Want To Raise A Family In Montana? I Would Check The Stats First

If you are thinking about moving to Montana to raise a family, you may want to take a peek at the stats before fully committing.

A poll came out listing the best and worst places to raise a family. Based on affordability, the number of playgrounds, violent crime, and much more, does Montana make the cut for best or worst? Does it even make the list?

Bozeman doesn't make the cut, but Billings and Missoula did make the list. Billings ranked at 53 and Missoula came in 66th. I personally am going to blame affordability for the reason that Billings outranks Bozeman. BUT I will say, Bozeman, is missing a few things when it comes to raising a family. Unless you are into hiking and trails, the actuality of things for kids to do is limited.

Don't get me wrong, if you are a college kid or older there are lots of things to do, from live music, and comedy clubs, to road trips, fun things are available but veered more toward a particular age group.

BUT if you are looking to go to the park with a playground, you are limited. Yes, there are a couple of parks that are really great, but the truth of it is, there are not many unless you go to a school's playground.

The Bogert Pool is pushing to open as soon as it can, especially with the Swim Center closed at the moment, but I have said it before, I don't think we would suffer from having mini-golf, batting cages, or even an indoor play center.

I know many of you don't want to see Bozeman grow, but let's be honest, it is growing and if we can enhance the activities for families instead of hundreds of apartments and million-dollar home listings, maybe we will get more people here that will stay longer than just a visit to their "second home".

If we got back to being a place to raise a family, maybe we wouldn't be so "touristy".

cc: wallethub, kbzk