Not for me.
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5/30/2019
I was excited about moving to Butte--I used to visit a lot in college, and fell in love with the history and scenery. Unfortunately, after the first few months in Butte, it became clear it wasn't for me.
The economy is piss poor--there are really no jobs for people without medical degrees unless you want to work at a gas station or fast food restaurant.
The historic district has amazing potential, but most of the buildings have been left to rot on the side of the hill.
People are not inviting, and change is mostly unheard of. People are wary of outsiders because they believe they will come and change everything overnight and make it too expensive to live like Bozeman or Missoula. I see the point, but Butte has a long way to go before something like that would ever happen. Being open to new ideas and taking pride in a community does not necessarily lead to overwhelming growth and mcmansions.
I still have a soft spot in my heart for the history and landscape here. I was very disappointed by how hard it was to meet people, especially young people interested in art and culture. Mining has clearly had an environmental impact on the city, but I would argue it has also impacted people's values here--there are only a handful of people I met who were not ultra conservative and glad to sell out the environment and health of people for the gain of a few rich people when a new mining bill was up for a vote. Really not my cup of tea.
One plus was that there's no law against having an open container. The rest, I could leave behind.
Maura | Butte-Silver Bow, MT