May be moving to Missoula, which surrounding town would be good to raise kids?

[sayheckya]

Thanks everyone for answering my questions. When the time comes we will look into the areas you all talked about. Yeah, taxes are a concern but coming from Bismarck I don't think it will be all that bad. Taxes here are OUTRAGEOUS!!!!!!!! My friend who lives in town has a 2400 sq ft house and no yard pays 5700.00 a year. Last year she had to pay 6200.

We may rent for awhile because of the situation of the mortgage business but I am looking forward for a new adventure in a state I love.....

[staceylu1326]

I live just outside of Stevensville, 2100 s.f. house on 3+ acres, 2100 s.f. house, and pay ~$2500/yr in taxes. Stevensville schools are very good. We paid just over $1000 in property taxes 7 years ago, but we added a substantial addition to it so taxes went up accordingly.

[Carolina_Belle92]

I'm also from Stevensville (small world, eh?) and would definitely encourage you to check on it! The only issues that come to mind are the drug issues... pot and meth are HUGE in the Bitterroot. I'm not suggesting that your kids would become involved, but just something to be wary of.

Hamilton is too far for most people to commute to Missoula (an hour coming, an hour going), but Stevensville is better with a 30 minute commute on a good day. You'll find that Florence and Lolo are closer to Missoula and, while smaller than Stevensville, are also quite attractive towns.

[AshleyAdelphi]

I have never lived or been in Montana, and I have no Idea what sent me looking at city profiles in Montana. But in this area, "Orchard Homes" (Zip Code 59804) seems nice. Other towns around Missoula and that were mentioned have a large number of sex offenders (which I would be concerned about if i had children), "Orchard Homes" has none. City-Data also stated that "Orchard Homes" has lower taxes than the state average, which i see was a concern. It's also really close to Missoula (which seems to have a good mall and culture) but still has a population of only 5,000. House prices have a wide range: $85,000 - $1,750,000. The schools in town are: TARGET RANGE SCHOOL (Students: 291 ) And TARGET RANGE 7-8 (Students: 111) and I think they go to a High School In Missoula.

Orchard Homes, Montana (MT) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news
59804 Zip Code (Orchard Homes, Montana) Detailed Profile - residents and real estate info

Good Luck! I hope my out of town reseach helped = )

[kuicksilver]

Corvallis has the best school system, Hamilton is very 'cliquish' and Stevensville is known as the drug school of the valley. If you live in Lolo your children will bus to Big Sky in Missoula which is a great school, much larger than any school in the valley.

The nice thing about living in Lolo or Frenchtown are the quick commutes to Missoula.

[kuicksilver]

Originally Posted by AshleyAdelphi

I have never lived or been in Montana, and I have no Idea what sent me looking at city profiles in Montana. But in this area, "Orchard Homes" (Zip Code 59804) seems nice. Other towns around Missoula and that were mentioned have a large number of sex offenders (which I would be concerned about if i had children), "Orchard Homes" has none. City-Data also stated that "Orchard Homes" has lower taxes than the state average, which i see was a concern. It's also really close to Missoula (which seems to have a good mall and culture) but still has a population of only 5,000. House prices have a wide range: $85,000 - $1,750,000. The schools in town are: TARGET RANGE SCHOOL (Students: 291 ) And TARGET RANGE 7-8 (Students: 111) and I think they go to a High School In Missoula.

Orchard Homes, Montana (MT) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news
59804 Zip Code (Orchard Homes, Montana) Detailed Profile - residents and real estate info

Good Luck! I hope my out of town reseach helped = )

Orchard Homes is just a neighborhood in West Missoula off of Reserve Street.