Are you beginning to look at retiring and are overwhelmed with the high cost of living in the traditional retirement hotspots? Or are you already retired and realize you’re missing living in a place that has actual seasons? For an unbeatable cost-of-living and unbelievable beauty all-year-round, Montana is a great place to consider for your retirement. While Montana might not seem like the ideal retirement spot, it actually checks all the boxes that you’re likely looking for in a location to live out your retirement years.
Montana combines a low-stress, laid-back atmosphere with an extremely low cost-of-living, plus low crime rates, great healthcare, and incredibly beautiful natural features to create an environment that encourages slowing down, relaxing, and enjoying all the things in life that are most important. Since fewer retirees choose Montana, there aren’t as many senior-specific properties or activities, but the ones which do exist are typically much more reasonable in price since there’s not as competition for these limited resources.
Additionally, Montana does not charge a sales tax, meaning you can enjoy tax-free purchases for all your necessities and desires. Plus, if you’re a history buff, there are many historic sites spread throughout the state which can help keep you engaged and learning.
These cities are large enough, however, to support many senior apartment complexes offering all the best amenities. Part of the joy of living in Montana is being able to maintain an active lifestyle by utilizing all of the state’s natural features. Senior apartment communities allow you to do that even more by organizing special trips to breathtaking locales.
Senior Apartments in Montana
Though Montana isn’t the typical go-to place for many retirees, there are still several areas which are popular among the retirees who do choose to call Montana home. These cities are among the larger cities in Montana, including Bozeman, Billings, and Missoula. Though they are larger cities in Montana, they aren’t large cities in the traditional sense of the term, meaning the hustle and bustle of normal city life is kept to a minimum.
Another big advantage of living in a senior apartment versus owning a home is the ease-of-maintenance. After all, you’re retired- you don’t want to spend a bunch of your time taking care of your home or yard. You want to be experiencing all that life has to offer while you can still get out and enjoy it. With someone else taking care of all those regular maintenance items, you’ll have more time free to enjoy what you love most.
A key part of this professional maintenance is snow removal. Montana has a well-earned reputation for being a snowy locale. While it can be beautiful and enjoyable to watch from inside or even to get out and hike in, having to shovel it is another story. No matter your age, shoveling snow can actually be hazardous to your health. Let someone else take care of it for you, while you enjoy the warmth of your beautiful apartment.
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next” ]Benefits of Living in Montana
Some of the biggest benefits of senior living in Montana can be summed up into two words: beauty and ease. Beautiful only begins to scratch the surface of all the majestic mountains, valleys, prairies, rivers, and other natural wonders contained within the state. For starters, you’ve got Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park, which you could spend a lifetime exploring, in and of themselves. This doesn’t even begin to cover all the natural beauty in this largely untouched landscape. In addition, Montana is an easy, stress-free place to live. Smaller cities keep traffic and crime down and a low cost-of-living allows you to focus on how to spend your time instead of managing your retirement budget.
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next” ]How to Find an Apartment
The Internet is your best resource as you embark on your apartment search in Montana. Online, you can find sites with listings of all available apartments, as well as details on amenities, and even ratings from people who have actually lived there. If you’d prefer not to use the Internet for finding the right apartment, you can utilize phone directories of the apartments in areas you’re interested in living in to get information that can help you decide which apartment is best for you. Additionally, classifieds in newspapers can often have good information on apartments you might not hear about elsewhere.
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next” ]Average Cost of Living in Montana
The overall cost of living in Billings, the state’s largest city, is slightly higher than the national average. However, this is partially due to wealthier people keeping a vacation home in this city to be able to get away to enjoy skiing or other outdoor activities during the winter. If you know where to look, you can find housing for a great price in this in other Montana cities. Additionally, when you consider that utilities tend to be lower than average and factor in the lack of sales tax, you truly set yourself up for financial success when you make the move to Montana.
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next” ]Meeting Friends Your Age
Though the retirement community in Montana is smaller than in other locales, it is no less vibrant. The people who choose to retire in Montana are truly committed to living active and adventurous lifestyles and enjoy sharing these lifestyles with other retirees. This means that one of the best ways to meet people your age is to seek out nature clubs that are specifically geared toward seniors. These clubs allow you to remain active while building friendships with like-minded retirees in Montana. Since outdoor encounters are one of the most important parts of the state economy, you’ll find these clubs in almost any town you choose to settle in.
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next” ]Exploring the Local Terrain
Montana is called “Big Sky Country” for a reason. Natural beauty awaits you just steps away from your front door, no matter where you live. Different parts of the state feature different geographic features, all of which will take your breath away. Large, rolling, grass-covered hills can be found, as well as tall, rocky mountains. Glacier National Park features more than a million acres of glacier-carved geographic features, including stunning peaks and sweeping valleys. If you’re as much of a history buff as you are a nature enthusiast, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument allows up-close access to some breathtaking geological features which also happened to play host to General Custer’s “last stand.”
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next” ]Enjoying Your Retirement
You’ve worked hard to reach this season of your life. It’s important you enjoy it how you want to, not how others say you should. While it’s easy to go with the de facto Florida home and be a snowbird for the rest of your life, this beautiful country has so much else to offer in addition to sunny, tropical locales. If you want to retire someplace that’s truly unique, offers a great quality-of-life, and offers never-ending opportunities to explore all of nature’s wonders, Montana might just be the right place for you. See the difference that expanding your horizons might be able to make in your life.
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