re: If you had to choose between Idaho, Wyoming, or Montana

I never see anyone mention the Wyoming portion of the Black Hills in these threads.

Absolutely gorgeous, all the hunting and outdoors you could ever want, hasn’t been invaded by Californians.

I’d move there tomorrow.

I know all three.

Idaho is very traditional, and of the three, it’s seen the smallest influx of transplants. There are also large Mormon populations which will help preserve its traditional conservative character. Parts of the state are quite beautiful, but of the three, it’s the one I like the least.

Wyoming, I assume you’re looking at the Jackson area, is beautiful. And you do have access to all of the best outdoor sports. Everything from skiing to hunting.

It is very liberal though, and it’s not a real place, it’s full of transplants, and young transients, people who are there for two or three years, and move on.

You do see cowboys on horseback, working the ranch land, but it’s an artifact and in some ways a tourist attraction.

Montana is my favorite of the three, the landscapes make you feel like an ant. They tower over you, and once you get ten miles outside of Bozeman, it feels like nothing has changed, in the best way.

Bozeman itself is going the way of Jackson, the Californians have arrived, and there’s an Audi dealership, but it still retains a lot of the old Montana culture. You still see men in boots and cowboy hats. And it’s not an affectation.

Montanans aren’t a open hearted people like Southerners though. They’re more insular, unless you’re in an Irish enclave like Butte. I think this is probably the relative isolation that most of the residents grow up with. Towns are small and far apart. But it’s also the Scandinavian influence.

question.

and congrats on the exiting opportunity. I’m admittedly jelly. We are the exact same age, have wives who teach, and both clearly would like to raise a family in a quieter part of the world.
When you say you work remotely: 100% of the time? Any meetings or trainings that will require you to come back to home base? And how much internet will you need to comfortably work from home? Have you researched ISPs?

I have a buddy that’s lived in Sandpoint for over a decade. Like many other cool towns in the West, Sandpoint has gotten much more expensive than it was just a few years ago.

I would move to the Bozeman area. You’ll have lots of options from Belgrade to Livingston. These are places with real communities and culture. They’re not just seasonal tourist towns, like Jackson, or Big Sky.

I becoming more expensive, but there’s so much open land for development.

The area is growing, which is something to weigh. It’s supposed to be size of Colorado Springs by 2040.

Standpoint, Idaho
Google it

Do you hunt, fish, or ski?

Ashton and St Anthony, ID - the back side of the Tetons with an amazing view. Good locals, though Mormon.

Buffalo and Sheridan, Wyoming- Big Horns in the back yard. Good people. Not touristy.

McCall, Idaho >>> CDA. Closer to civilization in Boise. Sun Valley same thing.

Idaho
Wyoming
Montana

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Never done the fly fishing though.

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Get a rod and you'll never go back. You'll be catching massive brookies and browns in the most secluded water if you intend to move to the mountains. It's surreal.

Shh, I lived in Sundance whenI was younger. It was a hassle for my parents to get to the grocercy store. I’d probably choose to live on the SD side.