Montana or Wyoming to retire?

[blacktail sniper]

Well I have had it with whats going on in this place and think i may be able to pull the plug retire and head out. I have spend some time in WY and like the buffalo/sheridan area a lot. However, recently been really looking hard at the Helena MT area. Before this week was going to work another 5-6 and wait for my boy to finish HS, but even he wants to move. Great ball player but rather hunt and fish! So the plan is get my daughter off which will be fall of 2022 and we move. The big issue now I have to also consider his education as he will be a freshman in HS. My favorite are mule deer and antelope and also like to chase an elk with my bow now and again. Used to guide for waterfowl here part time so to be able to call a few ducks or chase some upland birds would be cool too. I know pulling the plug early money will be a littel tight but we have had it worse case may be able to find some part time work. Any advice greatly appreciated. We also are considering Prescott AZ but that state turned a weird color lately but not a huge issue. Thanks

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Montana has a longer waterfowl season, and probably better options on sports. I don't mind the Helena area.

 

[bsnedeker]

If it were me I would have picked WY over MT from a purely hunting perspective. As a resident of WY you can hunt wilderness areas that non-residents can't hunt without some kind of guide. That seems like a really great bonus. I honestly don't hunt wilderness areas that much around here but that is because they are covered in hunters. My assumption is that is less of an issue in WY.

 

[High Voltage]

WY is much less taxed! Actually it is rated the number one place to retire money wise.

 

[blacktail sniper]

Man that is something I hadnt even thought about! espcially hoping to get a few ponys again. If wasnt for now looking into school etc WY def would have been at the top. Now making sure my son will be ok is a big priority .Then again you get out of school what you put into it!

 

[blacktail sniper]

Y

WY is much less taxed! Actually it is rated the number one place to retire money wise.

Yes sir. Huge perk! then again even MT at a flat 6 is better then my current 13%

 

[ClearCreek]

WY is much less taxed! Actually it is rated the number one place to retire money wise.

It WAS that way, currently the State of Wyoming and other entities supported by taxes are in a huge budget crunch because of the lost revenue from coal, oil and gas.

Wyoming will become an expensive place to live when the tax burden is shifted from carbon based to property taxes and income taxes because of the low number of people that have to share the burden.


ClearCreek

 

[High Voltage]

It WAS that way, currently the State of Wyoming and other entities supported by taxes are in a huge budget crunch because of the lost revenue from coal, oil and gas.

Wyoming will become an expensive place to live when the tax burden is shifted from carbon based to property taxes and income taxes because of the low number of people that have to share the burden.


ClearCreek

It was a few years ago when we went through our evaluation of where to live. I’m afraid the lefties are going to screw up a lot of the economics in the energy fields.

 

[Zslayer]

Wyoming for me! Montana seems to have a lot of people moving into it.

 

[High Voltage]

Wyoming for me! Montana seems to have a lot of people moving into it.

This is true, and a lot of them are from Cal. The problem is they bring the same ideology with them that destroyed the state they fled.

 

[PNWGATOR]

I think you’d enjoy the heck out of AZ, especially November through June compared to your other options. Incredible big game and upland opportunities, lots of educational opportunities and lots of simply fun stuff to do with the family. Easy access to airports and interstates and surrounded by other out of state opportunities if you so desire.

 

[Dust Rider]

MT is getting lots of Covid refugees. It is a big state, but really limited to a few areas to actually live with raising athletic kids. Helena area is good for birds, big game, and fishing with a boat on the Missouri. But like most other western states the price of property and cost of living keep rising.

 

[Russp17]

I grew up in Wyoming. If hunting is a high priority Wyoming is hard to beat. The schools in the Buffalo Sheridan area are top notch so I believe you would enjoy that area. The elk hunting in the bighorns is mostly draw however there are some general hunting in that area also.

 

[blacktail sniper]

It was a few years ago when we went through our evaluation of where to live. I’m afraid the lefties are going to screw up a lot of the economics in the energy fields.

Thats a huge concern in WY. May be really bad for all. And agree on bring the mentality that they flee from I dont get it

 

[Mt Al]

Helena is a great place IMHO, as are Sheridan and Buffalo, Wyoming. Real estate is going nucking futs in Montana, so you will be joining the literal migration of way too many people and the chaos they are and will be causing. Can't go wrong in any of these places.

 

[Laramie]

I hear the Colorado front range is nice.

 

[Broomd]

I'd head to remote high country Wyoming.
Windy as well in much of the state, but given what's going on? I'd run from the hordes.

By the way, good for you for realizing what really matters in life.

