# How to Bug Out to Montana



## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

*Commentary by Dr. Prepper*

I'm just putting the finishing touches on my signs. Do you like them? They say "Trespassers will be shot without warning." I think that gets the message across. Don't you?

So I've heard you are thinking of bugging out to Montana when the SHTF. Is that right? Well, I've got some advice for you: The first thing to remember is that Montana is already filled with people. Not as many as most other states, but still, there are many of us here whether you saw us or not the last time you took a family trip through Montana. Yeah, we are a big state filled with rivers, lakes, mountains, and wide open prairies, but those waterways and lands are not yours for the taking just because things have gone downhill for a while. But since we are all Americans, I'll let you in on a secret. You can bug out to Montana, but you just have to know how.

First a little geography lesson. Montana is the fourth largest state, or rather the third since Alaska messes up all comparisons. But size is not quite everything. Montana is roughly rectangular and borders four other states as well as two Canadian provinces. But there's more to that picture. The US states flanking Montana are, on the south and west, mountainous and wild with few roads. And to the east, huge expanse of openness across the Dakotas. To the north lie Saskatchewan and Alberta, both wild lands rivaling Alaska in remoteness and low population. In other words, Montana is buffered by some pretty significant geographic and geologic challenges meaning that unless you are already nearby, not only are you multiple-gas tanks away, but also at the whims of the weather since all access points into Montana present significant driving challenges at least four months out of the year.

And speaking of driving, you might want to take a hard look at a Montana road map. The paved entry points are few, and only two interstate highways, one east/west, the other north/south. And that's for a state with nearly 2,000 miles of border! Many of the other paved access points into Montana are over passes including one stunning 10,000 climb that as you might guess opens late in the year and closes early. Additionally, there are many bridges as the roads wind through the mountains meaning there is only one way through the area and it has a significant constriction point. In fact my town of Missoula has the Hellgate Canyon and you can even go to Hellgate High School here. The name Hellgate describes the such a constriction point so named after the unfortunate results some early travelers experienced as they were forced into the mountain gauntlet on the east entrance to our fair city. Our city is close close to paradise, but to to reach it from the east, you will need to pass through the gates of hell.

Flatlanders and those with a head full of television shows and movies are used to options when approaching a roadblock. Around here, there might be a mountain to your right, a river and a mountain to your left, and a hundred miles of nothing behind you. You won't be racing around or over any of our road blocks. And whether by design or luck, most of our towns are surrounded by plenty of constriction points. Take a stroll around Google Earth to see what you are up against when bugging out after the SHTF. And summer vacations do not qualify.

However, I'm happy to report that Montana is home to many fine people who will be quick to welcome new faces as long as those faces are attached to skilled individuals and not just another whiny mouth to feed. Surviving, and even just living in Montana is work. Glorious work, but still work. Unlike cities where convenience rules and internal combustion does the all the heavy lifting, we in Montana are accustomed to the arsenal of nature. Whether blizzards, wildfires, floods, or angry animals, Montana has them all. Drowning and falling are two popular check-out methods tourists use in Montana, and yes, we do feel bad, but just because there is no sign warning of the dangers in the river, or the crumbling edge of the cliff doesn't mean it's safe. Every year we lose many visitors to gravity or water with plenty of other deaths we never know what happened because we cannot find their bodies. Strangely, the same things we do here for recreation are the same things that kill city dwellers.

World class hunting and fishing are two of Montana's exports. I'll admit that yes, there is game everywhere. Some Montana cities are even culling the city deer herds because the numbers are just too high. And Montana is quick to capture and prosecute poachers and others who violate the rules and laws of hunting and fishing. You must understand why we have those rules and laws in order to appreciate them. Historically, humans took what they needed when they needed it. But that all changed when hunting became a source of financial income, and cities demanded more food, especially birds, big game with big antlers, and weighty fish. No longer were hunters subsisting. They were now in the business of volume and sales. It didn't take long to deplete the game supply, and worse, the reproductive patterns of the animals were disrupted to the point that the few viable offspring were not enough to sustain the species. While the commercial hunters just moved on to different game in different places, the residents were left with nothing but scorched earth. So hopefully you can see that we are a little reluctant to loose sight of you while hunting. Unless you live around here, we have no reason to think that you truly appreciate what we have, and will take appropriate action if necessary. You are welcome take that however you want.

