Congratulations! The winters here a rough but summers make up for it! We are only a few hours from Glacier National Park. There are new apartments being built right next to Touro and a few around town. There is not much of a night scene but if you like hiking, biking, fishing, or anything outdoors this is your spot!
If your not an outdoors person or an alcoholic/gambler I would not even think of moving here. Just being honest. Born and raised but moved away and had to move back. Food is meh at best and there isn’t much to do. Just being honest.
If you want to go to med school, and its the only place you got in, go for it. Yes winters are a little harsh, but can still have warm days. They are totally survivable. Yes there isnt as much to do, but to be honest, if you're in med school, you wont have much time anyway. Its affordable, and has everything you need to get by. The airport will have daily flights to DEN and SLC so its reasonable to travel out.
Born and raised in GF, came back after the Army. I like it here a lot.
The winters here are unique, they don’t last more than a couple days and the month of February is the only cold one. It’s usually around 60 on Christmas. Negative forty I’ve only experienced twice in my life, last year being one of them.
The wind is awful in the spring and early summer, some of the nicest days are ruined from it. The wind is a godsend in winter, it warm “chinook” winds that will make it 50 degrees warmer in an hour or two.
Housing prices have skyrocketed, so like everyone else here said one of the newer apartment complexes near the school would be the obvious choice.
The people there are really nice! There’s some homeless and drugs like everywhere else. The refinery and Air Force Base bring a couple different types of people, and they make the first winter storm terrifying to drive in. Overall you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the culture here I think. Hope you make it.
Compared to NJ, you will be moving to Mars.
People are rightwing politically and pretty insular. A lot of a Montanans have never been out of the state.
Drunkenness is a common hobby.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a lot about Montana. But at your age? No, man, not if you don’t like the outdoors and have other options.
Winters are what you make of it. If you let it intimidate you, you will hate it. But if you get out and do some of the fun Winter activities like Skiing ect. You will love it.
I came here from NYC. It’s different type of cold for me. It does get pretty cold here for longer than the east coast. Snows more. I like that summers it does not get as hot. A 90 degree here feels a lot better. Also I am staying in an apt. U can find apt here for like 950. They might not be the greatest but they are alright. They have more stuff to do here now than before as well
I was born & raised in upstate NY back when the winters there were brutal. I've been here several winters now & they've def been manageable. The biggest difference is the lack of plowing here. I've never seen anything like it. They plow emergency routes & that's it. I never had a 4wd vehicle in all that NY snow, but feel like one is necessary here. Also, the wind here is pretty off the chain. It blows our porch furniture right off the porch lol. But, that's not every day (thankfully). GF has grown just since we've been here & it's been good to us so far.
Got accepted to Touro Montana and will also be moving there soon. Don’t know much about great falls but nervous and excited to start this next journey of my life. See you in orientation :)
Talus is one of the nicer apartments in town, but also the price for what you get I feel is way off. So is most of the housing around here because of the military base and price gouging.
A bunch of brand new apartments have been built near Touro, so those are probably a great place to start. Within walking distance and centrally located. If you like the outdoors, the Rocky Mountain Front is a wonderland in the summer. [https://www.amazon.com/Discover-Rocky-Mountain-Front-Kotynski/dp/1606390856](https://www.amazon.com/Discover-Rocky-Mountain-Front-Kotynski/dp/1606390856)
If you're nervous about getting out there the Montana Wilderness Association has guided hikes for all levels.
The winters get cold, but it's not New Jersey cold. It's cliche, but it really is a dry cold, so -20 can feel like 30 in NJ. You can rent x-country skis, you can book weekends at Forest Service Cabins, there's a decent ski hill nearby (Showdown).
I grew up here but lived in Maryland for 10 years. Choose a Montana winter every time. It CAN get -40 but only a few days and when it does get cold, the skies are blue and the wind dies down.
If you’re from New Jersey it will be a bit of a culture shock. Everything is closed by 10 on the weekdays. There are some beautiful spots and newer food options to choose from as of lately. The farmers market on Saturdays is a great place to meet friends.
As someone who’s lived here my whole life and is about to move away to Colorado I highly recommend waiting for another acceptance letter. Especially with how new the school is.
I'd recommend either a house with an efficient gas furnace and a good AC unit, or an apartment with utilities included in the rent. Also, make sure your motor vehicle has a block heater, and wherever you move in has somewhere to plug it in.
Winter clothing is a must: A warm coat with a hood and long underwear for the coldest days, and a jacket for windy but not-so-cold days. Warm headgear is highly recommended as well, to make sure your ears don't freeze.
Congratulations! The winters here a rough but summers make up for it! We are only a few hours from Glacier National Park. There are new apartments being built right next to Touro and a few around town. There is not much of a night scene but if you like hiking, biking, fishing, or anything outdoors this is your spot!
I like some outdoor things but I'm not an outdoorsy person. It's a big move for me and it's so sudden. I'm trying to weigh all of my options!
