A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Geraldine$1,660/mo

Typical home $280K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.84% · or rent about $569/mo · Housing →

Lima$1,660/mo

Typical home $289K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.61% · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

GeraldineLima

Snow a year38″53″

January low10°F 11°F

July high86°F 83°F

Growing season (days)129d 89d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)26th 75th

Outdoors & history

GeraldineLima

Trails—0 mi

Conserved land—7.9%

National Register places2 —

Archive photos5 4

Famous people born here—1

Community

GeraldineLima

Library hours a week24 hrs —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

233 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

GeraldineMT LimaMT

Geraldine ↔ Lima233 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Montana average

GeraldineLima

People

Population 317Highest 218Lowest

Median age 51.9±15.2Lowest 28% above MT 54±12.7Highest 34% above MT

Lima and Geraldine are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 13.9%±8.5Lowest MT: 21% 16.1%±14.8Highest MT: 21%

Lima and Geraldine are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 23.3%±6.6Lowest MT: 20.1% 37.6%±5.3Highest MT: 20.1%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 17.5%Lowest MT: 35.2% 20.1%Highest MT: 35.2%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.9%±1.8Highest MT: 5.2% 0%±7.1Lowest MT: 5.2%

Geraldine and Lima are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $43,036±$18kLowest 41% below MT $53,871±$1kHighest 26% below MT

Lima and Geraldine are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $106,300±$35kLowest 72% below MT $189,100±$19kHighest 50% below MT

Rentmedian gross, monthly $569±$48 47% below MT —

Property taxmedian, yearly $891Lowest 67% below MT $1,153Highest 57% below MT

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 7.7%±100Highest MT: 44.8% 0%±100Lowest MT: 44.8%

Geraldine and Lima are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 24.3%Highest MT: 11.5% 18.8%Lowest MT: 11.5%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 87.9%Lowest MT: 69.2% 94.2%Highest MT: 69.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1961Lowest 20 yrs older than MT 1964Highest 17 yrs older than MT

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 16 minHighest 18% below MT 5 minLowest 72% below MT

Work from home 2.4%±4.8Lowest MT: 12.5% 9.2%±8.3Highest MT: 12.5%

Lima and Geraldine are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 1.5%Lowest 14.1%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 46.8 miHighest 40.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.79Lowest 0.97Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Great Falls (17%)Butte-Silver Bow (8%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LimaFew work in Geraldine

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 9.2%Highest 7.9%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 0.3 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.5 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 81.7Highest 66.9Lowest

Schools

School district Geraldine K-12Lima K-12 Schools

High school in town Geraldine High SchoolLima High School

Students per teacherat that high school 5.1Highest 4.2Lowest

Montana average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Geraldine neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Geraldine’s Town Square.

Lima neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lima’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Geraldine and Lima

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Geraldine

+ Compare

Westby290 people · $66K homes

+ Compare

Valier573 people · $138K homes

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Nashua279 people · $142K homes

+ Compare

Medicine Lake213 people · $107K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Geraldine vs Lima

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs about the same each month

What daily life feels like in each

233 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Geraldine and Lima

Towns like Geraldine

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