Where to move in Montana?? Help? (Billings, Missoula: crime, teaching jobs, school districts)

[mistee78]

Im a single mom of a toddler, ready to move somewhere different. Tired of the tornados, hurricanes, hot summers, humidity and allergies. I love love love the mtns. We have lived in Alaska and Tennessee when i was a kid and I really would love to move to Montana. I love pictures Ive seen of the mtns, lakes and green, lush forests. I would like to work in a spa or resort as im licensed and have owned my own spa but am going back to school to be an elementary teacher so good schools are a plus. Any ideas for this single mom looking for a life to start in a new city? Dont want to live somewhere so reserved and small there are no potential men to date or marry either!

[historyfan]

MSU at Bozeman & UofM Western at Dillon have quality elementary education programs.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by mistee78

Im a single mom of a toddler, ready to move somewhere different. Tired of the tornados, hurricanes, hot summers, humidity and allergies. I love love love the mtns. We have lived in Alaska and Tennessee when i was a kid and I really would love to move to Montana. I love pictures Ive seen of the mtns, lakes and green, lush forests. I would like to work in a spa or resort as im licensed and have owned my own spa but am going back to school to be an elementary teacher so good schools are a plus. Any ideas for this single mom looking for a life to start in a new city? Dont want to live somewhere so reserved and small there are no potential men to date or marry either!

I always caution anyone who likes an area based on pictures. Yes, most of western Montana (eastern Montana is prairie and a rugged beauty IMO) is very beautiful. However, the cost of living in the pretty parts is often high and the wages are low compared to the national average. As far as working in a spa, I suppose the best places to look would be the major cities like Bozeman, Missoula, Helena, Great Falls, or Billings. You mentioned going back to school to be an elementary teacher. Montana has some of the lowest teacher wages in the nation. As mentioned previously, the cost of living in most of the pretty mountainous areas is high, so be careful and do your homework.

[montygarlic]

Sounds to me like Missoula might be a good fit, and they've never recorded an actual tornado, (though locals sometimes refer to "Dust Devils" as tornados). We're originally from the Midwest and have found the people, weather and scenery here much more to our liking.

The other advice you've received thus far is very valid. Do as much homework/research as you can before taking the plunge. It is probably tough for a single mom to visit, but do so if you can.

Good luck!

mg

[MontanaGyrl]

The cost of living in Missoula is very high compared to the rest of the state. Schoolteachers are very poorly paid in Montana, and I have no knowledge of spa jobs or wages.

Visit here first before making any decision, and NEVER move someplace based on pictures. Good luck.

[MTSilvertip]

Mountains, Spas/resort, teaching school, men, I would say Big Sky.

Lots of rich and shameless wanting massages, surrounded by mountains and forest with the Gallatin River running through, close enough to Bozeman for classes at the college, depending on your age, lots of young men, but if you are older there are a lot of smaller rural communities where guys over 30 live/work and are available.

The schools may not pay princely wages, (very few jobs in Montana do), but you won't have the rampant crime and other associated problems that can be part of larger school districts like in the larger cities. Most of the schools in the state rank above the national average.

There are and have been a lot of teachers in my family, they taught because they loved it, and to live in a place they loved, not to get rich.

Not a lot of housing in Big Sky itself, but Gallatin Gateway and Four Corners are close and nice little communities.

If you do have to commute, get a dependable car that makes good gas mileage and keep it in good mechanical condition and put good tires on it, have cables or chains and be able to put them on your tires if necessary.

Good Luck

[jmgg]

Check into Black Hills State University in Spearfish SD. It's not the mountains, but the Black Hills have a similar feel and is very scenic. It's a state school and tuition is low compared to almost anywhere in the nation. This college specializes in education.

AFTER graduation check into teaching jobs across the state line in Wyoming. Their teacher pay is very good when balanced with their cost of living. Higher than Montana and definitely higher than South Dakota.