Montana is also filled with dirt roads and places where not roads are allowed. Those roads do go somewhere, and just because you managed to drive all night and cross into Montana unobserved does not mean you now own the land wherever you park your bug out vehicle. When a bug out location seems perfect, even too perfect to be true, it is probably part of someone else's plan, or perhaps even the landowner's. Federal land is considered up for grabs as long as you don't infringe on another camp whether by presence, activity, or upstream effects, and that you respect the resources. You are not allowed to cut down trees to build a cabin. At least not right away. America is a great nation and we Montanan's will not allow our wild resources to be looted, stolen or destroyed simply because of your poor planning, stupidity, or greed. Remember, Montana is what America used to be, and we will be keeping it that way. Capisce?

Sadly, it is a common occurrence here under the Big Sky to have out-of-staters throw their weight around thinking they own the place. Sure, some do when they buy large tracts of real estate and then upend the local ecosystem. We usually can wait until their dysfunctional lives implode, marriages fail, and the FBI moves in to commandeer their possessions and land. But in a SHTF scenario, we won't wait for the FBI. Arrogance is a danger to us all so we just might have to eliminate or at least temper the arrogant threat. Sorry, but I think you understand.

So how does one come in peace to Montana? One way is that you are welcome to purchase your own bug out acreage and homestead it as you please, but that still requires you can get "home." Nothing greases the wheels of a roadblock like being a landowner. But you will have to answer some questions first, so brush up on your trivia about where your supposed land is located. And there is always the relationship angle leveraging friends, family and acquaintances who have already exercised a previous Montana option. But of course this is America, and we Montanans are also Americans. We do not want to take up arms against our countrymen, but then again, we are expecting a certain level of appropriate behavior from our visiting brethren, and our rights have not ceased to exist just because your neck of the American woods is a little complicated at the moment.

Let's assume you have successfully driven your BOV through the buffer states and now find yourself humming along the desolate roads of Montana (which are often desolate even when things are great which is how we like it). You come face to face with your first roadblock. It is a handful of old trucks (of which we have plenty) completely blocking the right of way 100% across and two or three deep. Let's also assume it is summer, daylight, and the SHTF event is more economic then viral. As you slowly approach the obstruction, with your hands on the wheel and tinted windows rolled down (We'd hate to have to lower them ourselves from the outside), you notice the road behind you now has an obstruction as well. Yes, you are trapped. As you have nothing to hide you have no need to worry. But you must understand that we too have families that need protection. We simply cannot let anyone wander into what we have tried so hard to maintain, and that we believe to be worthy of preservation as representative of what makes America great.

Our questions for you will be simple. Who are you? Where did you come from? Where are you going? Once you pass that test, we would love to pick your brain for news about what's going on in other places. In fact, depending on your experiences, you just might be the hero of the day joining us for dinner. Didn't see that one coming, did you?

I told you we up here in the north are good folk. We have nothing against you, and if you belong here, then welcome home! However, if we detect that your motives are not pure, and you could be a liability if not an outright danger, then we may give you the option to turn around and try your luck in Wyoming, Idaho, or South Dakota, or just handle it ourselves in the old fashioned but effective ways early Montana settlers are famous for.

Let me give you a couple other tips. I can tell an awful lot about you from your choice of footwear. The reason I am telling you this is to help you be honest. You can no more pretend you belong here as you could blend in while wandering the streets of New York City. You can fool yourself, but you cannot fool us. Everything about you is telling. The way you drive, where you walk, how you handle tools including firearms, and of course your reaction to what nature dishes up whether wind, wildlife, water, or whatever. Everything from your choice of hat to vehicle tires screams information about you. As does your knife, your backpack, even your water bottle. So don't even try to lie. Honesty goes a long way around here.

While it is imperative that you roll with nature's punches in Montana it does take some practice. Sorry to generalize, but most city folk are soft. They are too sensitive to temperature. They are not used to walking (and I mean miles), and they have lost their nature smarts. They do stupid things. They miss clues and cues. In a nutshell, they want things to be a certain way that nature has no intention of accommodating. You know what folks? Sometimes it is just plain freezing out. And sometimes mosquitoes and flies are annoying. And sometimes you lose your game to the bears, wolves, coyotes, (insert predator name here). Sometimes it rains and you get wet. And sometimes you are cold and miserable. And hungry. And tired. And sore. And concerned. And lost. But after a while living like this, it grows on you. You want it. Or maybe it's more that you don't care because the good outweighs the bad.

