Billings : Montana

The largest city in Montana, Billings has just over 100,000 residents. Nicknamed the Magic City, it is located in south central Montana. The city has numerous attractions including an extensive park system with jogging and bike trails, cultural institutions like the pictured Alberta Bair Theater, and several colleges including Montana State University-Billings. The city is growing and the economy unusually strong thanks in part to the Bakken oil play, what has been called the largest oil discovery in U.S. history,  as well as the Heath shale oil play north of Billings. The Yellowstone River runs through the city, and there are 6 mountain ranges in the area, including the Bighorns. Photos courtesy of Wikipedia (downtown skyline by Pruhter, wild horses by BLM, Alberta Bair Theater by Sara goth).

There are several interesting neighborhoods in Billing including the Bottom West End Historic District. According to Zillow, the median home value was $235,900, in early 2019.

In 2012 the Billings Clinic was awarded #1 best hospital out of 1,459 reviewed by Consumer Reports - a pretty significant honor for a town of just over 100,000.  Billings of course has many other amenities as well, including miles and miles of bicycle and jogging trails, and the Alberta Blair Theatre and Babcock Theaters which have over 2,100 combined seats in their seat performing arts theaters. In addition there are museums and parks, a restored historic downtown, plus the campus of Montana State University Billings.  There is no state sales tax.

Montana is cold in the winter and a long, long way to anywhere else.

People who like the idea of living in the west and having easy access to mountains and wilderness.

Thanks to energy exploration and recovery and no sales tax, the Billings economy is booming.

Billings is in south central Montana.  The city is divided by the Rims, long cliffs, also called the Rimrocks. The Yellowstone River runs through a portion of the city, and there are 6 mountain ranges that can be seen from the city, including the Bighorns. The average January temperature is in the mid 20's and the average July temp in the low 70s.

The Alberta Blair Theatre and Babcock Theaters which have over 2,100 combined seats in their seat performing arts theaters. There is the Yellowstone Art Museum, the Western Heritage Center, and the Rimrock Opera Company. There are numerous festivals such as the MSU Wine & Food Festival. The Shrine Auditorium is a local concert venue with seats for 2,340.