Wanting to move to Montana

[njonas126]

The wife and I are currently looking to move out of Washington state with how liberal it has become. I was wondering if any one on here would be willing to give me some insight into what the construction industry is like over there and an area that would be a reasonable place to live to be both fairly near work and still be able to hunt near home. I’m a licensed electrician in Washington and Montana is one of the easier states for reciprocity. Thank you!


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[X-fike]

From my understanding construction is doing very well in Bozeman, Helena, Kalispell and Missoula. It doesn’t matter which one you live in you will be close to hunting. Helena imo would be the lowest cost of living but also the lowest wages.

We moved back here from WA during the last year

I will also add that Missoula is almost as liberal as western WA. Bozeman and Kalispell are the most expensive to live.

Which area of WA are you at now?

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[WyoBowhunter21]

My mother in law lives in Bozeman and that place is booming with construction. We were there before Christmas and there are whole new subdivisions and apartments that weren’t started back in March when we went last. I can’t believe how much it changes in 7-9 months. I would tend to believe that you would a chance to find a job if you already have experience.

 

[njonas126]

From my understanding construction is doing very well in Bozeman, Helena, Kalispell and Missoula. It doesn’t matter which one you live in you will be close to hunting. Helena imo would be the lowest cost of living but also the lowest wages.

We moved back here from WA during the last year

I will also add that Missoula is almost as liberal as western WA. Bozeman and Kalispell are the most expensive to live.

Which area of WA are you at now?

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I’m currently in Enumclaw, about an hour south east of Seattle


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[realunlucky]

I'd check cost of living vs wages in Montana. I'm always amazed when I visit my buddies up there what housing costs

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[X-fike]

We moved from the Black Diamond area. Yes housing is a little more here compared to other areas. But it is definitely cheaper than western Washington. Well...Bozeman might be close to Western WA but the wages there are close too. It is amazing how much all of the areas I’ve mentioned have grown in the last 6 years while we were gone


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[137buck]

Find a job in Bozeman, most likely you'll do work in the Yellowstone club. It's almost all new construction, and while there is a lot of work to do there, trying to find affordable housing is the biggest issue.

 

[mtmuley]

Most skilled tradesman can find work in or near any sizeable city here in Montana right now. Especially if you are good. mtmuley

 

[Mt Al]

You'll find work in any of the listed towns. If you move to Bozeman you'll have tons of company if you're hunting public land nearby, and more joining every year. It's insane compared to just a few years ago. Billings or Helena, IMHO, is a where I'd go if I moved out of Montana and was returning.

 

[eLightfoot]

contemplating the same scenario, my wife has family in Bozeman and Helena. we visited both early December. I'm pretty tempted to make the move up there. I just can't stand CA much longer. I am in construction myself as well, I do commercial door/frames/hardware on large scales in the Bay Area. Im a foreman in a pretty specialized trade and just wonder how much demand for that is in Montana. but Im a young smart guy and would adapt to just about anything. Tough part would be transitioning from $60/hour to what ever they make there. Anybody here in the commercial construction trade in MT? What are the top guys making?

 

[ramont]

You really need to think it over before moving to Montana, it's just not that great of a place to live.

 

[eLightfoot]

You really need to think it over before moving to Montana, it's just not that great of a place to live.

yeah I know, everyone in Montana complains about all the new people moving in, buildings going up, traffic. I get it

 

[nodakian]

If I ever move back to MT I’ll be focused on Great Falls or Helena. No more western MT for me. East side has more critters (at least you can see more anyway) and different culture. Used to live in Bozeman but it got too crowded for us.

Meanwhile I’m loving western ND with much better pay than MT, same or lower cost of living, and low key, conservative politics and culture.

 

[sneaky]

yeah I know, everyone in Montana complains about all the new people moving in, buildings going up, traffic. I get it

That's not what he meant, but way to run with it. He means cost of living can be high, and wages comparatively low. You aren't gonna make $60/hr in Montana, but you aren't going to be paying that retarded Bay Area cost of living either. It's all relative, but there are very few of the larger cities in MT that aren't turning "progressive" or "liberal". Bozeangeles and Missoula certainly are. Helena and Great Falls not so much. Kalispell is overrun with Seattle and CA transplants. Eastern MT has avoided most of that movement because it isn't trendy enough for the liberal crowd. Best to have a job already lined up before moving to MT.

