Disappointed in Missoula... What other cities might I like better? (Billings: houses, neighborhoods)

[Blake2502]

Apologies if I offend anyone, as that is not my intent. Last week, I visited Missoula with thoughts of relocating there after reading about it on the web, and getting excited about all that Montana offers in terms of outdoor activities. I was very surprised, however, to find that Missoula was not the cute college town I had envisioned. I didn't see any nice streets with brick houses, or older homes with some class and history. Instead, the houses all looked kind of similar to manufactured homes. I tried driving all over town to find different neighborhoods, but couldn't find any that had the kind of charm I was looking for. Did I miss parts of town I might have liked better, or is Missoula just not what I had pictured? (For those of you familiar with these other places, I had in mind something like Charlottesville VA or Burlington VT). Would Bozeman or Billings be better choices for me? I did love the outdoor activities in Montana, of course, but I also want a city/town with a bit more historic and/or upscale feel. Thanks for any advice.

[JoeJoeMan]

You're right Missoula is not a "cute" college town. It's foo-foo, hip and tacky, if that makes any sense.
But what would you expect. If I can let me identify the types of people that come here to make up the town. Yes I said "come here to make up the town" Missoula is in large part made up of outsides.
> the well off college kids, mostly into party and outdoors
> calif/seattle - yuppie no-kids, sold the calif/seattle house for big bucks..
> the independently wealthy poor, the "I got the accident settlement" types who never really like to work anyway and now decide to retire here with their limit settlement cash, this group also includes, inheritance received kinda' people, etc. they have income/cash but for the most part squeak by,
> the people with BIG bucks, daddy's money mostly, or they sold out a business for big bucks.
> a small group of people with kids, wanting to get away from where they are for whateve reason, and see missoula as a family type town, which it really isn't
> the "I'll go to missoula with that money daddy gave me and start a down town business, while my other half screws around from odd job to odd job
> lots of transient and welfare case types who come for the sympathy of a liberal city and the handouts
> the locals who seem to be harder and harder to find....these folks span the gap
All this makes up for an odd type of town.....

[dangerousdan]

I think you missed the older neighborhood near campus. Also, it sounds like you did not visit the downtown.

Ignore the previous poster. He is a very angry man.

[GiftShoppeGuy]

Originally Posted by Blake2502

Apologies if I offend anyone, as that is not my intent. Last week, I visited Missoula with thoughts of relocating there after reading about it on the web, and getting excited about all that Montana offers in terms of outdoor activities. I was very surprised, however, to find that Missoula was not the cute college town I had envisioned. I didn't see any nice streets with brick houses, or older homes with some class and history. Instead, the houses all looked kind of similar to manufactured homes. I tried driving all over town to find different neighborhoods, but couldn't find any that had the kind of charm I was looking for. Did I miss parts of town I might have liked better, or is Missoula just not what I had pictured? (For those of you familiar with these other places, I had in mind something like Charlottesville VA or Burlington VT). Would Bozeman or Billings be better choices for me? I did love the outdoor activities in Montana, of course, but I also want a city/town with a bit more historic and/or upscale feel. Thanks for any advice.

Blake

You'll find what you might be looking for in Helena, Butte, Great Falls & Billings.
JoeJoeMan hit the nail right on the head with regard to Missoula, in that it hasn't got really any snaz or class..... (same with Bozeman & Kalispell)

It's the older, better established cities in the state, like the ones mentioned above, that will hold the special quaint charm that you're looking for by the way of historic values.

Economies are better in these others too, and folks are much more grounded and friendly.

Missoula is a jumping off point for many who come here.
Sure, they initially come to Missoula, but they quickly decide that Missoula is not the place they had somehow imagined, and bail...... off to other, better, places, like the 4 mentioned above.

[JoeJoeMan]

dangerousdan wrote:

I think you missed the older neighborhood near campus. Also, it sounds like you did not visit the downtown

.
Why would you call that a neighborhood near campus and not call the northside, westside, etc neighborhoods.....?

