Posted on 07/03/2020 4:44:28 PM PDT by Freedom56v2
One of my children is considering a move to Billings to take advantage of a good career opportunity. However, no one in our family or circle of friends has been there.
So I would really appreciate any input Freepers familiar with the area can provide!
Thanks much :)
*We have lived in Fargo and one of the kids lived in Grand Forks, North Dakota--may be some similarities for comparison....
Christopher Moore, in his novel Coyote Blue, describes how the Indians in that part of Montana didn’t have to drive buffalo off the cliff. The buffalo would take a look, say, “Oh crap, it’s Billings,” and then jump.
Billings is busy from the oil patch - the summers are hot, the winters are cold and snowy. The wind NEVER stops. Love the thunderstorms there, good mix of foods, easy to travel to see many regional and local sights.
It’s a good place, just be ready for some real weather.
Oh - make sure you have a garage - for the snow in winter but also for the hail in summer.
I guess it just wasn't your cup of tea.
I’ve been to Billings several times, but it’s been quite a few years ago. I thought it was a real nice town. It would be culture shock for someone coming from a big city or where winters are mild. But if you’ve lived in N.D., you’d be fine.
Cody, Wy has the BEST Western gallery!
Moving to Montana in general. Flathead county, and others, he covers the western part of the state.
Gunner
I got a sawmill going in Eaton Co for an outfit that was destined to fail. But hey, it was a job and they wouldnt listen to me so what the hell. I took their money.
I traveled each day through Ft Collins up to Laramie and there is a little church on that highway in a valley. I cant remember the highway number now.
I always thought of the song “The Three Bells” by Jim Ed Brown when I passed that little church. Lovely to see that.
Also, you can see the wagon wheel ruts at a little side stop from the Overland? Trail days.
-maybe punishment of some kind-
Something like that. We did some work on the Safeguard Anti-ballistic Missile site during construction. During my spare time I was able to get in shape for my first marathon. Lots of square miles of countryside and not just too many leisure time activities available.
I moved fall of 1988 to Seattle area. The last year I was there, the winter had around 20 days when the temperature didn't get above -20. The last summer there was +/- 25 days where the high was 90 degrees. I decided it must be like living on the moon.
Very nice people, but somewhat naive in terms of people and politics.
I have a sister still there, they live by Rocky Mountain College. There's also a branch of MSU there but I don't think I would call it a college town.
There are two smaller than average sized oil refineries in Billings. There are also a few natural gas facilities in the area.
The weather is on par with ND. Same goes for the wind.
House prices spike in the summer and fall as out of state people buy, then the prices fall all through the winter into spring as those thin skinned persons decide they are not up to living there.
The weather can be especially brutal down near the river due to the extra dynamic of the humidity/moisture when it’s cold. Having worked everywhere there is oil and having worked them all seasons, Billings is not any worse than others. This goes for all points of the compass.
I always get a kick out of hearing the locals of place doing their shpill on others, either they say it’s the worst place on the planet, or it’s not as bad as some other places being compared.
I laugh at all of it. Weather is weather.
It.Simply.is
I laughed out loud at your post.
I told a worker about that stunt just this past week
Isamy Montana changed the name of the town for a year to show support for Joe, and he loved the stunt so much he got season tickets for the whole town.
The first thing I did when I got to fargo was to pay my respects to Roger Maris.
Then I went and bought Bison green clothing
In the Tri-Cities we typically are 11°F warmer than even Spokane. In fact, it is uncanny how the relationship holds up to be violated only by unusual weather conditions. We have had fairly mild winters and summers lately, with only a very few really cold winter days. But a fair amount of snow.
Look at my comment #54. Yes, Washington, but eastern WA is very conservative (except maybe in certain college neighborhoods) and is naturally separated from the Seattle loonies by the Cascade mountain range and a huge cultural chasm. No state income tax for now.
I worked on some oil wells exploration in the late seventies. It is a cold Son of a Bi-ch in the winter. I was working outside. Frostbite really sucks. It is lovely in the late spring, summer and early fall. Not a bad place to live.
One of my oldest friends is from Fargo. She has waxed poetic about the place for DECADES.
She PLANNED on returning to her "eden" but the cost of houses went up because of the petroleum boom. The $4,000.00 home now costs $40,000.00 and she can't afford it.
She HATES where she lives. It's my home town but she HATES it. Anyway, she married an Arab here and they were very happy. One tiny problem: she can't get a visa to go there so she is stuck HERE and HE is w-a-y over there.
Everything you mentioned about Fargo is, no doubt, true, but the way SHE describes Fargo is with rose colored glasses.
However, you made ME laugh! Some paradise. Sounds like Sweden. There were mosquitos there when I visited in the summer. They BIT THROUGH my thick Levis. I guess they HAD to be hardy: bite the American through her Levis or DIE.
“””Then I went and bought Bison green clothing””””
It’s required by law. Don’t be caught out in public on a Saturday without the green gear.
“””One of my oldest friends is from Fargo. She has waxed poetic about the place for DECADES.””””
Your friend could use some counseling and perhaps a ton of medication.
I’ve had to go through Billings when visiting my sister in Lovell, WY. (I live near the Maine coast).
I like the place. You can tell how far you are from downtown by noticing the architecture of the area that you are in. The hospital serves a large geographical area and is the go-to hospital when a smaller, more rural hospital can’t handle something.
There are refineries that you pass when entering or leaving the area.
This is louis and Clark territory with a rich Western History and Yellowstone National Park is not too far away.
The need for a garage is very real (snow etc.) and if cold and dry weather is a problem for anyone, A second thought might be wise.
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