I hear the question often come up of “where can I, as a Jew, live that is not expensive and is outside of any city”. Since it is a well-kept secret, every Montanan is going to dislike what I’m about to say, but…
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: BOZEMAN, MONTANA!
Maybe I’m a little partial to the state of Montana, since I was born and raised there. But there is a reason that it’s called “the last best place”. Bozeman is a beautiful area, beyond words that you must experience it for yourself.
It is home of Montana State University (go Cats!) and many year-round outdoor activities, the economy is vibrant, and it is a tech-savvy, highly educated city that is constantly growing.
Bozeman has shown up on many top lists of places to live, such as Time, Men’s Journal, and Livability.
- According to livability, the medium home price right now is around $260,000. In most cities houses cost a lot more and you’ll get way less of a house and yard. Take a look on Zillow at some of the houses for sale right now.
- The average commute time is 13 minutes. Unless you are able to work from home, how can you beat that commute? This also means that while there may not be as many stores as a city, you can get to the store without traveling 30 minutes, or more, both ways.
- A lot of mountain towns are picturesque but none compare to Bozeman. And nearby, are some pretty beautiful small towns. Big Sky is an hour south, and Yellowstone park 90 minutes south. Blue-ribbon fly-fishing rivers, the Gallatin, the Madison, and the Yellowstone are also a short drive away.
- Bozeman has become a booming hub for high-tech companies and entrepreneurs. If you’re not a techie, there’s still good news. Right now, unemployment rate is only 2% and job growth 3.29%.
- There are so many outdoor activities available to Bozemanites. Hiking, fly-fishing, skiing, cross-country skiing, golfing, camping… I’m sure I’m forgetting something.
- In regards to Judaism, Bozeman is the home of one of the two Chabads, the only Orthodox Shuls in the whole state. Soon to also include a Jewish Community Campus.
The shul is run by Rabbi and Rebbetzin Bruk, who are 2 incredible, wise, warm and welcoming individuals. And their whole family emanates joy and yiddishkeit. I can’t speak enough about how amazing this family is so you’ll really just have to visit for yourself.
Unfortunately though, if you have young children this may be a difficult place to live as a Jew right now. There is no eruv and no Jewish schools. There is limited kosher food, although when we lived there there was a very small frozen section at Albertsons. But if we can all bind together and get 10 families to move then maybe we could make it work.
Can you tell why this is my dream place to live?
So, who’s ready to start the move?