I loved Bozeman but I had to leave; Now happier in Rural Montana

I first moved from Colorado to Bozeman, Montana, in 2012 for a publication job. Immediately, the picturesque city felt like at home.

My community was small, dynamic, athletic and artistic. I loved being surrounded by nature and hiking and snowboarding in the mountains one day while enjoying the advantages of the practical city, such as expanses accessible on foot of restaurants and stores, the next one.

For years, my rent has never been more than $ 600 per month for a room or a large studio, and the cost of living was easy for me to sail.

In 2017, I moved to Missoula for a career change, but I always thought that I would finally buy a house in Bozeman and that I would go back for good.

But when I was ready to come back a few years later, I felt like I had been assessed. Fortunately, I found a different place to land in Montana about 100 miles that changed my life for the best.

Bozeman’s growth made him less affordable

When I moved to Bozeman in 2012, he had just under 40,000 inhabitants. Today, this pushes the 60,000 mark.

The jump to residents has contributed to leading to the shortage of housing, as well as high prices and rents.

Over the past five years, the value of houses in Bozeman has increased considerably. Today, the average value of a single -family house in Bozeman is more than $ 740,000, and the average rent is nearly $ 2,400 per month, according to Zillow data

These prices increasing and the supply of limited housing are not unique in Bozeman – Kalispell, Missoula and even smaller cities in Montana as Dillon have experienced similar booms in recent years.

Residents attribute it to things like billionaire land investments in Montana, the rise of Airbnb and even the recent popular Western drama “Yellowstone”.

Whatever the cause, financial pressure is difficult to reconcile.

I live on a single income which was regularly above the average salary of Bozeman. However, going back to Bozeman meant that I would spend more than 50% of my income on the rent, and my dream of property would be even more out of reach.

So I started looking for a house in more rural regions of Montana, outside the city, I liked it so much.

Move to a more rural area gave me a lot of financial breathing room

I noticed that the more I liked HUB airports in Montana and decent restaurants, the more my wallet felt. Now, I live Smack Dab in the rural middle of Butte and Anaconda in the southwest of Montana.

My dreams of home ownership finally feel more feasible. In Butte and Anaconda, the average value of the house is about $ 270,000 – less than half of what it is in Bozeman.

In addition, I am able to save more money here with the cost of lower living.

My rent is less than half of what it would have been in Bozeman, and I can even allow myself to drive a more pleasant truck and keep a few horses. There is also room in my budget for gas and plane tickets to travel when long winters reach me.

In addition to that, it was nice to live in a more rural place. I know my neighbors and I love them. I feel more safe here in the boondcks than everywhere I lived, Bozeman included.

And even if I am now about 100 miles from my beloved Bozeman, here to the west, it is only an hour and 15 minutes by car.

I miss city life, but compromise are worth it

I would lie if I said that I did not fail to live in a city, the convenience of having a superb cup of coffee in a neighboring coffee with the ease of living near an airport.

However, compromises are worth it. Every morning, I sip excellent roasted coffee locally while I watch my horses eat hay with mountains in the distance.

All Fall, a large bull wapitre embarrassed its songs on the hill by my humble little house. I can see three different mountain beaches from where I live.

My friends also seem to visit me now more than ever. I also visited myself. In my humble opinion, it’s a very good place to land.