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[Jon Boy]

Just an FYI, sense I see it being mentioned several times here, construction is starting to slow and rental prices are as low as I've seen in a while in Bozeman right now. We are due for a major correction and I think we will see it in the next 18 months

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[mtmuley]

Just an FYI, sense I see it being mentioned several times here, construction is starting to slow and rental prices are as low as I've seen in a while in Bozeman right now. We are due for a major correction and I think we will see it in the next 18 months

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Money people don't stop. High end customs are always being built. Just gotta find the right company. mtmuley

 

[MantanaPastor]

The wife and I are currently looking to move out of Washington state with how liberal it has become. I was wondering if any one on here would be willing to give me some insight into what the construction industry is like over there and an area that would be a reasonable place to live to be both fairly near work and still be able to hunt near home. I’m a licensed electrician in Washington and Montana is one of the easier states for reciprocity. Thank you!


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I’m from western Washington originally but have lived in Montana for over 12 years now (Kalispell, Helena, and now Dillon). Don’t forget some of the great smaller towns in-between some of those larger cities that everyone is talking about. I live in Dillon and construction is going quite well over here too. At least 6 smaller custom subdivisions around the town. I just built my own house and I know that there is a slight lack of good electricians in Beaverhead County and the surrounding areas. Also, don’t forget about Butte, it can get a bad rap due to their past (and some present) history of arrogance but there are some great people around there also. Kalispell and Bozeman have had some “boom & bust” times but Helena has stayed fairly steady with building even during the housing recession. Probably some of it’s consistency has to do with being the capitol city, etc. Montana City is doing really well with lots of custom building and is only about 5-10 minutes out of Helena. Living there would place you in a really solid (and less liberal) school district in Jefferson County. I highly recommend that area for your situation. Great fishing, hunting and recreation nearby in every direction. Feel free to message me if you want any more information and I’m happy to help. I know some great builders & Churches in the Helena area that I could connect you with. You don’t seem like the type of person who wants to move here to make us like the place you are leaving, so we would welcome you! We just tell the yuppies who want to move here that, “Montana is full, but I hear Canada is nice.” True, you won’t make as much here, but the quality of life is better with more recreation and less money-induced, rat-race, worries. ;-)

 

[MtGomer]

If I was looking to make a living, it would be Billings. Billings downside is it’s size. Which can also be it’s upside for healthcare, shopping, etc. if those things matter to you.
It is close to excellent hunting and fishing with a little bit of everything Montana has to offer depending on which direction you go. It’s alot more affordable than Bozeman

If a person could get a good job there, Butte or Kalispel would be great. Small, and excellent country in all directions. Butte is a special place and highly underrrated by people that haven’t lived there. It is a cheap place to live so if you could find good work, you couldn’t live well.

Missoula is a great area ran by a bunch of shitheads. Low wages, high cost of living, excessive property taxes, it even has gun laws. Sounds like you’re trying to escape that.

 

[JV3220]

I know how you feel MN has become the CA of the Midwest it’s really going down hill. This November was terrible, the state had gotten so liberal I don’t think it will ever get better.


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[bsnedeker]

I know how you feel MN has become the CA of the Midwest it’s really going down hill. This November was terrible, the state had gotten so liberal I don’t think it will ever get better.


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It is probably 3rd on the list of the reasons I'm leaving MN and taking my family to MT this year. First reason is that my wife wants to go there (her sister recently moved to Whitefish), 2nd reason is the incredible hunting opportunities for elk, bear, deer, moose, goats, and sheep (in that order!).

I am a bit concerned about the liberal hipsters getting it into their heads that they want to "live in the country" and continue contaminating these great places with their nonsense. It's already happened in Oregon and Colorado, it's currently happening in MT and I think it's only a matter of time before these people discover ID and WY (if they haven't already). I'm hoping that either A. the hipsters will find some other internet fad to latch onto and will go back to the coasts where they belong, or B. Once they have firsthand experience living around people who understand what it means to be self-sufficient and not rely on the government to do everything for them that they will become more conservative over time. Only time will tell.