Rising star… - 12/15/2023

I would give this place four stars, but decided to give it five because it’s been so underrated. The five stars is contingent upon the city following through with its commitment to adding 1000 units of multi family housing to downtown. So far two large multi-use (residences, office, and retail) projects have been approved; one is a mid rise of luxury “flats” and the other is a 12-story tower “for working people”. Not quite “affordable housing” but also intended to relieve the crunch of reasonably priced, modern urban living. In 2018 a very large development that would have been the tallest building failed to get the support of the city council. Now that average rents have reached or surpassed those of cities like Portland, they won’t make that mistake again. The downtown is full of life and one of the most desirable areas. This gives Billings an advantage at a time when most downtowns in midsized to large cities are struggling due the pandemic promoting suburban flight. Even with median rents approaching those of West Coast cities, Billings is desirable. Right about now it is the ideal size for most people. However this means lots of growth. I believe Montana won’t make the same mistakes as California with regard to things like urban sprawl and NIMBY zoning. Measures have been taken to relieve the affordability crisis due to lack of new housing. For instance, Billings was the first in the nation to approve construction of 3D-printed homes. As a side note, it is also one of the first cities to be designated LEED gold. In the past, one might call that ironic due to the prevailing conservative views here, and one of the largest employers being the fossil fuel industry. This however is thankfully rapidly changing. Billings checks pretty much all the boxes, besides having a beach/ocean. It’s not exactly nestled in the mountains, but it’s plenty close for me. I like the way the skies feel huge and you can see six mountain ranges surrounding the city from atop the Rimrocks, which remind me of the beach. The valley below was pre-historically part of the ocean, the Rimrocks were indeed a tropical beach at one time. I really can’t think of many negatives. All the ones I can think of have changed. This city has made massive progress over the past few decades and seems to be gaining increasing momentum. The largest city between Boise, Denver, and Minneapolis, its cost of living is lower than all other comparable cities in Montana besides Butte and Great Falls, both of which have had stagnant population growth as opposed to the explosive growth happening in places like Bozangeles, Kallispell, Helena and Missoula. Furthermore, amenities, population and cultural characteristics have pushed Billings into a class of its own in Montana. People are saying it’s growing up, finally blossoming from stunted puberty thanks to a backward city council and conservative viewpoints which are thankfully thinning out or coming alive. Billings’ size and diverse economy and relative affordability to the rest of the state put it at a great advantage in the years to come, both at the state and national level.

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One person's perspective - 7/1/2023

A few people make a living in Billings, most people only make an existents. As for the crime rate, it depends on your point of view. If you compare Billings crime rate to its own history, it is high and increasing. If you compare Billings to big metropolitan areas (,unfair comparison,) that have multiples of the national crime rate, Billings looks rather tame. However, the crime rate is on the rise. What I think is going on is outsiders who have been desensitized to crime, are moving in and committing crime, encouraging crime, and/or falsely accursing the locals of crime. It is important for the sake of everyone's peace, that outsiders divorce the mind set of their previous location and assimilate into the Montana mind set. We Montanans prefer civil discourse when differences of opinion collide. This discourse takes place out of court with no need of lawyers. Just mind your manners and speak respectfully with each other to come to a win/win arrangement is what is needed. About the weather. Everything said is true, sub-below zero in the winter and triple digit highs in the summer. However, the humidity plays a big role. In the winter it will be dry, dry, dry. It will be so dry your hands and exposed skin will crack open if you don't use moisturizing ointment. In the Summer it will be muggy, muggy, muggy. It is so humid you can just about feel the weight of the atmosphere. Then their is the wind. We don't get too many twisters, but we do get tornado force winds called microbursts from time to time. They hit with the force of a EF2 tornado. Just to be clear, it doesn't happen every year. We also get severe thunderstorms called supercells that drop quarter sized hail on average, but every now and then you hear of baseball and softball sized hail in the surrounding areas. Blizzard season is from early February to late April. This is the time of the year that blizzards are most likely to occur. Not every year will have blizzards, but you still need to be prepared for them. As for plowing the streets in winter, the main traffic corridors are given most of the love. Minor neighborhood streets are forgotten about. About the amenities. They are for people who like the out doors or small town charm. If you are not into ether, you will be dead board. The social atmosphere is like any suburb in California, with out actually being a suburb of a city. Billings is the city... .>.> ...Technically. The fossil fuel industry that built Billings is being systematically torn down by Government. Without these giant shoes being filled, I do believe Billings GDP will begin to contract, followed by the population. However, I think Billings is a good place to build warehouses, both traditional and virtual. It is about equal distance between Seattle, Minneapolis, and Denver. It is on I-94 with I-90 Junction just out of town to the east. Access to a rail yard and a international Air Port. The hospitals are two of the best in the state. Nothing more to say about that.

