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%

Lima$1,660/mo

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

Geraldine$1,660/mo

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

LimaGeraldine

Snow a year53″38″

January low11°F 10°F

July high83°F 86°F

Growing season (days)89d 129d

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

Outdoors & history

LimaGeraldine

Trails0 mi —

Conserved land7.9%—

National Register places—2

Archive photos4 5

Famous people born here1 —

Community

LimaGeraldine

Library hours a week—24 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.

LimaMT GeraldineMT

Lima ↔ Geraldine233 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

LimaGeraldine

People

Population 218Lowest 317Highest

Median age 54±12.7Highest 34% above MT 51.9±15.2Lowest 28% 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 16.1%±14.8Highest MT: 21% 13.9%±8.5Lowest MT: 21%

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

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

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

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±7.1Lowest MT: 5.2% 1.9%±1.8Highest 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 $53,871±$1kHighest 26% below MT $43,036±$18kLowest 41% 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 $189,100±$19kHighest 50% below MT $106,300±$35kLowest 72% below MT

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

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

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest MT: 44.8% 7.7%±100Highest 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 18.8%Lowest MT: 11.5% 24.3%Highest MT: 11.5%

Housing

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

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

Getting to work

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

Work from home 9.2%±8.3Highest MT: 12.5% 2.4%±4.8Lowest 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 14.1%Highest 1.5%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 40.3 miLowest 46.8 miHighest

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

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

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in GeraldineFew work in Lima

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 7.9%Lowest 9.2%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest

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

Schools

School district Lima K-12 SchoolsGeraldine K-12

High school in town Lima High SchoolGeraldine High School

Students per teacherat that high school 4.2Lowest 5.1Highest

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.

Lima neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lima’s Town Square.

Geraldine neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Geraldine’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Lima and Geraldine

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

Towns like Lima

+ Compare

Nashua279 people · $142K homes

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Stanford268 people · $208K homes

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Winnett204 people · $176K homes

+ Compare

Westby290 people · $66K 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.

Lima vs Geraldine

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 Lima and Geraldine

Towns like Lima

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