Five Other Places Named Billings. Ours is Best.
Many cities and towns in the United States share the same name. For example, there are 19 places in the US named "Atlanta", according to Geotargit.com, and there are 23 towns or cities named Columbus (including Columbus, Montana). I live in Laurel and when I search for "Laurel" I often get results for Mount Laurel, NJ, a town of around 40,000 people. I have never stumbled across another Billings though, until today.
There are five other communities in the US that share the name of Montana's largest city and they all are pretty small (and perhaps a little boring, in my opinion). I'm sure they are quaint and enjoyable in their own ways, and home is where you make it, but... we think our Billings is a clear winner.
Let's check out the other places named Billings.
Billings, Oklahoma
This is seriously the most interesting picture I could find of Billings, OK on Google Maps. The population of this north-central Oklahoma town hovers just under 500 residents, per City-Data.com. Wages are low (median household income in 2019 was $26,752) but so are house prices, with the median around $31,100. A house for $30k and change, imagine that! Other than grass, don't expect much large greenery. This town is probably in tornado alley and I didn't see many trees taller than a shrub.
Billings, Missouri
Billings, Missouri looks like a charming little town of around 1,000 people, located in the southwest corner of the "Show Me State." Famous Branson is to the south and Springfield to the north, offering various entertainment and recreational opportunities within easy driving distance. Citi-data.com cites a median home price of just $107,000. Not bad for a spot near the base of the Ozark's.
Billings, New York
It might be challenging to recognize Billings, NY as its own town in 2021, but it was a bustling little hotspot in the 1800s, according to an informative 2008 Billings Gazette story. Then known as Billings Gap, it's now mainly a highway intersection of mixed suburbia/retail, dotted with woods, mountains, and small farms. Home prices are marginally higher than our region. Redfin shows median home prices in Dutchess County, NY were around $349,000.
Billings Township, Michigan
I like our Billings a lot, but Billings Township, MI looks inviting. The official community website touts, "Small town living at its best! A fantastic place to live, work and play" and shows some cool pictures of a jet boat, Wixom Lake, and small-town Michigan at its best. Located in the lower portion of "the U.P.", median home values in the area are $118,000, per Niche.com.
Billings, West Virginia
I discarded the first Google Maps picture I was originally going to use for Billings, WV, because it was just sooo banjo-y and creepy looking that I felt it wasn't fair to the fine folks who live in this unincorporated scattering of houses, tucked into the hills and hollers of West Virginia. I'm guessing cell service is spotty and I couldn't easily find home data (or any data, really) for this very rural, down-south Billings. Even Wiki offers only two short sentences.
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