Montana Tacomas

still all private land though.

 

Shit that's cheap here in Bozeman. In city limits "affordable" ends up being condos for $800k+. No joke. They keep building these ultra high end condos.

 

So, a LOT of the land in and around town that is build-able is owned by ONE guy. He refuses to sell any of it. But, if you want to build on it, he'll "lease" the land to you.

As supply dwindles prices increase. Look at places like Telluride. It's in a tiny valley and there's no room for expansion. Add to that the resort destination for skiing and you've got ridiculous prices.

Now, add to that the fact that rich people keep moving here and can buy whatever they want regardless of price and... prices keep going up.

 

Supply and demand!

 

How U.S. Special Forces Get Their Armored Pickups

https://www.popularmechanics.com/mi.../?src=nl&mag=pop&list=nl_pnl_news&date=040718

 

Ah I wasn’t aware of the one guy owning a lot of it. That does change things.

 

Have any of you guys done the commute between Bozeman and Livingston? We found a job opening for my wife in Livingston and are trying to decide if it's worth pursuing. Seems like half the people I ask say they'd never consider it, and the other half says it's no problem, without much in between.

 

Well considering there is a fairly mean mountain pass between the two. You're gonna get mixed results no matter what.

Thing I would think about as I did a long commute through a not fun mountain road in winter is timing.

When would she get off work?

How long does the drive take? Double that time for blizzards and bad road conditions which will suck to drive in in the dark of winter.

Think about how brain fatigued the job would make her.

Then consider if its work the risk of driving and worth all the time spent driving.


For me..it was not. I moved. Fucking sucked driving in blizzards in the dark after 12 hour days or even normal days.

 

Thanks for the input man. That pretty well summed up what I was worried about. Unfortunately she works in a fairly specialized field, and the hospital in Bozeman filled two positions for it just before she moved out here so we're playing the long waiting game for something to come open. We're getting by on the one income, but a second income would be really nice in this valley haha.

 

I can imagine it would.

I know right now I commute about 24 miles of smooth highway with big shoulders now vs the 44 miles of twisty steep drop off deer infested highway.

The lady now commutes from columbus to Billings. Just started so we will see how that pans out in the winter this next season. Not a bad drive but the truckers are insane during bad storms. YOu know its bad when someone in Columbus can be a full time wrecker shop haha

Still, I am nervous about it for her this winter.

 

There are a number of commuters between Livingston and Bozeman, so maybe carpooling could be an option. You will need a good set of winter tires. During the summer is the best time to find affordable housing in the Bozeman area because there are not as many students at MSU then.

 

^^^^ x2

 

Thanks for the advice everyone. We're gonna try hard to get this one and hope something opens up in town eventually. We will definitely look into the carpool options as well. I'm sure she won't be the only person there that is coming from Bozeman... She doesn't seem concerned at all about the pass, but this is her first winter in the state, so I have a feeling she'll have a new opinion next winter haha.

 

Summer driving? It's a short drive.

Winter? It's white knuckle! Semis jacknife in the "Bozeman Pass" all...the...time. When the roads begin clearing in Bozeman after a storm they are still shitty in the pass.

She'll need good tires, lots of time to get to work, good winter driving skills, and 4 wheel drive to be safe.

 

I lived in Livingston and worked in Belgrade for 5 years and didn't mind it. Other then just the fact that it can be a long commute the worst part of the drive was between Bozmean to Belgrade. The pass has dedicated plow trucks to keep the roads clear and they do a good job. Fortunately I don't have that commute anymore. Now it's from Belgrade to Dillon

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/long-range-automotive-fuel-tank-34-gallon.490548/

Anyone in SW Montana getting in on this LRA tank deal?

 

I've been doing consultant related work in Livingston for 5 years, I live in Bozeman. Commuting anywhere from 1 - 3 times per week during that 5 year stretch, typically an 8am drive to Livingston and 5pm drive back to Bozeman. Summer driving is fine. Winter drive isn't too bad, not ideal though. During storms the freeway is typically packed snow/ice which you kind of get used to in Montana. I've never encountered the pass being closed. In my opinion the worst stretch is from Bear Canyon to Jackson Creek, when its cold, that stretch stays snow/ice covered for quite a while after snow falls. Factor in the curves and that is the stretch I have seen the most accidents also. Just this past winter I've seen at least 8-10 cars that had rolled over. Often times it's just one car that has rolled over. Only once have I seen an accident that had more than 3 vehicles in it. The semis do suck, I've encountered a few jack knifed rigs, luckily traffic was still able to get around them. Then on the flip side, they'll haul ass down the Livingston side of the pass causing white out conditions as they go. Other than being a little nerve racking, I've never had any close calls as far as accidents go. I definitely don't look forward to making that drive during winter storms, but I've never let it deter me either.

 

Interesting. Finally supporting us long beds.

Also, I recall they were cheaper on the last group buy. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

I thought about it but just couldn't justify the cost right now.