We may be moving their for a job...long ways from Florida. Any info about the area would be appreciated. Hunting and fishing info on area as well.
Thanks in advance.

It’s pretty rural, about 90 minutes to great falls and a couple hours to Kalispell for any type of shopping. Plenty of hunting. Winter is no joke, and it’s fugging windy year around. I live a couple hours west in the banana belt. You will wear out the one bar in town over winter.

I doubt that, unless one is looking for a mate one bar is all that’s needed. 😉

They used to have a Pamida....dont know if they still do.


I think the train stops there.

Just another Hi Line town.

Biggest employer in the area is the private prison that houses mostly state of Montana inmates............ just sayin'

Shelby is up there. Like Norman said, windy and can be dang cold.

Not a bad drive to great falls for major shopping etc.

Lost of outdoor rec around.

Is your wife bp?

BP?

Border Patrol I think?

Bass pro

Oh...yeah..no the job is for me...those are sure glowing recommendations, but I think I’m gonna have to make it work...not many options.

Would Conrad or Sunburst be better? To live in that is.

Get a bird dog.

Pheasants? Getting another dog might cushion the blow for my wife.

Have you been in that country at all?


Nothing wrong with Shelby.

Huns and sharptails is what I’ve hunted in that area.

Actually flying out there this week...final negotiations, look around and meet a few more people.
I’ve always wanted to live in MT/WY, and this is first chance...it’s a lot further NW than I’d thought about, but I’m hoping we love it. Last couple of phone interviews had people telling me the good and bad about the area. I really need this job, and hope we can all agree. The people I’ve talked to have been great. I can honestly say I’ve never had people offer so much help.
The extreme weather is a bit disconcerting, but we will make it work.

Unfortunately Conrad is just another dying farm town. Sunburst is already dead but no one has told it yet.

Gt Falls is the nearest for any variety of shopping (85 miles), if your wife is the type who need entertainment and shopping you are a long ways from either.

Like most Hi-line towns Shelby is losing population but the railroad and prison means it will always have some jobs available. Winter can get bad there and lots of wind.

If you are looking at the prison for work there has been some bad press about mismanagement issues that you might want to do some research on.

drover

I was talked out of moving there in 2014 by a semi-local.... Wife said she'd not follow... That was not BP or CBP but FDA of all things.... Since then I have been through there. It is a place with challenges. Good luck. It was explained to me it's not the kind of place you can plan on commuting anywhere if you have a job you have to be at.... Winter...

Nevermind, I was looking into Sweetgrass on the border. Shelby is a fugging metropolis!

There are a lot of really nice people in Shelby. It also has a large population of (prior) inmates and prison guards. And BP. I've worked on a few projects there but haven't been back for a few years. There is a Shopko, which sets it apart from some of the smaller communities around.

There are fishing opportunities around (Lake Elwell) and a fun dirtbike community. There are lots of hunting opportunities, esp birds and whitetails. I've gotten into pheasants (by Valier) and lots of sharp tails on public land. Plenty of antelope to be had but you missed the drawing for this year. There are elk in the Sweetgrass hills to the north where I think you can hunt for cows with a general tag. You can catch a train ride over to the Kalispell area for an easy, relaxing trip. It isn't that far from the Chouteau area on the front which has piles of back-county access that is second to none, as well as good proximity to Glacier Park.

It wouldn't be my first choice but I'm sure there are plenty more redeeming points than I've made. Real Estate is pretty cheap.

Don't mean to spook you, but hi-line communities are generally tough weather and quite a cultural change for most everyone.

If you go with eyes open and don't fixate on the negatives, I could see it being a great opportunity. As other have said, bird hunting is good. Plenty of fishing. Lot of hunting available. Just don't move there and expect to be able to shop for whatever you want/need at 9 pm. Don't let the weather get you down. It can be a bitch, but there's a certain ego-boost when you learn to adjust and deal with whatever is thrown your way.

Most of the folks I know up there are really good people. If I can help in any way, pm me. I live a ways away, but am pretty familiar with the state in general and have some contacts up there.

Good luck. If you're flying into Great Falls, be sure to stop in the Sip'n Dip.

And grizzly bears. Don't forget the grizzly bears. Shopko closed all stores this summer.

BP.😂

😂😂I thought Geez, first thing I thought was he is getting kinda personal there. I was thinking Borderline Personality 😂😂😂 having been married to one....

All the Shopko Home Town locations too?

Unless your driving a lot or working outside I wouldn't worry about winter weather.

They have indoor heating in Shelby....


If your wife is a weirdo like mine she will love the hi-line.

Yes. https://helenair.com/news/state-and...872fed3-aa3b-5875-8501-872a2ea60590.html

Conrad Maybe. Closer to fishing ( Tiber) and bird hunting, plus mule deer in the Marias breaks and antelope here and there. Also a few PDs and gophers to be had.


Anddddd...its about as far removed from Florida as you can get...

When did they get indoor heating?

And do they have indoor plumbing yet?

And BTW your wife is the ONLY woman in the world that likes the Hi-Line.

Well....not quite the only one.

You mean theres two?


When I lived up there, I didn't have one....

Mail order.....

There's one around here that likes it just fine. Her husband works up there and she stays down here. Blissfully blissful.

Most have already covered it well. However, the area around Shelby does have some of the best gopher hunting in Montana.

I know I’m gonna regret asking this, but what does Hi Line mean?

It is essentially a geographic description of that portion of MT. It parallels highway 2, west to east, east to west, across most of the norther portion of Montana. It had its origins as a description of the railroad line running from Havre to Whitefish, or thereabouts, which was referred to as the hi-line.