Bugging out to Montana is not like in the movies. I'll admit that there will be many successful impromptu bug outs to Montana, but those first arrivals will set the stage for everyone else. The moment we Montanans feel threatened or used, then overnight Montana will be the hostile land that it once used to be.

Please don't take it personally, but if you really want to bug out to Montana, you really need to already be here [when things fall apart.]

http://www.survivalblog.com/2013/08/how-to-bug-out-to-montana-by-professor-prepper.html


----------



## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

I like it. 

Fortunately, we have land in Montana (aggie land for retirement). Unfortunately, in a true SHTF situation, I doubt we would make it there from Ohio...


----------



## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

If it becomes a good option for me to go all the way to Montana from here the pooch is truly screwed. If it happens I'll take your thoughts into consideration and show up as a value add with a good attitude


----------



## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Hah, I love it. Thanks, UncleJoe! 

Yep, those of us living here in Montana are NOT (and I mean NOT) excited to hear all these prepper people always fantasizing about bugging out to Montana. Like we have lots of space on our place and tons of preps for the thousands of people with the delusion they would be welcome! It doesn't matter what skills you try to convince us you have. Don't bother making the trek.


----------



## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

I bet the newcomers their first winter would be dying for a Chinook(so to speak).
I've spent a bunch of winter time in Montana. No thank you.


----------



## dutch9mm (Jul 29, 2013)

Keep yer stupid big beautiful "safe" remote state ill be just fine here in southern missouri. Yer more than welcome to come on down.


----------



## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

UncleJoe said:


> *Commentary by Dr. Prepper*
> 
> To the north lie Saskatchewan and Alberta, both wild lands rivaling Alaska in remoteness and low population.
> 
> http://www.survivalblog.com/2013/08/how-to-bug-out-to-montana-by-professor-prepper.html


:laugh: I wish, there is a lot of "wild land" in the north of the provinces but the rest is not exactly wilderness.
Montana's population is about a million, Alberta has two cities that are each bigger than that


----------



## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

We once looked to move to Montana ...

that no longer holds true.

(sorry)


----------



## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

No need for all the roadblocks. Just shut down and drain the gas stations near the border cause it takes several tanks to meander across it! Or just wait till winter. The meat popsicles from a MT winter will be stacked up like cordwood. If you don't have a well insulated home before SHTF don't bother going north cause you will freeze to death before Thanksgiving.


----------



## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

dutch9mm said:


> Keep yer stupid big beautiful "safe" remote state ill be just fine here in southern missouri. Yer more than welcome to come on down.


Thanks but no thanks....

I drive a truck every day and what I have noticed lately is that EVERYONE that passes me (because truck speeds are slower) has a foreign plate on their car. It is really amazing how people are in such a hurry that waiting 3 minutes until the next passing lane (where they widen the 2 lane road to 4 lanes) is out of the question.


----------



## spregan (Aug 6, 2011)

This post made me kind of laugh when you said you live in Missoula. I also live in Montana, but it's not in latte drinking, tie dye Missoula. What will you do with all the parasitic hippies that already live there? Will they man your "road blocks"?


----------



## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

We will just drop trees on the passes and keep them over there... LOL

That wonderful canyon can also be used to keep them from getting out!


----------



## Reblazed (Nov 11, 2010)

spregan said:


> not in latte drinking, tie dye Missoula. What will you do with all the parasitic hippies


Don't hold back, sweetie ... tell us how you really feel about Missoula.  

.


----------



## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

I only recently moved here, but I feel I need to warn people. Its horrible here, the people are angry and dont like anyone, the weather is terrible, nothing grows here except dangerous animals, even the deer are thugs... DONT COME HERE ITS AWEFUL!!!

California, florida... heck even missouri, go there!


----------



## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

hiwall said:


> I bet the newcomers their first winter would be dying for a Chinook(so to speak).
> I've spent a bunch of winter time in Montana. No thank you.


I hate Chinooks ... they cause me nothing but pain when they blow through. Give me the deep cold till it is time to get warm again!


