Westby Montana| Montana Real-estate| North Dakota real-estate

Westby is in the edge of the north dakota oil boom  and has  oil feild jobs in montana
that is going on a clean, peaceful, family oriented place, free from the metropolitan crime atmosphere. Nature, along with its wildlife is abundant. Many Northeastern Montana residents and visitors favorite pastimes are fishing, boating, hunting, and bird watching. Westby is known nationally for its upland bird hunting with hunters coming from all over the U.S. and Canada in the fall. The area is also well known by bird watching enthusiasts as one of the premiere birding hot spots in the state. Deer hunting is excellent, and hunting dogs are raised near Westby. The prairie lands in their natural setting have native forbes and grasses, such as Echinacea, Psoralea and Anemone. Here the air is fresh as fresh can be. As of 2009, Westby's population is 141 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of -16.28 percent.The median home cost in Westby is $30,900. Home appreciation the last year has been -4.10 percent.

The past 95 years have seen vast changes in the lives of everyone, gone are the horse and buggy days, replaced by automobile and jet plane.The first oil well in the Westby area was drilled on the Carl Peterson land in 1962 . Since then oil wells have sprung up rapidly until now in 2009 there are close to 100 wells in the area, with drilling still continuing.
This is a land of shining futures, glorious hopes and realized aspirations, this land God has been, and still remains a bountiful one.
In 1903 pioneers of a new land and now in 2009 still pioneers, always at the beginning of a new era. Be it developing the sod, building the first automobile, flying the first airplane, circling the earth in the space shuttle or landing on the moon.
The residents of Westby are proud of there past, hopeful for the future and thankful to those diligent pioneers who helped to make this way of life for us so rich and secure.

Friendly People
Westby has a population of about 150, mostly farmers and ranchers and a quaint hometown atmosphere, with a beautiful, natural environment.
Westby is situated in the gently rolling mixed grass prairie of Northeastern Montana. The area is dotted with hundreds of small lakes and wetlands which consitute one of the most important waterfowl breeding areas in North America. Westby is surrounded by more than 20 federally administered Waterfowl Protection Areas which provide opportunities for viewing the more than 200 species of birds that call the area home. For the non-birdwatchers, almost every day offers a beautiful prairie sunset.

Westby Public School offers a quality education for grades K-12, with an excellent teacher to pupil ratio. The school also offers Distance Learning, which enhances the educational opportunities for the students. After school, there are various activities including 4-H, Boy Scouts, church groups, tennis, basketball, football and a summer recreation program. The safe, healthy environment and wide open spaces also make Westby ideal for children. A Great Place to Raise Kids!

Low Cost of Living
Compared to most metropolitan areas, our cost of living is relatively low. The purchase price for a home in Westby is any where from $10,000 to $30,000.
Healthy Climate
Summers in Westby are very pleasant with an average high temperature of 84 degrees in July which, because of low humidity, cools off to a comfortable 64 at night. Winters are cold, there's no denying it. Our average January high is 17 degrees Fahrenheit but the days are usually sunny and dry. There is no smog in Westby, only pure prairie air.
Peace and Quiet
In Westby, the sounds of traffic, car horns, sirens and noisy neighbors are replaced by the chatter of western king birds, the sad calls of mourning doves, the song of the meadowlark and of course, the sound of the wind in the grass.

Great Place to Retire
Westby is a safe, friendly place where neighbors look out for each other. It is ideal for active retired people interested in outdoor recreation and rural living. In Westby you will find a Post Office, grocery store, a hardware store, a cafe and a hobby and gift shop. There is a modern hospital thirty minutes away in Plentywood, the county seat. Which also boasts two doctors, a dentist and an optometrist. Plentywood is also home to the County Library. 75 miles away is Williston, North Dakota, which has a major hospital and medical center. 140 miles from Westby you'll find Regina, Saskatchewan which offers a wide range of live entertainment including ballet, theater and classical and country music. Westby residents enjoy the countryside with the advantage of larger communities within driving distance. For those who don't drive, there is a weekly senior citizen's bus to Plentywood and occasionally Williston.

No Crime
Okay, somebody did drive through the stop sign last year. The resident deputy is kept busy with reports of hay bales on the highway and dogs at large, but really, no place can ever be completely free of crime. The town also has a Quick Response unit and a Volunteer Fire Department.
Slower Pace of Life
It's not that people in Westby don't work hard, we are very busy people, but we don't commute, we don't spend time in traffic jams, waiting in line or dealing with crowds, so we have more time for our families, friends and neighbors.
Outdoor Recreation
Westby offers abundant opportunites for outdoor recreation for all seasons.

Hunting - Every Fall hunters come from all over the United States to hunt pheasant, deer, ducks and geese. For more information, check out the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks site.
Fishing - Local fisherman fish for pike and perch in Skjermo Lake east of Westby, at the Plentywood Dam, Raymond Dam and in the Missouri River only 50 miles away. Great walleye fishing is just across the border into Canada.
Swimming and Boating - There are opportunities for both swimming and boating on Clear Lake and Brush Lake south of town. For swimming and swimming lessons, there is a public pool in Plentywood.

Hiking and Horseback Riding - Inviting vistas all around Westby beckon hikers and riders.

Birdwatching
The Westby area is part of one of the most important waterfowl breeding areas in North America. At the Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge, 25 miles to the southwest, 228 species of birds have been identified. Common birds include grassland birds such as the Meadowlark and Baird's sparrow, shorebirds such as the Avocet and Marbled Godwit, and ducks, including Blue-Winged Teal, Ruddy Ducks and Shovelers. The sight of magnificent White Pelicans soaring over the prairie is quite common in the summer. Endangered species such as the Whooping Crane, Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon and Piping Plover may also be spotted. For a detailed list of birds take a look at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Center's Bird Checklists of the United States for Medicine Lake.

Westby School
A K-12 School, Westby offers a great teacher to student ratio. It also offers various music programs for students in grades K-12. Students in grades 5-12 may participate in band, choir, and drumline. Over the past three years, Westby has developed one of the most successful and competitive small school band programs in Northeastern Montana. Our high school drumline was one of four percussion ensembles in Montana to qualify for State Festival, where it received a superior rating. They have just recently added a drama deptartment and students grades 8-12 participate in a school play.
Cost of Living Compared to the rest of the country, Westby's cost of living is 30.25% Lower than the U.S. average.
Westby public schools spend $17,136 per student. The average school expenditure in the U.S. is $6,058. There are about 5 students per teacher in Westby.
The unemployment rate in Westby is 4.40 percent(U.S. avg. is 8.50%). Recent job growth is Positive. Westby jobs have Increased by 3.20 percent.
Agriculture plays a major role in Westby's economy. The area surrounding Westby produces 7% of the nations total durum wheat on 200,000 acres. Spring wheat is produced on 100,000 acres. Many specialty crops are produced on dry land and irrigated land, including canola, mustard, flax, peas, lentils, chick peas, alfalfa, sugar beets, and pinto beans. Livestock production includes beef cattle along with some hogs and sheep producers.