Missoula apartments (East Missoula: lease, neighborhood, law school)

[CRizzy141]

Hey guys,

I'll be moving to Missoula in the next couple weeks for law school, and was wondering if I could solicit some input on the apartments in the area. From reading the forum, I think it's safe to say I'll want to avoid the north end along the interstate, as well as East Missoula (no sun). It appears that the lower Rattlesnake and U-District are going to be my best options. Can anyone speak to the property management companies that seem so pervasive? My experience in the past with these companies has been annoying at best, at least in college towns; they're very attentive until you sign the lease, and then disappear in a cloud of smoke never to be seen for the next 12 months.

Ideally, I'm hoping to find a reasonably priced studio (500-650). There do appear, however, to be many house-sharing opportunities on craigslist, and I'm giving strong consideration to simply packing up and heading that way so I don't commit to anything prior to examining it in person. Having done this before, I don't have a huge problem with it - but it's also a situation I'd prefer to avoid if possible.

Any input, thoughts, etc would be greatly appreciated. I'm assuming that as it's a college town, it's going to be pretty much like any other college town in the US - they tend to be fairly homogeneous - so I'm hoping to get out to see the real Montana as soon as possible.

Best,

C

[Mt-7]

Sorry, no real advice to offer, but you seem astute enough to deal with the pm in the area.
Hang in there, someone will stop by. Welcome to the forum.

[CRizzy141]

Originally Posted by Mt-7

Sorry, no real advice to offer, but you seem astute enough to deal with the pm in the area.
Hang in there, someone will stop by. Welcome to the forum.

Thanks! I'm trying to learn as much as possible now rather than doing less productive things like, say, packing.

[Mt-7]

I know, just deciding what to bring. Did I miss where you are coming from?
Here are something you can look at. Sorry it is not all positive.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/monta...ut-moving.html

From what I gather many off campus situations are friends of friends. If you can freewheel it that might work for you. I find the town friendly and easygoing but I am from the west coast.

[strudel42]

I think Craigslist will be your best bet... I also think you should be able to get a small 1-bedroom for your price range if you do your shopping. The larger PMs have a mediocre-to-bad reputation here (I've experienced two of these), but some of the smaller ones seem to be okay (you can DM me if you want specific info). It's probably a good idea to come here first with some sort of temporary accommodations until you can learn your way around. Oh, and add "Slant Streets" to your approved-neighborhood list -- walking distance to U but less expensive, quieter, and more centrally located than Rattlesnake.

And, welcome! The scenery around here is great and you don't have to go far to see real Montana. If you enjoy the outdoors and can rip yourself away from the law books on occasion, you'll love it here.

[CRizzy141]

Originally Posted by Mt-7

I know, just deciding what to bring. Did I miss where you are coming from?
Here are something you can look at. Sorry it is not all positive.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/monta...ut-moving.html

From what I gather many off campus situations are friends of friends. If you can freewheel it that might work for you. I find the town friendly and easygoing but I am from the west coast.

Thanks - and no worries about the negativity, I see it as a testament to the unique character of the state that there's so much healthy debate. I'm from Michigan, so I anticipate that the climate will actually be a bit milder in the winter, and probably a little warmer in the dog days. I lived in Seattle for a while, and had no problem with their winters - in fact, Seattle is second on my career radar if I can't find something in MT itself right out of law school - so I think weather wise I'll be all set. I was actually giving consideration to Oklahoma as well given my strong interest in severe weather and friends in Norman, but I decided that other than the weather, there wasn't much there that was up my alley - MT seems a bitter fit, so to speak.

Originally Posted by strudel42

I think Craigslist will be your best bet... I also think you should be able to get a small 1-bedroom for your price range if you do your shopping. The larger PMs have a mediocre-to-bad reputation here (I've experienced two of these), but some of the smaller ones seem to be okay (you can DM me if you want specific info). It's probably a good idea to come here first with some sort of temporary accommodations until you can learn your way around. Oh, and add "Slant Streets" to your approved-neighborhood list -- walking distance to U but less expensive, quieter, and more centrally located than Rattlesnake.

And, welcome! The scenery around here is great and you don't have to go far to see real Montana. If you enjoy the outdoors and can rip yourself away from the law books on occasion, you'll love it here.

Thanks! Really looking forward to getting back out there. There's actually an ad on craigslist this morning - two law students seeking a third - but given the intimate nature of the school (class sizes are incredibly small) I think I'm probably better served finding roommates from another grad or PHD program. I'll check out slant streets (assuming it's literal?) this afternoon.

[CRizzy141]

Uh oh...so, I'm a bit screwed with my AT&T service plan, eh?

[Mt-7]

verizon is the recommendation in that part.