Ohh, I thought it was from the High Indians....

No one has mentioned Canada. Calgary is a good visit and not to far away.

Actually the winters in northern montana are usually less severe than north dakota, Minn., or wisc. By that I mean way less snow on average and you can expect a warm up or 2 which

the states to the east do not usually get. Outdoor people like it but you will find culture.

There's three......but she was ranched raised in Garfield County on the south side of the creek.

Thought about relocating there a few years ago, was going to try and live in Conrad. Pretty damn little town, but at least when I was looking the places on the market that fit my profile (enough acreage to have horses and shoot on and run around naked) were very slim pickings. I know several guys who work in Shelby but commute from Great Falls because of their wives. It can be done, but I've heard it sucks. Any place in MT is going to be better than most, but it is a windy bastard and if you're not used to any kind of winter it could suck. Personally I'd not live in Shelby, but rather someplace close yet further out. But as always, YMMV

The folks will be great, the weather not so much. Which one you opt to focus on will determine how happy you are.

My city gal was happy north of the hi-line. People vary.

If it was a great place to be, you would think there would be more than 12 people living there...

Ha! The easy living, leisure squad checks in this morning.

Shelby is a big, happening town!

I’m on a mountain top in Helena National Forest with 2 bars of coverage. From here I can see Shelby and there are only 2 people out of bed so far this morning...

BS.
No matter how high a mountain.

You bums on the West Side cant see near that far....especially through all the clouds of SMUG.

.

Says the guy that thought cataracts were something rich people drove...

If you recall, that line starts at our southern border MtnBoomer.

Haha!

I know you gotta be rich to get rid of them.

Theys a guy on here that will take care of them for 2 1/5's of top shelf........

It keeps the sun off my tender skin, and if it weren't for all the xanax and other psychotropics for the weak minded there'd be a whole lot less folks over here because of "seasonal depression". But alas, they hand them out like candy. Not even any smoke to kill the views for the damned tourists.

I guess I should point out that last was slightly tongue in cheek.

If I had to choose between Florida & Shelby I would pick Shelby..... but I would pick many other places in Montana over Shelby.....

Look at the bright side you could always go to the indian casino buffet in Browning on the weekends....

I have never lived there but have been in the area in all seasons. If you love wide open spaces, prefer rural attitudes and life styles to metro life and are not in fear of the elements you will do fine. I would rather spend a lifetime in Shelby than a weekend in Miami. You will get to enjoy learning what Big Sky Country really means.


mike r

The best food in Browning ...

I would rather live in Chester before Kevin/Sunburst - at least Chester's ground water isn't contaminated with gasoline and other hydrocarbons.
TEXACO SUNBURST WORKS REFINERY Superfund Site
Record of Decision for Big West Oil Refinery, Kevin, MT
SUNBURST SCHOOL DISTRICT v. TEXACO, MT Supreme Court Case

That's quite a claim....

If you end up with a good job in Shelby, you will have a good life there.

Safe for kids, lots to do outdoors. Be neighborly and you'll have more real friends than you could imagine. But it is "small town" and whatever arts and culture you get, you'll make yourself.

But the weather and country are pretty tough. You need to be resilient and self-reliant or you're not going to make it. If you've never frozen your @$$ off, you are in for a life-changing experience.

I'd make darn sure I have next to no commute. Conrad would be a WASTE OF TIME that you could spend at home or doing stuff you like.

Hey! Piss off!

You might want to skip Browning.

But if you decide to go, go heavily armed.

And if you decide to order any food, count the Rez dogs on the way in...and again on the way out...just sayin'...might be one missing...

Jeeze, you is sensitive lately!

My first thought was "bi-polar"

Thanks all...flying out today to look around and discuss final numbers! Looking forward to going.

Laughing!

Good luck! I hope you can make it work. We need conservative folks moving here.

I really enjoyed the visit...will be taking the job if offered...anyone want to help unload moving truck?

OK, what did you think of the country?

Did you get out a bit and look around?

I'd be happy to help, just not sure when I will be up there next.

Keep us informed.

Best of luck to you.

I can totally relate to your dilemma. Back in 1984 my family and I were in Hawaii and I got orders for Bozeman MT. My previous tour was in Okinawa so my young sons had only known beaches and sunshine. Montana was absolutely gorgeous. We had to buy the kids warmer clothes and boots, but they adapted. My wife even had me grilling steaks on the grill at -35 F. Quick note on this … you need to double the grilling time! As an outdoorsman and conservative, there's a lot to like about Montana.

We’re about 25 miles NE of Shelby. PM me if you need help.

Friends place, a little north of here, might be available to rent.

Interesting thread.

Good luck on the job and move to the OP if that's the way it turns out.

Shelby sounds a lot like the little "town" we live in here in NE Cali. +/- 3000 folks, reasonably priced housing, and it has a railroad station that actually is operational.

The weather is likely a bit, only a bit, more extreme. What's the growing season up there, about 85 days frost free? We're about 90 or so. And instead of -35F we've only hit -25F here once since moving here in 2016.

Our "worst" problem is medical care, or lack of it. For anything requiring a specialist it's a minimum of 2 hrs drive. 3.5 hr drive tomorrow to the retinal specialist for me. We get to eat at a different restaurant while there at least.


We don't have one of these "Rainbow Hotel" though:



Again, Flfiremedic, good luck. Blizzards, hard freezes, drought and all that stuff gotta be better than a friggen hurricane ever year or two.

Geno

one of the funniest and and best posts on the forum.