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The last worst place - 9/24/2021

If you enjoy sub zero temperatures in Winter and 100 plus degrees in the Summer. You will love Billings. Snow plowing is almost non existent, so good luck driving for 5 months out of the year. ( about the length of Winter) Low wages, high housing costs, and high crime rate. Do not recommend.

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Too cold - 4/13/2019

It's cold up here. Brrr. Also it's not like Western MT, few have moved here from elsewhere, it's terrible. Must be something wrong. I suggest you stay where you are and look elsewhere. Thank you.

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Hey, Billings! This is NOT California! Wake up! - 3/29/2019

The housing market here is a JOKE! Higher per square foot than comparable locations in CA, but quality is MUCH less. Job market here is a JOKE as well. Yea, no sales tax. Great. But...income and property taxes are as high or higher than in CA, and government regulations (air, water, etc) are worse than CA! No wonder national or international food companies set up shop in Idaho or neighboring states. Montana is a state that needs employers, but those outside the oil and gas industries are cheap, and employers already there now would actually be better off moving operations to other states -- including CA!

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Water Quality - 6/28/2015

My husband and I are considering Molt, MT as a possible new home. We see that the water quality is quite poor. Why so? Can you provide some detail.

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why is the air soooo bad in Billings? - 5/24/2014

In looking at the air quality on here for Billings, I was quite surprised to see that the air quality was so bad. My father was looking at retiring there and thought it would good for his asthma but it doesn't look like it. Being by the mountains, I thought it would be a lot better than that.

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Housing - 6/15/2011

The cost of housing is over priced, considering the climate and jobs

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Quality of Life - 1/18/2011

Quality of life is pretty high. Housing isn't too expensive (median house value $200,000), and there are lots of parks and recreation opportunities in the area. Ready access to healthcare, great educational opportunities, and plenty of work opportunities. Billings is a growing community, so there is a lot of room for new comers.

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Billing is a pretty good place - 12/18/2010

We lived there for two years and enjoyed it for the most part. My wife took a very good and high paying job at St Vincents running the business office. She made a 6 figure salary which is a king's paycheck in Billings. I worked as a chemist making perhaps 2/3 of what I was used to in CO. Unfortunately her job was outsourced to a company in Texas which took over the revenue cycle duties (which has been a disaster we have been told) so we moved back to CO. Too bad, because we had just bought a great house in the wonderful Alkali Creek area. (fortunately we were able to sell the house in just a couple of months) Pros:Extremely Laid back,Friendly, very good farmers market,good skiing at nearby Red Lodge, awesome hiking and fishing in the Beartooth Range,easy to fly in and out of, a few good restaurants (downtown). Cheap Allegiant Flights to Phoenix and Vegas (was 80.00 RT a couple of years ago) Cons:the greenbelt trail is very fragmented. The city has turned it's back on the Yellowstone River as well. The West side and Heights are ugly and filled with strip malls, the longtime residents seem very sheltered,gray skies in winter (compared to CO anyway). Snow removal is the poorest I have ever seen-the unplowed snow will turn to ice and make driving around town very treacherous at times. But it really is a pretty pleasant place-reminds me of Boise, say 25 years ago. If the wifes job had not been outsourced we would still be there. Oh and in response to an earlier poster there is NO WAY Billings receives 340 days of sunshine-this on the level of Tucson.

