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Greetings, there is a teaching position that I am qualified for that opened for the second semester. Sometimes, mid-year is the best time to get a good job. I am looking to move to Montana or Idaho as soon as the right job opens. I got to get out of Illinois/Iowa... What would Anaconda be like for living, teaching, and hunting/fishing....help appreciated. Just would be wife and I and two labs.....no kids
good hunting and great fishing.
Dan is the town a nice town?
It has pretty surroundings. And it is in the heart of some great Elk country. Some people might say she is "a little rough around the edges" but it is a start.
I grew up there and my brother and parents still live there.there is good hunting and fishing close by.but the town itself is a little old. not much going on.If you need anything you usually have to drive to butte to get it which is thirty miles away.all in all it really not that bad of place.
And it's really close to one of the biggest Superfund sites in the state!
clean up of contaminated dirt from the smelter that was running that made the town
Anaconda's in a great location for elk hunting.
Could not ask for a nicer town. THe folks are great and the houses are priced right. Winters can be rough but the rest of the year can not be beat. Good hunting, fishing, snowmobilingh, skiing right out your back door.
and great GREAT golf!! :)
FISH
People who move to Anaconda and can make a living there tend to stay for a long time. That tells you quite a bit about the quality of life. The town is older, but for some people that is charming. You can get a decent house in Anaconda for a reasonable price. And anaconda is a pretty good sized town (by Montana standards) so most things you really need can be bought locally. And as far as hunting and fishing go, you are surrounded by opportunities within a very short distance, and within 200 miles, you can chase just about any fish or game you could imagine.
If you like all the benefits of a lager town/city, you won't find that in Anaconda. As was mentioned above, you can expect to head to Butte(30 miles) or Missoula(70 miles) occasionally for some supplies, but in reality a 30 mile drive to Butte every couple of weeks is not too bad. Where I live (Lewistown) I have a 20 minute drive to town, and it is over 100 miles to Great Falls or 130 to Billings for any significant shopping. Most of what I need is avaiable here, but if I want a specific brand of something or I am buying big quantities I might have to go to a larger town.
Here is a link for some detailed data on Anaconda. Probably more than you need, but it is interesting to look at the stats for the community and surrounding cities.
Same type of position is open in the Belfry area...although it seems the Anaconda schools may be better!
Belfry is tiny... Anaconda has about 9,000 people, while Belfry is closer to 200 people. The nearest town is Red Lodge, which is basically a resort/ski town. it would be about an hour to Billings, and those roads can be a little tough in the winter. Being a part of the school system in such a tiny town makes your job dependent on the school population. If I was considering such a job, I would definitely want to ask about the upcoming grades to know if the school will have enough kids to keep current positions. tiny schools (like the Belfry Bats) sometimes see positions cut when you have a class or two with no kids in it.
If you are not used to living in a tiny town, it might drive you crazy. It is in a very neat area with lots of outdoor opportunities around, but if I had my choice, I would live in Anaconda. Living in a town of only 200 people sometimes can make you feel like you are in a fishbowl, with 200 people watching everything you do. Able young men are usually expected to join the local volunteer fire department or ambulance crew. You are very close to a ski hill, so I can make a rough guess what the winters will be like. I've never lived there, so someone else might have better info on the actual weather they experience in Belfry.
You didn't mention your age or if you have a wife/family. THat would certainly weigh on my decision, since a spouse would likely have to travel to find a job. Or you would have to travel to find a spouse... I lived in Cut Bank for 7 years, and they joked that their biggest exports were wheat, barley, cattle and newly engaged bachelors. Very few brides to be were excited about living in Cut Bank, Montana. I am actually one of those exported grooms.
I don't want to sour you on Belfry, because it is a very neat experience to live in a tiny town, but it isn't for everyone. You may love it, but it is important to know what you are getting into.
Bellbear Make a trip out and look yourself. I think you will love the area If you like to hunt and fish its a great place. I lived in Butte for years then I moved to the Flathead after about two years here I gave up fishing and that was 30 years ago. Once you fly fished the Bighole, Beaverhead,& Rock creek. every were else is a big let down.
Thanks Glacier, your thoughts pretty much sums it up I will try hard to land the Anaconda job. I am 51 years old so really dont want to be a ski bum or on fire dept. crew.....Kids are grown so I dont have to worry about uprooting them from their schools. My wife is a nurse with a lot of variety with RN experience. Ideally it would be nice if she could get a school nurse job to have the same schedule. She hunts as well. If we go to Anaconda to live we would have to have a rental for awhile while waiting for house to sell, etc.... so I hope their would be rentals there, especially with our two big babies (OUR LABS).....lol
there are plenty of rentals but the house pricing would be close to same payment.there is alot of stuff to do in the outdoors close by.
Move to Anduconduh ... once you are accepted, you will love the folks there. Fishing, hunting, hiking, camping ... the area has it all in spades. You're lucky if you can move there with a good job secured. Do it; you won't regret it.
StraightArrow beat me to it. You gotta learn how to pronounce the name of the town. There's an extra "d" in it. :)
As far as hunting/hiking/fishing go, you'd be hard pressed to find a better place. Great town, interesting history. As somebody else pointed out, the people are a little on the rough side, but basically hardworking, blue-colar folks.
