I was offered a job with north west energy as a lineman. Coming from Southern Illinois it’s be a big change! Still can’t quite wrap my head around the winters. But I despise the heat and humidity here and want more opportunities outdoors.
some of the reviews talk about the meth problem but that seems to be the plague of rural America or is it really that much worse?
some say locals aren’t welcoming and I could see that a little but I’m a keep to myself guy and not sure that’s a concern for me.

Tips for Butte..

Yes the meth problem is a little worse than other areas but also a large aging population.
Try to support local business as much as possible. It may be tough to do but in Butte more so than other places that is very important to the locals.
Keep in mind than you could also live in Whitehall or anaconda.


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[ewade07]

Keep in mind than you could also live in Whitehall or anaconda.


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Girlfriend and I spent some time in Anacanda early May this year. Talk about a cute, quaint little town. We went up there to play some golf at the Old Works Golf Course. Town is definitely behind the times a little but I liked it. Would be interesting to see what the job market is like there.

 

[slim23]

I have to live within 15min drive of the shop in butte. One of the requirements of the job. A little excessive but one of there rules. Trying to fly out there next week to check it out a little more before i officialy accept the job.

 

[MTSasquatch]

I’m a 4th generation Montanan and still live here. The only town in the state thought of as being worst than Butte is Billings. Contaminated water, beetle killed forests, meth, rough downtown, some more meth. Those are some descriptors typically used to describe Butte. It’s rough around the edges for sure, like a metal file. And yes, the locals are referred to as rats.

 

[ewade07]

I’m a 4th generation Montanan and still live here. The only town in the state thought of as being worst than Butte is Billings. Contaminated water, beetle killed forests, meth, rough downtown, some more meth. Those are some descriptors typically used to describe Butte. It’s rough around the edges for sure, like a metal file. And yes, the locals are referred to as rats.

I live in Billings and i rather like it here. No sure what would make it worse than Butte in your opinion. I like Butte, I would live there in a heartbeat. You couldnt pay me enough to move back to Bozeman. F*** that place.

 

[jmez]

If Billings is the "worst" place in MT then there aren't any bad places.

 

[WCB]

Used to guide in MT and spend a lot of time there every year. I wouldn't mind Butte area for living. Preference right now would be Big Timer or Helena just on the where to live scale. Bozeman/Belgrade, Billings, and Missoula would be all tied for bottom. Billings location wise and generally no. Used to love Bozeman when you could actually drive downtown and find a parking spot and every other plate wasn't from CA. Missoula...spent a total of 2 hrs there and burned out of there as fast as I could....Crunchiest place on earth.

Spent some time around Butte and generally people are great. Very blue collar and proud of it. Some of the concerns people are expressing are valid...The mine is an eye sore among other things. But small towns around that might work out.

As far as public land access...you won't hunt it all in a lifetime. Good/to great fishing fairly close and
if skiing is your thing small ski area over the pass the Philipsburg or 2 hours to bigski 1.5 to Bridger.

If you were thinking about Jackson prices around Butte shouldn't be an issue.

 

[MontanaPLS]

If Billings is the "worst" place in MT then there aren't any bad places.

I've been all over Montana, and by far the worst place is Wolf Point or Poplar. At one point in time, Poplar had the highest murder rate per capita in the United States.

Butte is one the proudest communities you will ever find. The people there will fight tooth and nail to defend their way of life and their heritage. The pride they have in their community is second to none. If you move in and try and tell people "that's not how we did it in xxxxx", they WILL hand you your ass.

Best of luck on your decision. There are a hell of lot worse places to live.

 

[bigsky2]

Went to college in Butte and I really enjoyed the town. Of all the big towns in MT, it kind of has a small town feel. Its got a couple breweries, the distillery is really good. Good fishing and pretty good elk hunting nearby. Lots of good little mom and pop restaurants. I'd imagine housing is cheaper than all the other big towns in MT too.

 

[Selway]

Probably the last city in Montana that is still the Montana I grew up in. Hopefully stays that way.

 

[3forks]

Butte is a little rough around the edges, but as others have pointed out, its people and their sense of community is what is unique about that place.

Most people who haven’t spent much time in Butte would say it’s not a nice place to live. True, the mining industry, and the boom and bust cycles that Butte have endured have made it not the most picturesque. But, if anyone who ever said they wanted to live in a place where people respect each other’s views even if they disagree and generally pull together as a community - Butte is that town.

