Your Community Guide to Lockwood, MT
2024 is here and if making a move to Billings, MT is on your list, the Community Guide series on the blog is here to help you along the way!
Each neighborhood throughout Billings has its own special touch and attracts a certain type of person, so to help you find the one best suited for you, we created this blog series to be your guide!
For this community guide specifically, we’re going east of Billings to the small town of Lockwood, Montana.
Where Is Lockwood, Montana?
Lockwood is a suburb of Billings and is the largest unincorporated community in the Billings Metropolitan Area and though it’s not considered to be its own organized city, there has been and continues to be major growth in this area, making it a highly sought after place to live.
Lockwood, MT is located approximately 10 minutes outside of Billings, MT and is the best neighborhood near Billings for those looking for a suburban rural mix with a country feel.
The area is home to just over 8,000 residents making it a tight knit community, similar to that of Laurel, MT. Because of the landscape in Lockwood, you’ll find many homes to choose from with fewer restrictions.
Living In Lockwood
While Lockwood isn’t necessarily considered a hot spot for things to do compared to Downtown or West End, people are drawn to this area for two main things:
The schools (we’ll get to those in a minute!)
The space
First, let’s talk about the space that Lockwood has to offer!
When you think about Montana, you might picture lots of land, beautiful mountain ranges and true country living with dirt roads and fields for miles. Maybe a little something like this:
People are sometimes surprised to find out that not all of Montana fits into that box. In fact, many of the neighborhoods - in Billings specifically - offer a certain level of city life that people are actually really drawn to.
(okay, I’m not talking New York City level, but we have more than farmland is what I’m trying to tell you!)
Lockwood, however, is the perfect depiction of the Montana living described above!
The homes in this area generally have more space and you’re less likely to live in a house after house neighborhood.
Instead, you can have more of a secluded and private area with gorgeous views, making Lockwood perfect for the ones who have no interest in living amongst the action of restaurants, bars and popular attractions.
When you do want to hit the town, however, you have easy access to the interstate and all major hotspots are just a quick drive away!
With that said, there wouldn’t be all of these pros without at least one con - that’s how all good things in life work, am I right?!
Compared to other neighborhoods in Billings, Lockwood has very few restrictions when it comes to housing - meaning no HOA and no major rules for what you can or can’t do.
While this can be really awesome and provide you with more freedom in some instances, it can also be a double edged sword because there is essentially no accountability or higher authority that can require anything of homeowners.
This means that if your neighbor really wanted to paint their house bright purple they could. On the same vein, if bright purple is your jam – then you may be looking for something with less restrictions.
For some, the risk is worth the reward, while others want that extra backing!
Schooling in Lockwood, Montana
The next major draw for Lockwood is the schooling. Unlike the other communities throughout Billings, Lockwood is on its own school system, making it a very tight knit place for your kids to attend!
When you live in Lockwood, you can usually expect for your kids to graduate with the majority of the same people they attended Kindergarten with and they can say “Go Lions” K-12. 🦁
This is something you can’t really find anywhere else in Billings, so it’s often the thing that people choose this area for.
So, what’s it gonna cost ya?
As mentioned, the schools and the space are the two main things that really draws people to Lockwood, Montana and people are typically happy to pay the price to receive those two things!
The average cost of a single family home in Lockwood is between $330,000 - $377,000 as of August 2024. PLUS there’s a huge upside that you can’t usually qualify for in other areas…
Because of how rural Lockwood is, many homes in the area can qualify for a Rural Development loan.
This type of loan is backed by the United States Department of Agriculture and allows for as little as a $0 down payment, competitive interest rates, low monthly mortgage insurance and flexible credit requirements.
This option alone is a HUGE draw!
Looking for homes for sale in Lockwood, Montana?
That’s Lockwood in a nutshell! You can see that this community is desirable for those who want to be removed from any kind of city living and instead embrace the country feel that this side of Montana has to offer.
If this sounds like the kind of place that you’ve always dreamed of living in, you can browse for homes HERE! 🏡
If you’d prefer to set up a personalized home search where you can receive step by step guidance through the entire process, connect with me here!
P.S. Want a peek into all of the neighborhoods that Billings, Montana has to offer? Download the Ultimate Community Guide to take a look under the hood to what life could be like for you in this beautiful side of the state.
