MOVING TO MONTANA
"The last best place"
Relationships with local business owners and neighbors still matter
Those who live in Montana nickname it one of the last best places on earth. If you spend any time here, it's easy to see why. From the stunning natural scenery, to the friendly neighbors... it is no wonder so many people choose to retire here.
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Although every city in Big Sky Country has a different personality, the heartbeat and fabric of the Montanan lifestyle is interwoven into each location. Montanans tend to be outdoorsy, love nature, and have respect for local wildlife.
Montanans stop to assist strangers when they see a car broken down and pulled over on the side of the road, (we have to... some places in Montana are so far from city conveniences and governing bodies that we've adopted a mentality of helping each other), and we still wave at each other when we drive past you on the road. Your local post office worker will remember your horse had scours the last time you stopped in, and will genuinely want to know how your 4-legged friend is doing.
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Montanans are not as technology dependent as other cities, (part of it is the lack of cell and internet service in certain rural locations), but mostly, having relationships with local business owners and neighbors still matter.
Life here is peaceful and wonderful. The traffic here is significantly less than it is anywhere else, and we still stop for quail and turkey families crossing the road. The waterfalls and streams here look like real life versions of the gorgeous nature screen savers you have on your computer.
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If you haven't been here, come visit us. You'll see why so many people have fallen in love with Big Sky.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MOVING TO MONTANA
In the past year, Montana has seen a surge of new residents. Although its gorgeous and peaceful here, moving here and living here is a new ball game. If you're looking to get away from the big city to fulfill your dream of owning a Montana ranch, here are some extremely helpful tidbits of information a city dweller may not have thought about:
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You may be far from medical facilities. Unless you live in a city with a hospital in it, you may need to drive 30-90 minutes to get to the nearest hospital.
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Medical emergencies can require helicopters, so if you or your loved one needs quick and easy access to medical staff, please alert us so we can show you properties that are either close to a private airport, or, have potential to accomodate a private helicopter pad or personal use runway.
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You may not have some of the conveniences you're used to from living in the city. Banks close at 4pm on Friday and don't open again until Monday morning.
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Animals are everywhere. Deer cross the highway, bears can block the UPS driver from delivering your packages, hawks will swoop in on your chickens at night, and wolves will scout your backyard for food.
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Winters here can be brutal. Some places in MT get 4,000 ft of snow each winter. Depending on how far away from the city you live, some snow plowers may not want to drive that far to plow for you, so you'll need to do it yourself.
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Montana is community driven and we love to shop and support local here.
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Montana experiences wildfires here.
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We burn a lot of stuff in barrels, and burn ditches here.
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You will likely need to drive long distances to get places. It is a fact of life here.
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4 Wheel Drive or All Wheel Drive is essential if you don't live in the downtown area of a metropolitan city.
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There may be no zoning, restrictions, or covenants on your property, which is wonderful. However, please keep in mind, that your neighbor also has the same freedom, so they may choose to put lots of trailers, antique tools, a lot of old cars, or whatever they would like on their property and you will have to be okay with that well due to the relaxed covenants.
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If you work remotely, it can be hard to get high speed internet in the rural areas. You will have better connections in the major cities, but occasionally, the entire city will not have internet if one of the poles or power lines were damaged.
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Do not try to change Montana into the fast paced, city you came from. Montanans don't like people moving here and changing the way of life here. The reason you're moving to Montana is because like it better than where you came from, so please do not try to change Montana into any other place, and if you don't push where you came from onto the locals here, you will get along with everyone just fine here.