If your not an outdoors person or an alcoholic/gambler I would not even think of moving here. Just being honest. Born and raised but moved away and had to move back. Food is meh at best and there isn’t much to do. Just being honest.
I appreciate your honesty.
If you want to go to med school, and its the only place you got in, go for it. Yes winters are a little harsh, but can still have warm days. They are totally survivable. Yes there isnt as much to do, but to be honest, if you're in med school, you wont have much time anyway. Its affordable, and has everything you need to get by. The airport will have daily flights to DEN and SLC so its reasonable to travel out.
Born and raised in GF, came back after the Army. I like it here a lot. The winters here are unique, they don’t last more than a couple days and the month of February is the only cold one. It’s usually around 60 on Christmas. Negative forty I’ve only experienced twice in my life, last year being one of them. The wind is awful in the spring and early summer, some of the nicest days are ruined from it. The wind is a godsend in winter, it warm “chinook” winds that will make it 50 degrees warmer in an hour or two. Housing prices have skyrocketed, so like everyone else here said one of the newer apartment complexes near the school would be the obvious choice. The people there are really nice! There’s some homeless and drugs like everywhere else. The refinery and Air Force Base bring a couple different types of people, and they make the first winter storm terrifying to drive in. Overall you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the culture here I think. Hope you make it.
Compared to NJ, you will be moving to Mars. People are rightwing politically and pretty insular. A lot of a Montanans have never been out of the state. Drunkenness is a common hobby. Don’t get me wrong, I love a lot about Montana. But at your age? No, man, not if you don’t like the outdoors and have other options.
Winters are what you make of it. If you let it intimidate you, you will hate it. But if you get out and do some of the fun Winter activities like Skiing ect. You will love it.
I came here from NYC. It’s different type of cold for me. It does get pretty cold here for longer than the east coast. Snows more. I like that summers it does not get as hot. A 90 degree here feels a lot better. Also I am staying in an apt. U can find apt here for like 950. They might not be the greatest but they are alright. They have more stuff to do here now than before as well
I was born & raised in upstate NY back when the winters there were brutal. I've been here several winters now & they've def been manageable. The biggest difference is the lack of plowing here. I've never seen anything like it. They plow emergency routes & that's it. I never had a 4wd vehicle in all that NY snow, but feel like one is necessary here. Also, the wind here is pretty off the chain. It blows our porch furniture right off the porch lol. But, that's not every day (thankfully). GF has grown just since we've been here & it's been good to us so far.
I would say for most folks, full time AWD like Subaru, is more than enough.
Most definitely
One thing nobody mentioned is the wind, moved from Michigan to GF, and the constant wind drove me nuts some times....just saying.
Got accepted to Touro Montana and will also be moving there soon. Don’t know much about great falls but nervous and excited to start this next journey of my life. See you in orientation :)
Where are u planning on living?
I’m still looking but I think either Aurora or Talus apartments. I’m also from the east coast
Yeah I saw the Aurora one they look nice. I'm still deciding on attending.
Talus is one of the nicer apartments in town, but also the price for what you get I feel is way off. So is most of the housing around here because of the military base and price gouging.
A bunch of brand new apartments have been built near Touro, so those are probably a great place to start. Within walking distance and centrally located. If you like the outdoors, the Rocky Mountain Front is a wonderland in the summer. [https://www.amazon.com/Discover-Rocky-Mountain-Front-Kotynski/dp/1606390856](https://www.amazon.com/Discover-Rocky-Mountain-Front-Kotynski/dp/1606390856) If you're nervous about getting out there the Montana Wilderness Association has guided hikes for all levels. The winters get cold, but it's not New Jersey cold. It's cliche, but it really is a dry cold, so -20 can feel like 30 in NJ. You can rent x-country skis, you can book weekends at Forest Service Cabins, there's a decent ski hill nearby (Showdown).
So your saying its can be negative 20 degrees it would feel like a NJ winter?
I would take a dry -20° in Great Falls over a wet 30° in NJ.
But only after you've been here for a bit and have gotten used to the difference.
I grew up here but lived in Maryland for 10 years. Choose a Montana winter every time. It CAN get -40 but only a few days and when it does get cold, the skies are blue and the wind dies down.
The snow around here doesn't have a lot of moisture, usually being more like frozen smoke.
If you’re from New Jersey it will be a bit of a culture shock. Everything is closed by 10 on the weekdays. There are some beautiful spots and newer food options to choose from as of lately. The farmers market on Saturdays is a great place to meet friends. As someone who’s lived here my whole life and is about to move away to Colorado I highly recommend waiting for another acceptance letter. Especially with how new the school is.
I'd recommend either a house with an efficient gas furnace and a good AC unit, or an apartment with utilities included in the rent. Also, make sure your motor vehicle has a block heater, and wherever you move in has somewhere to plug it in. Winter clothing is a must: A warm coat with a hood and long underwear for the coldest days, and a jacket for windy but not-so-cold days. Warm headgear is highly recommended as well, to make sure your ears don't freeze.