Info about relocating to Bozeman

A fellow emailed with some questions about possibly relocating to Bozeman, and I promised to answer in this blog.

For general info, I recommend the Relocation Packet from the Bozeman Chamber of Commerce.

1. Is it a real bone chill cold or does it not feel so bad when the sun is out?
> It feels fine to me, and I grew up in the South.

2. How often does it get below Zero?
> Fairly common at night this past winter.

3. Housing seems pricey...
> I think the average cost of a home in bozeman is about $220 K. Belgrade (the next town over) is cheaper, but Belgrade is not as nice as Bozeman (IMHO). For more info on housing prices, shoot an email to our local real estate blogger: Inside Out.

4. Does Bozeman feel like a mountain community or how would you describe it?
> I would describe Bozeman as half "ski town", half "college town" located in a flat valley right next to the mountains.

5. Would you feel the quality of life to be good or is there a lot of hustle and bustle?
> I think the quality of life is good. The folks in Bozeman are very outdoors-oriented. There is a brief rush hour around 7:45 AM and 5:00 PM. (FWIW, I previously lived in Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta which are all traffic nighmares.)

6. (Paraphrase): "small town beautiful" or "small town ugly" ?
> "small town beautiful"

7. High tech or behind the times
> High tech (I work a the university so might be biased in what I notice).

8. Elementary schools?
> As a forty year old bachelor, I can't help you here.

> I'll answer some more of his questions later.