There’s more towns like Butte out there. They’re just places no one driving through would stop in because they’re not charming or very cosmopolitan. In some towns, people are too busy trying to scratch out a living to bother getting worked up over some trivial thing that their neighbors may doing.

 

[Mt Al]

What Selway and 3forks said! Not what MTSquatch said, though I'm from Billings and might just be butt hurt.

I'll just add:
Close-ish to Helena, Bozeman and kind of Missoula if you need variety for a day. Frankly year-round awesome outdoor opportunities in every direction.
For fishing you're not fighting the crowds on every ^#%@&-ing stretch of water like near Bozeman or Missoula. Plenty of rivers, creeks, streams to fish.
Big Hole Valley...need I say/write more? Recommend driving down part of it if you have time when you're in town.
Montana Tech is a great college.

Billings, Butte and Great Falls get a bad rap in Montana - and each one is an outdoorsperson's (not "outdoorsman's" as that would be a micro agression) paradise, Billings less so unless you enjoy prairie stuff.
Yes, the mine tailings/leavings mar the view, just look south/east and west: boom, done.
Not sure what it's like where you are from, but there are far worse places to live than Butte America (they don't always like to be associated with the rest of Montana).

 

[nodakian]

If I ever move back to MT, Butte will be on my list of places to look, along with Great Falls (have lived there and have family there) and Helena. I love the prairie, but Billings is too big. I escaped Bozeman several years ago--my wife doesn't even want to go back, and she actually like it there--and Kalispell has become too similar for our taste (and the gray winters suck). I'm plenty familiar with Missoula, but now I just pass through every 2-3 years on my way to my folks' place and only stop at Worden's Market for beer and sandwiches; nothing else interests me there.

Sure Butte is rough, but it's not been Californicated yet.

 

[2ski]

I think people that take umbrage with Bozeman just have an inferiority complex. They just don't think they are awesome enough to live in Bozeman. We all can't be this cool. In all honesty, I love Bozeman. But I will admit, since Covid, its noticeably getting bad at of lately.

By the way, I always find a parking spot downtown within a half block of where I'm going. Lol

 

[nodakian]

Let me clarify my view of Bozeman: it wasn’t bad when I was in college, and it has lots to offer in the way of amenities, eating establishments, etc. I completely understand why it’s popular, and we often stop by on our travels. It just got too crowded for our preferences since 2000, and like a lot of MT, the pay often doesn’t match well with the cost of living.

 

[slim23]

I have been in butte only 2 weeks now but it sure is amazing! Housing market is absolutely crazy. almost no houses for sale outside of town at all and crazy high compared to illinois. But I've been taking it all in and hiking in the snow daily. excited about my opportunity's

 

[bobr1]

I have been in butte only 2 weeks now but it sure is amazing! Housing market is absolutely crazy. almost no houses for sale outside of town at all and crazy high compared to illinois. But I've been taking it all in and hiking in the snow daily. excited about my opportunity's

That is almost surprising but not....on the housing market. Butte used to be one of the cheapest housing markets in the state for the bigger towns, you could find houses in the 30-50k range. But with all the people moving to the state I am sure its driving up the cost. It's a cool town for sure make sure you stay in town for St. Patricks day, it's probably the most insane party in the state.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Following. Looking to possibly move to Montana at some point and am wondering what the best area of the state would be for a young family.

 

[mtnbiker208]

I don't live there, but have been thru there and been to butte roughly a dozen times for work and play.
the pit sucks. no 2 ways about it. The north part of town is run down. the south side of town is new and nice.

now with that said, holy shit the mountain bikings is out of this world. the cdt trail out of homestake pass is incredible. If you want recreation, this place has it. Real estate has skyrocketed, but it is any where out here now. Fairmont hots springs is a nice place, sits right between butte and anaconda. The frank churck of idaho is close. Southwest montana does have alot of things going for it.

wether butte is rough or not depends on who you talk to. I have 2 good friends from there. one was a miner, the other a golden glove boxer growing up. Both have lots of fight stories, but so does just about everyone who grew up in the west in smaller towns.

 

[Mt Al]

I have been in butte only 2 weeks now but it sure is amazing! Housing market is absolutely crazy. almost no houses for sale outside of town at all and crazy high compared to illinois. But I've been taking it all in and hiking in the snow daily. excited about my opportunity's

Welcome and glad you like Butte so far. Recommend a drive to Crystal Park/Wise River, Big Hole Valley, down to Dillon, Twin Bridges, etc.. So much great country around Butte.