With Thanksgiving fast approaching, we've been seeing many posts on social media from people discussing all the things and people for which they are thankful.

Family, jobs and so forth.

As I was enjoying a glass (or two) of vino, I got to thinking about why I'm thankful for living in Billings and not some bigger city or foreign country.

Here are 10 reasons I'm thankful I live in Billings, Montana.

1:  Unemployment rate is very low (2.5 percent in September of this year)

2:  That Billings is in the USA, where we still have our freedom and not run by a dictator. (Though with some of the decisions being made by our current administration, we could be soon enough.)

3:  Traffic is relatively good.  Not too many traffic jams, It's nothing compared to New York or Denver, where ti could take you an hour to get  to work.

4:  It is a melting pot of people from different backgrounds

5:  The weather. I call Billings the Banana Belt  of Montana.  It's never so hot you can't stand it and it doesn't ever get overly cold.  We do, however, have extremes. Consider that in July of 1954 it was 117 degrees in Medicine Lake, Montana, and it was 70 below zero at Rogers Pass in January of 1954.

6:  Billings is the gateway to Yellowstone Park and is only an hour's drive from the Beartooth Highway.

7: It's close enough to major cities like Denver and Salt Lake that you can drive it in one day; no problem.

8:  We have a couple of options for higher education right here in Billings with Montana State University Billings and Rocky Mountain College.

9:  I am thankful that we have two very experienced cutting-edge health care facilities in Billings with Billings Clinic and St. Vincent Healthcare.  It's comforting to know that we have a  Pediatric Intensive Care Unit right here in Billings at St. Vincent Healthcare.

10:  That there are still so many family-owned local businesses, proving that free enterprise is the way to go.

Why are you thankful to live in Billings?

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