----------



## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

I tend to agree with Goshen Girl in that making it to Montana would be a formidable task if things did truly go to you know where. If you are more than an hours drive from your BOL you are most likely in real trouble. People will be exiting the urban areas like mad if things do go bad. 

Between the idiots who think they can live off the land and the ones who think there will be gas stations all along their way to the promised land you are going to have a mountain to climb getting there. I have one friend who has his own plane with extended range tanks (Cessna 172). He might just make it to his place. He keeps his plane two miles from his house and his work. GB


----------



## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Unfortunately, Montana would be swarmed if TSHTF.

People think wild game is just hanging on every tree there, ripe for the picking.... just like out of a 1950's issue of _*Field & Stream*_.

Poor Montanans along the southern and western borders.... 
(those on the east and north will be just fine)


----------



## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

Oh, we'll be just fine too..


----------



## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

This is my favorite statement:


> _However, I'm happy to report that Montana is home to many fine people who will be quick to welcome new faces as long as those faces are attached to skilled individuals and not just another whiny mouth to feed._


----------



## BillS (May 30, 2011)

Expect DHS to have manned bulletproof checkpoints at state borders after it hits the fan. There aren't going to let people in or out of the cities or into places like Montana.

If you look at the map, a better place to bug out to would be northern Minnesota or southwestern Ontario. According to Wikipedia, Canada has 3 million lakes. Ontario must have 5 times the lakes of Minnesota and Minnesota has at least 10,000 lakes.


----------



## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Looking at a map is not even going to give you half the picture, for instance the reason there are all those lakes in southwestern Ontario is because it is Canadian shield = Rock, no arable land to speak of.
I think a person can do their best regardless of area by adapting appropriate techniques but that doesn't mean I would suggest a place like SW Ontario as a voluntary choice.


----------



## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

hiwall said:


> winter time in Montana. No thank you.


Ditto. After hearing weather tales from GS and MMM, I know Montana is not where I would want to be. Snow from September through May is not for me.


----------



## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

FatTire said:


> Oh, we'll be just fine too..


Yes, the mountains would provide you with natural barrier from the west. Hiking on foot in the mountains is slow travel. No one will be coming down from the north, LOL!


----------



## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

UncleJoe said:


> Ditto. After hearing weather tales from GS and MMM, I know Montana is not where I would want to be. Snow from September through May is not for me.


I had 8" of snow on June 8th of 2012 at my place and I am only around 4k feet in elevation.


----------



## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

There have been well-known preppers who've dubbed Montana and northern Idaho as the survival meccas of the US. I tend to disagree. We live here because I love it here and now our kids/grandkids help keep us here. It is not the best place for long term survival post SHTF. Our summers are short to nonexistent making growing crops a gamble even in a good year. Our winters are long meaning we must heat our homes for extended time periods. There are a lot of things we'll never see again if it's an EOTWAWKI situation. We have big game but hunting them isn't as easy as most imagine and we'll have a lot of competition from wolves, mountain lions, bobcats, lynx, coyotes, black and grizzly bears, and probably abandoned dogs that have gone feral. Forest fires are a very real threat in late summer.

On the plus side the population is sparse and in general the people tend to be more self-reliant and tenacious (you must be to live here for long). But we have our share of lazy bums, addicts, and generally worthless scum too!

If I was going to pick the ideal place(s) for long term, self-sufficiency/survival it would be the Midwest. Especially Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas. Lots of farmland and relatively few people compared to many places. The climate is better as well. Due to the rural and conservative nature of the populace it will probably be a good place to live. We've been seriously considering buying a place there in addition to our place here. I grew up in eastern Kansas and still have relatives living there. The gardening there is a hundred times better than here, the climate is mild and houses are cheap compared to many locations. Stick with the small towns. If you're a good neighbor they'll take you in and you'll be a part of one big family.


----------



## spregan (Aug 6, 2011)

For the record I do like Missoula, I just had to laugh thinking about it in survival context, because I usually go to the beerfest there. I'm sure there are excellent preppers there, I just had a vision of the colorful characters I see at the beerfest, working a guard post.

I would have to agree with MMM, we just recently moved back because my wife and I family's have been here for several generations, and we wanted to live by them again. Living here is not easy though. We had been living in OK for the last several years, and many things are easier there. The climate is milder, everything is way cheaper, and I hate to say it, but the people are friendlier. When we moved to OK we where readily accepted, now coming back here after 20 years, we are treated as outsiders, even though we grew up here. I know wha wha, but for SHTF time, I think it would be easier to form alliances down south.