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billings - 8/28/2010

nice place to live

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Billings....I liked it, except for...... - 7/30/2010

I lived in Billings in the early 90s and did some work there for a couple of months around 2003. I really enjoyed the outdoor opportunities, especially the hunting. The winter seemed long and very brown! One thing I haven't seen commented on in these write-ups are the sugar beets. Are they still processing these? That smell was nasty at best. It is dry, so bring some lip balm.

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Population - 7/8/2010

I brought up Billings, Mt. 59102 the last I knew Billings was over 100,000 people not 50 or 60,000. Missoula is around 60,000 not 107,000, where do you get your information? I have lived in Montana my whole life Billings wasn't that small when I graduated high school in 1965.

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Surprises - 5/10/2010

Having lived in Billings for the last five years, we have only just begun to see the amazing vistas of Montana. First surprise was the cultural opportunities in and around this community....from street markets to opera, Billings is known to be a cowboy town, but also a combination of cultures including the spirit of Native Americans. With less than a million people in the entire state (2010 census may put us over the mark), finding your own open space is an easy task. Another surprise is never being bored....even if you are only a 'sometimes' outdoor adventurer. At the risk of encouraging too many people moving to the state, the weather is unpredictable! In one week of May we have had 3" of snow, 66 mph winds and days reaching 60's!

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Stay Away! - 8/12/2009

Don't be fooled, this place is the definition of a dump. Cost of living is higher then Minneapolis and rivals most higher populated city's, pay is a joke. This is the only NORTHERN state I have ever been to that considers itself to be a southern state, Texas to be exact. I have had the unfortunate "experience"' of living here for 5 years. Everyone drives a truck, chews tobacco, drinks "Bud" and are far and few in between to have a full set of teeth. NO CULTURE! For out in the middle of nowhere, and in a semi-arid climate, these folks believe they are the cream of the crop of the US. Quite the opposite. I have lived in Chicago, LA, Cleveland and Minneapolis to name but a few, this is the worst place I have ever lived. I plan on moving back to Minnesota within the month BTW. People are rude, drive like maniacs, dress up like 1800's cowboys, NO INDIVIDUALITY at all. Either you are one of the "'good ole' boy's"', or you are an outsider. Nightlife and things to do: As a 30 something male, there is absolutely NOTHING to do but the bar scene, I ain't kidding. Save yourself the wasted time and effort at looking at this city, let alone Montucky. Do not be fooled, this place is to be avoided at all costs, unless you are from the south, then it will feel just like home. ;-)

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Weather - 2/7/2009

We consider Billings to be the banana belt of Montana. The winters are fairly mild. Spring and fall usually hover around 50 degrees to 75 degrees. Summer can be hot, 90 degrees to a high of 107 degrees. Humidity is very low year round.

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Ashland Montana - not on the list...Good if you li - 11/24/2008

We are 130 miles from Billings on US 122. Not much here except St. Labre Catholic Indian School. We are right on the edge of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, and on the other side is the Custer National Forest. Beautiful, rugged area. Lots of wildlife. Very inexpensive to live here, if you can find good work.

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Living in Billings, MT - 7/6/2008

Contrary to what many folks believe, living in Billings is not akin to living in a freezer. In fact, I often tell people that Billings is the "Banana Belt" of Montana. One winter we were in the Palm Springs area--an area one expects to find balmy temps and sunny days. We found out that yes, it does rain in Southern California, and yes, it does get cold. In fact, the temperatures in Billings equalled or exceeded the temps in Palm Springs that year. If you are a winter sports fan, there are many areas close to Billings that one can strap on their downhill/cross country skis or suit up for a day on a snowmobile. Don't let myths of weather deter you. Billings is great year-round place to live. Now, West Yellowstone is a different story . . . .

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tax free - 7/23/2007

Tax free on purchases

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Here my two cents about Billings, MT - 3/5/2007

Here my two cents about Billings, MT I consider that the cost of living and housing in Billings, MT is out of control; the salaries are lower than dirt. After 3 yrs. here I don’t know how the people can support themselves, we can afford it because we came through jobs transfers and our salaries are from a bigger city. Food for thought for the people whom are thinking about moving here: this is paradise for the outdoor type, but not for the people looking for cultured entertainment, the weather is not bad at all no much snow or ice, it is very dry which will make the summer less hard, spring is just perfect and fall is just a little wet (no much rain).

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