I'd recommend listening to VarmintGuy. I moved from Wasilla to Rigby, ID (between Idaho Falls and Rexburg), and moved to the Bitterroot Valley 2.5 years ago. (I'm half way between Hamilton and Missoula.)

We moved here to be by family. It is gorgeous, but it is too congested and housing is really expensive compared to some other places. If it were me, I would look really hard at Dillon.

Salmon people drive to Idaho Falls or Missoula to shop a lot of the time. I wouldn't live there, esp. with kids.

They aren't as pretty, and are windy, but Idaho Falls and Rigby have CHEAP housing. They also have great hunting and fishing within an hour. The fishing is minutes to the South Fork.

One warning about Montana and retirement taxes: I'm retired, my wife still works. We made 10K less here last year than the year before in Idaho but we paid 4k more in tazes than we did in Rigby. (Jefferson county is considered rural which has some benefits.) I know the sales tax helps, but Idaho was good to us for taxes and housing.

However, the view out of my bedroom window is really, really amazing! (9600' St. Mary's Peak.)

The never-ending flight
Of future days.
Paradise Lost. Book ii. Line 221