----------



## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

spregan said:


> ...I hate to say it, but the people are friendlier. When we moved to OK we where readily accepted, now coming back here after 20 years, we are treated as outsiders, even though we grew up here. I know wha wha, but for SHTF time, I think it would be easier to form alliances down south.


I think you're correct on this. There's a strong sense of Western hospitality toward visitors that can be misleading. Tourists come and visit then think it's a great, friendly, accepting place and move here but there's a resistance toward newcomers and the hospitality thing is rather thin. Don't be mislead, it's not like people are out to "get you" but they'll hold off on any deep friendship until you've been here awhile and "show yourself."

IMO, one of the major reasons is that a lot of people come here but almost as many leave within a few years. It's a hard place to make a living and while the winters are not normally as cold as most envision them, they are very long! You have to really want to live here because it's a lot easier to live somewhere else.

Another reason is the problems that people bring with them. We've seen so many people come and bring their personal problems with them. If your kid is on drugs in X?X?X?X?X state or city they'll still find drugs in Montana. Living in Montana doesn't fix marriage problems (it often makes them worse) or other problems in a family. People who think it does become disillusioned and go back where they came from. In the meantime we've had to lock everything up to keep it safe from their thieving, drug abusing husband, wife, or children trying to support their drug habit. There have been surveys done showing that the majority of crimes in MT are perpetrated by new residents (under five years).

Another reason for the turnover in population is that people come here expecting a life of hunting/fishing/skiing/ blah, blah, blah then find out that they can't even afford the gasoline to get out to the mountains and do those things. Wages are seriously lower here than other places. I heard the owner of one of those "temp agencies" bragging to his other business friends how nice it was to have a temp agency in MT because so many people were desperate for jobs and they'd work for minimum wage on $hit jobs.

The worst thing is the people who come here then want to change things to be more like the places they left. Californians are the worst but others do it too. The typical local response is to tell them to "go back where they came from." Things often get very frosty for them and I'm not talking about the weather.

We have newcomers calling the cops because some one is shooting a firearm. We have newcomers whining about poor roads and cattle on the roads and lack of service for their cell phones and loggers making too much noise early in the morning (they have to work early - called "hoot owl" restrictions - in fire season because of fire regulations) or they whine about clear cuts in the timber while they have a semi-truck load of lumber in the front yard for their remodeling project. They come here and let their dogs roam and chase the deer and elk and the family cat.

I could go on but if you want more then buy my book. It has a whole chapter on how to get along with your neighbors.

Anyway, as the OP said, if you're new here expect to spend a few years proving up before you'll find real acceptance by the locals.:rantoff:


----------



## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

mosquitomountainman said:


> We have newcomers calling the cops because some one is shooting a firearm. We have newcomers whining about poor roads and cattle on the roads and lack of service for their cell phones ....or they whine about clear cuts in the timber while they have a semi-truck load of lumber in the front yard for their remodeling project.


Ugggghhhh..... bad memories, that.


----------



## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

I have read that the oil pipeline / drilling in North Dakota is bringing a lot of crime and other issues to Western North Dakota, is that effecting Montana too? Whenever you have a sudden job boom you get a population boom. More people, more problems.


----------



## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Sentry18 said:


> I have read that the oil pipeline / drilling in North Dakota is bringing a lot of crime and other issues to Western North Dakota, is that effecting Montana too?


Probably not as much... Eastern Montana is pretty sparsely populated.

Lots of young men with tons of money in "Man Camps" equals trouble. Strippers in Williston can make $1000 cash a night!


----------



## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Sentry18 said:


> I have read that the oil pipeline / drilling in North Dakota is bringing a lot of crime and other issues to Western North Dakota, is that effecting Montana too? Whenever you have a sudden job boom you get a population boom. More people, more problems.


I'm not very familiar with how it affects eastern MT. We know a lot of people who've headed that way. It's like the gold rush era over there. Lots of bad things happening. If you're a local you can sell out for a fortune and move somewhere else. We did that when the nuclear plant in Kansas began construction.