 

[peterk123]

@blacktail sniper I cannot help with WY but I can comment on Montana, or at least parts of it. My wife and I are planning to move to the Livingston area of Montana. Wyoming was on the list but we really enjoy skiing. In Wyoming that would have to put us near Jackson Hole. I am too poor for that option. We also fell in love with Montana. We love the Livingston area, Emigrant and Big Timber. I would look at other options but I have a daughter and son in law coming as well and she already has work lined up in Livingston as an accountant. The problem I am seeing right now is that housing pricing are nuts. After screwing up their respective states, it seems like everyone is going for "country life". Homes are actually being purchase sight unseen. As a result, I am seeing 750 sq ft homes with rotted siding going on the market for $360,000. I read, it may have been on Rokslide, that Sheridan is going through some of the same silliness.

It is going to be interesting how this all shakes out. I am not sure people realize how cold it can really get. Or how windy. Or how rough the roads can get.

I would be lying if I told you I was not worried about the future political climate in Montana. I am hopeful that even the left leaning population has enough taste of the outdoors and freedoms they enjoy to fight back. I actually hope Montana and surrounding states will tell the federal government to go pound sand once the new administration gets in. It is all about the people around you. That is what matters. I probably have another 30 to 40 years left on this planet. So my next move is very important to me and my wife. We just want to be left alone.

The hunting in both states will be outstanding. Heck, I am from Massachusetts. Any state will be better than mine.

We ended up purchasing the least expensive home in Livingston this past August. We will move into it and take our time to learn the area and figure out where we want to live. It also affords us the time to watch the market eventually implode and purchase something reasonable. And it will. I have been in commercial real estate for 25 years. I have seen a few of these cycles already.

So with that said, take a lot of trips to the areas that interest you and consider renting or buying something inexpensive so you can figure things out. We spent our four last vacations getting a rental car and pounding out 2,000 miles each time we visited. At this point, I know parts of Montana quite well

I am jealous of all the antelope in WY though. We drove from east to west, into Utah this June. Had to have seen a thousand of them. They are on my bucket list of animals to shoot and eat real soon. Maybe I can find one in MT.

 

[-bowfreak-]

Wyoming. Montana is purpling to the point it will be the next Colorado.

 

[blacktail sniper]

@blacktail sniper I cannot help with WY but I can comment on Montana, or at least parts of it. My wife and I are planning to move to the Livingston area of Montana. Wyoming was on the list but we really enjoy skiing. In Wyoming that would have to put us near Jackson Hole. I am too poor for that option. We also fell in love with Montana. We love the Livingston area, Emigrant and Big Timber. I would look at other options but I have a daughter and son in law coming as well and she already has work lined up in Livingston as an accountant. The problem I am seeing right now is that housing pricing are nuts. After screwing up their respective states, it seems like everyone is going for "country life". Homes are actually being purchase sight unseen. As a result, I am seeing 750 sq ft homes with rotted siding going on the market for $360,000. I read, it may have been on Rokslide, that Sheridan is going through some of the same silliness.

It is going to be interesting how this all shakes out. I am not sure people realize how cold it can really get. Or how windy. Or how rough the roads can get.

I would be lying if I told you I was not worried about the future political climate in Montana. I am hopeful that even the left leaning population has enough taste of the outdoors and freedoms they enjoy to fight back. I actually hope Montana and surrounding states will tell the federal government to go pound sand once the new administration gets in. It is all about the people around you. That is what matters. I probably have another 30 to 40 years left on this planet. So my next move is very important to me and my wife. We just want to be left alone.

The hunting in both states will be outstanding. Heck, I am from Massachusetts. Any state will be better than mine.

We ended up purchasing the least expensive home in Livingston this past August. We will move into it and take our time to learn the area and figure out where we want to live. It also affords us the time to watch the market eventually implode and purchase something reasonable. And it will. I have been in commercial real estate for 25 years. I have seen a few of these cycles already.

So with that said, take a lot of trips to the areas that interest you and consider renting or buying something inexpensive so you can figure things out. We spent our four last vacations getting a rental car and pounding out 2,000 miles each time we visited. At this point, I know parts of Montana quite well

I am jealous of all the antelope in WY though. We drove from east to west, into Utah this June. Had to have seen a thousand of them. They are on my bucket list of animals to shoot and eat real soon. Maybe I can find one in MT.

We are in the same boat and what you did crossed my mind buy small only problem I have is promised to take my mom with me. If it was just my wife and I be a lot easier wouldnt have to worry about school health care as much but I do a good job of wrecking myself from time to time. As you I hope these peopel get out their and freeze and leave. I helped a buddy in the bitterroot valley and that is already out fo my price range. I also was told i would like lewistown but need to research school and Ill be 52 by the time i get there so be nice to be able to find part time work if I choose to.