Should we come to Missoula?
Hi everyone. My husband and I want to move to Montana. We have some good friends that say Missoula is the place to come to. But they live there and are friends of ours so we need some unbiased opinions. We love being outdoors and are "green" so we felt that Missoula would be great based on what our friends say. But they also say that the weather is great and every blog I read and every website that has "city" data on it says that Missoula is actually pretty dismal for most of the months of the year with overcast skies etc. and that you get maybe 2 or 3 nice months and the rest of the year it's rainy and overcast. Our friends are telling us just the opposite. We need some help! We also dont' care so much about making a lot of money, just something to live on. We are currently both in IT and have been told that IT jobs are pretty easy to come by in Missoula. Again, I am not seeing any when I go to the typically job finder websites. Any advice on that front? Lastly, we are told that rental homes are expensive. We can't do an apartment because we have 4 cats and no one will let you hae 4 cats that I have ever heard of. Every bit of help would be really awesome. Thanks!!!
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Moving to Montana
I've been places that provide little to recommend themselves visually. Perhaps those locations have jobs with over the top pay and cheap sizeable housing but, I would not give up the beauty the surrounds me on a daily basis. I know, as well as my fellow Montanans, that the mountains don't pay the bills. When I get off work, wether I'm just home for the evening or out for the weekend, the out of doors is pure enjoyment. I work so I can live here.
The weather in Montana is a fasinating tempest. You can have rain in one part of the valley and sunshine the next block over. It is rarely the same 10 minutes running. Snow is slight in town and truly freezing cold is rare.
Missoula is a small town that attracts many big town amenities. Be prepared not to get the job you want when you first get here. You'll need to get familiar with the surroundings and work your way into the culture. Word of mouth and a person's word still mean something here.
Good luck.
Misinformation...
I can understand why your friends want you to move here, maybe they miss you, but talk about misinformation! First of all, the weather here is not that bad, however, we only get probably two good months of summer. Before that it's too cold (until late May usually) and end of July, early August is fire season when the air is so choked with smoke that no one can go outside. The rest of the year is snow, cold rain, and just cold.
My husband and I don't care about making money either, but we are having to move now because the job market here is stagnant. He is also in computers, and has 10 years under his belt from Microsoft, but he still can't find a job here. We are moving to Bellingham, Washington, where he will be making $44/hr. He had to take a call center job here paying $10/hour, which didn't even make a dent on the mortgage. Which is another thing to consider, actually. If you're planning on buying real estate, houses are very expensive for not much at all. We're going to end up renting this place out because we had to pay way too much for it, and with the housing crunch, we would take quite a hit on it.
Anyway, sorry to be such a harbinger of doom, but this is my experience in Missoula. I have lived here for over 10 years and have finally had enough. I don't really want my kids growing up in such a depressed economy/job market. It really is absolutely beautiful in the two to three months of good summer. But just so you know, it is kind of a desert, so expect the fires in late summer, expect dry air all year round, expect to get paid way less than you're used to.
My Apologies, but I would rather be mean than have another family be disappointed.
misinformation
with that kind of attitude, I'm glad you're leaving town
Pros and cons of Missoua
You have a lot of questions, and I'll try to answer the ones I can.
The weather: It depends on where your coming from if you'll love it or not. Western Montana is cold in the winter, and we have 19 degrees right now on the thermometer.
I am from Montana, but Central MT., and when I came here I thought it was a bit on the snowy/rainy/foggy side ... but it is in a valley with inversions off the Rocky Mountains.
I just did a quick calculation from the weather page at the "Uncover Missoula" microsite at the Missoulian. If you average out their table for 'possible sunshine by the month' ..... it comes to around 52% chance of a sunny day. Now, if your from El Paso, this might gloomy ..... from the NW coast ...(Portland, Seattle), it seems pretty dry, especially in the 3 Summer months we have.
IT jobs: They are here. They need employees with the skillsets ... but don't count on raking in the dough. Wages are far below the National average ... People who live here, live here for the love of it.
Cats/Pets and renting: 4 cats will be tough to house here. I have one dog .... and had to SEARCH for somewhere that would allow him. Nine years old .... and he had to have references .... no joke .... and an extra deposit, and then they come and inspect to make sure he hasn't "done" anything to the place ..... or that "WE" haven't ..... I never quite have figured it out yet.
Missoula is an animal-friendly town, but if you rent from any of the property management places .... expect $200 per cat tacked on to your deposit.
If they are outdoor cats .... beware of dogs. Noone obeys the leash law, and there are always dogs out unattended.
Whew! Sorry to go on and on.
If you:
.. then you can make it here.
Check out these sites for good info:
Job info/economy:
http://wsd.dli.mt.gov/local/missoula/ ..(local)
http://wsd.dli.mt.gov/service/links.asp ... (state)
http://www.mtinbusiness.com/ ... economy business magazine.
Missoula area general:
http://www.missoulian.com/uncover ... Stats,info and resource information.
http://www.missoulacvb.org/index.php ... City visitor bureau.
Rental search site:
http://Missoularentalfinder.com
Real Estate search site:
http://missoulahomeseller.com
Hope this helps ...Good luck.