----------



## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

Ive had job offers to go work over there. I passed in large part because i dont want to have to physically harm anyone. Sort of the same reason I avoided working in the bay area when i was in california. Lots of young guys with nothing to do after work but drink leads to a volatility that was fun when i was young, but best avoided now. Also, when you do the math they arent making that much money, big wages sure, but a huge rent n food bill too. Divorce and infidelity seems to be on the rise as men leave for the work and wives are left home. Id wager that as the kids become teens and young adults we will see crime and drug abuse increase.


----------



## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

We have received more than a few "headhunter" faxes with law enforcement openings in that area. At first I thought they might be having a lot of turn over, turns out it's just expansion. One of my Officer's is from Eastern Montana or Western North Dakota. She said that they increased the size of the local Sheriff's Office from 3 to 12 and they still can't keep up.


----------



## spregan (Aug 6, 2011)

Sentry 18. We live in way eastern MT. We are seeing an increase in crime and drugs and prices. It's not so much the oil workers as it is their family members. Like MMM said, you can't run from your problems. Bringing a drug addicted adult-child up here, is not going to fix them. We have a official low unemployment rate, but I keep seeing a lot of physically capable parasites not doing anything. Guess you can't apply for unemployment if you've never had a job!


----------



## Navajo (Mar 4, 2013)

Been here for a few years...you can fit right in if you are hard working church going, outdoor loving, did I mention libertarian, God fearing family orientated, down to earth, Judeo/Christian based orientated in where your common sense comes from, did I mention hard working?

After traveling from one side of this country to the other and living from one side to the other, Montana suits me and I suit Montana just fine thank you....did I mention it takes hard work to stay alive here? And it will be even harder when the SHTF..cause this place is going to be trying to kill you the moment you show up.


----------



## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Navajo said:


> ....did I mention it takes hard work to stay alive here? And it will be even harder when the SHTF..cause this place is going to be trying to kill you the moment you show up.


The drive on 200 from Glendive up through Circle, Jordan and all the way to Lewistown, Stanford and Great Falls always gave me an appreciation of folks who were willing to work hard to make it through life. That is NO country for weak men.


----------



## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

I loved Montana when I lived there in the 90's. The summers were fantastic. The winters were hard if you had to get out to work. The coldest week of my life was in West Yellowstone. Temp hoovered at more than -60* at night and warming up to -30 during the day. I would walk to work (managed a hotel) and would have icicles on my eye lashes as that was the only part of my body exposed. But I did enjoy the skiing and snowmobiling. I use to tell my guest that would come in the summer months and fall in love with the place, before you buy a home here spend a winter.


----------



## spregan (Aug 6, 2011)

It's hotter than the hubs of hell today! I actually prefer winter over summer, so -30 doesn't bother me. With proper conditioning and the right gear, extreme cold isn't to much of a hinderance. Now if someone was dehydrated or malnourished, or improperly equipped it could be a real problem.


----------



## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

spregan said:


> It's hotter than the hubs of hell today! I actually prefer winter over summer, so -30 doesn't bother me. With proper conditioning and the right gear, extreme cold isn't to much of a hinderance. Now if someone was dehydrated or malnourished, or improperly equipped it could be a real problem.


Well welcome to the club ... just remember, if you come bring a job with you.


----------



## Navajo (Mar 4, 2013)

Jobs are hard to come by here...at least anything with decent pay.

I took about a 20K hit to stay here.

But it is worth it.


I am fortunate, my job allows me to drive all over the state and parts of ND and WY too.

wonderful place to drive and see.

Better have a job before you get here, the only jobs otherwise are min. pay and it would be hard to live here on that pay....hand to mouth, would be the phase.


----------



## spregan (Aug 6, 2011)

MMM I'm already here and it's hot here in the eastern part of the state. I have a very good job.


----------



## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

It's rare to land a high-paying job after a person moves here, but it also depends on your skills. Anyone in the medical community, for example, would eventually get a 'decent'-paying job. The pay scale is probably lower than other places, but for our area, better than a lot of jobs. 

Clarice was right... before a person decides to move here or buy a house here, they should spend a winter here. July and August are terribly misleading as to what the weather is like, and what it's like to endure the loooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg winter. 

It's hard enough for those of us established here; I truly shudder for those who bug out to here and have to try and make it. They'd probably pass ME bugging out for somewhere south/warmer! lol


----------