I think what Blake2502 is refering to as neighborhoods is a bit different, as in old established area of town with the same families, corner stores, kids and neighbors. etc.....
I agree with him, those type of neighborhoods don't exist, for reasons I've mentioned before...Missoula is mostly made up of a bunch of people that just moved here.
I view a neighborhood of neighbors sitting out at night, their kids playing together, living in close housing older areas of town, walking to the store, etc....that's not what missould is about, but that is not to say some small isolated areas like that do exist, but it's just not that type of town...
It's not a 'family' kind of town, there are more dogs than there are children in missoula, which reflects the type of people that live here, college students, retired, yuppies, etc......there are very few children......In particular in the area around campus, where you rarely see older established families with children running about and playing.
Missoula isn't a real town, it's a fantasy town, where everyone wants to move to be apart of the 'community', and create this community town....so they build a carousel, a baseball park, have foo-foo out-to-lunch events and the like.
It's funny Missoula is not at all what people saying they are wanting when moving to Montana, but yet here they flock.....to the point of tipping over the boat.
What 90 percent of the people moving to montana really want is foo-foo Montana not real montana.....and to repeat myself before you disagree.......I said 90 percent, and I know, I know, everyone of you that wants to move here will say you are a part of the remaining small 10 percent..but will then go ahead and move to one of the foo-foo Missoula, Bitterroot, Whitefish, western montana, Bozeman areas.
I dare say that if hypothically speaking everyone wanting to move to Montana where limited to small towns and areas such a Sidney, well we'd get about 10 people moving here a year.

[GiftShoppeGuy]

Not to mention that the neighborhoods close to campus are pretty much trashed by the students..... it's noisey, narrow and crowded..... oh, and good luck on finding a place to park......

And if you do find a place to park in that neighborhood, be careful to keep a close watch on your car.... someone else might need your stereo more than you do..... or, if it's your truck, be sure to get rid of all of the beer cans tossed into the back of it by all of the others just passing by.

Yup.... The neighborhoods close to campus are real winners, that's for darn sure.....

[jandjblue]

try kalispell it is awesome when we got here the first thing I thought was that the net didnt show how nice it is

[NYMTman]

The only town that would be more like Charlottesville or Burlington than Missoula would be Bozeman. Check that out.

Butte is more like Cumberland, Maryland or Lowell, Mass than a college town. It's seen better days....

[montanamom]

Corvallis and Hamilton in the Bitteroot are more like what you are describing, and I think, what you may be looking for. I know what you mean, being from the East coast and Deep South, most of the the homes in Missoula and a lot of Montana just look like boring ranch "tract" style houses, kind of like doublewides, only they're not. Many are so "characterless" and don't have any style. The problem is, unless you have money or your own business, most of the jobs are in Missoula, and that means a long commute every day, probably an hour to an hour and a half EACH way. But if I had the money and didn't have to work, I would rather live in Corvallis/Hamilton. I haven't been to Helena or Great Falls. Now, I'm thinking about giving them a look, if I don't move from this state altogether.

[jimj]

Even though I kind of choke while I write this I have to agree with JoeJoe and giftshop, having lived in the south and been all over the north they are correct, there really is no "class" neighborhoods here. I miss the farm house style, brick cape cod style, country style etc.

Here, if you are into log after log after cedar after tract house than you would be thrilled. Do they not make bricks here anymore? Is the only thing they make cedar or phoney stacked stone? It seems everyone has to have what they consider the "montana" style house which seems to be either log or cedar in the style of a HUGE cabin or chalet. Take the newest restaurant in town, hu hot. It has what looks like stone pillars out front (western style?) that believe it or not are made of styrofoam....

I know there used to be farm houses here since I see them going down the highway on occasion to other lots and they look really neat, but where did they all disappear to? To quote an old song "where did all the nice houses go, long time passing.. where did all the nice houses go, long time ago..... Come on everybody, sing along.......