Possibility to relocate to Helena, MT but know nothing about that area other than it looks very scenic but brutally cold. Although I was born in upstate New York, I’ve only lived in a relatively cold climate for a few years as a kid. The vast majority of my life has been spent in hot climates (Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, Mississippi Gulf Coast, Hawaii). So is the cold really bad? Do folks eventually adapt to it?
Anyone know more about Montana and Helena specifically? Aside from the cold winters, are the schools good? Do they have decent outdoor shooting ranges nearby? Any off-road trails? Housing expensive or affordable?
My google search only found one or two indoor ranges. Is it so cold that most folks choose to shoot indoors? Is Montana a gun-friendly state?
Tax burden like property taxes bad? Cost of food and gas? High or low insurance rates? Decent health care?
These are just a few things I was wondering about as I do my own google search, but it would be good to hear from folks on here with more personal knowledge and experience with that area.
i blew a subaru motor in helna once, happened at 2 am and a local junk yard towed me,sold me a used motor, let me use their cherry picker and i was back on the road by noon. my only experience was pretty damn good. seem like normal folks.the more rural the better i think
Yeah, the long cold winters are kind of a concern to me since I’m not used to anything like that. I’ve heard of some who love that kind of climate, though. I feel like I could adapt and get used to it. More worried for my wife who’s lived in Texas all her life. She’s never really experienced subzero cold temps, much less for extended periods.
You would need to learn how to dress for the area…the proper quality clothing makes a big difference. You also have to plan more to do daily stuff outside when it’s cold…
Oh, for some reason I thought Montana was a mostly conservative state that tends to vote Republican. At least my research into gun laws made me think so. It seems even more gun-friendly than Texas. So is it more left-leaning? Or maybe more liberal, left-leaning folks are starting to move there?
Either way, I don’t mind liberals or Hollywood type folks. I’m more of an independent with conservative, liberal and even some libertarian views anyway. Just don’t agree with laws infringing on our rights, like the 1st, 2nd and 4th amendments.
This is kind of a touchy subject, but since we’re on the topic of social/political demographics I recently found some concerning “hate speech” type articles surrounding Montana. These are just a couple of several I recently found:
My family and I are proud, die-hard Americans, but I’m of Puerto Rican descent and my wife is of Mexican descent. Texas is full of White, Black and Hispanic Americans and most of us get along just fine. But are my wife and kids more likely to be targeted in Montana where there aren’t that many that look like us? Probably a dumb question that no one can really answer, but those articles gave me some pause and thought maybe there might be a Montanan in here with more insight on that issue.
fitting into a small rural community takes time. i moved to seward ak over 20 years ago and you could say there are different levels of Alaskans. those born here, those before the oil spill, and those after. while it is a melting pot it is also very clickish and can be hard to integrate. i am not saying your race wont be considered , but i am saying expect eccentric types in the small towns. i served in fire ems for 10 years , and i am still the turd in the punch bowl. i like to say i accomplished all my emt/ fire goals in spite of the locals. your a american. you can go any damn place you want to , whether they like it or not. tr y to fit in but dont expect much. i bet they are like Alaska and will judge you by character like they do here for the most part. if you do run across less accepting types you are better off with out them in your life any way. your quality of life will go up if you are leaving a city and in the end that is what is important.
i looked at the artical. the southern poverty law center is not exactly a bastion of truth. not saying racism does not exist, just saying from my experience in small towns you will be fine.
That sounds like a lot of places, and that’s fine with me.
I’m also reading up on BLM land and recreational target shooting on public land. We don’t have any of that here in Texas since the state is mostly privately owned land. So if I understand it right, as long as safety measures are followed and I clean up after myself, I can set up targets and target shoot to my heart’s content for free whenever I want on these lands?
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