Kids with medical conditions, need some advice (Missoula, Great Falls: for sale, house)

[t&tmom]

Hello, I am a 28 yr old mom of two boys with special needs. Autism, speech problems, but most importantly, one of my boys has an allergy to the sun and can not sweat. I was interested in the mild winters, but the lack of direct sun light. I do however want to re-locate to a safe and family friendly area. I know Missoula is surrounded by mountains that would create ideal conditions for my family, but is there any area of the city, or nearby communities that would be better for us? I would really appriciate the advice of locals on this one.

[bigtrees]

Originally Posted by t&tmom

Hello, I am a 28 yr old mom of two boys with special needs. Autism, speech problems, but most importantly, one of my boys has an allergy to the sun and can not sweat. I was interested in the mild winters, but the lack of direct sun light. I do however want to re-locate to a safe and family friendly area. I know Missoula is surrounded by mountains that would create ideal conditions for my family, but is there any area of the city, or nearby communities that would be better for us? I would really appriciate the advice of locals on this one.

Try Seattle (or the Pacific Coast)

Something worth nothing is Montana has hot, intense summers. Temperatures regularly get 90 - 95 degrees in the summer, and frequently July and August will have many completely clear days. Winters you'll fair pretty well regarding a desire for the clouds but not so much summers. Missoula has hills around it but not the rugged mountains Montana is known for.

I'm not sure mild is the best description for Montana winters! You don't have the intense cold (usually) like in Eastern Montana but the temperature does drop in Missoula and you do have harsh winters.

The coastal climates are a lot more mild and you don't have the intense heat or sun in the summertime- you may want to look there.

[t&tmom]

thanks so much for the help, i will take that in to great consideration

[Hinton Bound]

I'm not sure what location you're interested in, but...

We're moving to a small town in SE WV. Temps are very mild in summer, lots of mountains and trees (shade!). Winters are mild by Montana or New England standards.

We have a son who has severe allergies, as well as an auto-immune disorder (HSP). Hinton, WV has the cleanest air and water of anywhere in the country (sperlings bst place, health section). Don't let the stereotypes fool you, it's a beatiful place and very inexpensive.

[Timberwolf232]

The sun is more intense at higher altitudes... Might not feel as how with the dry/altitude combination but people tend to sunburn faster here than in other areas.

[Radek]

Im sorry that you have to deal with added difficulties of raising children.

I would seriously suggest Seattle. Seattle has extremely mild winters, partial clouds a good 300+ days a year, and a maximum temp of like 95 in mid august.

I haven't lived in anywhere but Bozeman and Seattle, but from my experience being here, the length of the summers and the harshness of them would be difficult. The winters do have more clouds, but there are still extremely bright sunny days. Especially with snow reflection.

Furthermore, I don't know for sure how good Montana's special needs education and such is, but the Seattle area has a lot of extra assistance available and I can only surmise that its in part due to the extra population and tax revenue there to support it.

I wish you the best of luck.

[bigtrees]

Originally Posted by Radek

I haven't lived in anywhere but Bozeman and Seattle, but from my experience being here, the length of the summers and the harshness of them would be difficult. The winters do have more clouds, but there are still extremely bright sunny days. Especially with snow reflection.

Radek, I think your advice is very good and spot on the money. I do want to caution you that the weather patterns are a lot different in various parts of the state. For example, Missoula is on the west side of the continential divide and has a lot more cloudy weather in the winter than Bozeman does.

In fact, Whitefish (my hometown) actually has about as much cloudy weather as Seattle does! It's a bit nicer but not significantly. Where you're at now (Bozeman) has what I call excellent winter weather - frequent sunny weather and much colder temperatures.

For comparison, Wenatchee and Leavenworth have much nicer winter weather than Seattle.

[bigskymt]

Originally Posted by t&tmom

Hello, I am a 28 yr old mom of two boys with special needs. Autism, speech problems, but most importantly, one of my boys has an allergy to the sun and can not sweat. I was interested in the mild winters, but the lack of direct sun light. I do however want to re-locate to a safe and family friendly area. I know Missoula is surrounded by mountains that would create ideal conditions for my family, but is there any area of the city, or nearby communities that would be better for us? I would really appriciate the advice of locals on this one.

I live in Great Falls, Mt and have lived here for 20 some years and I love it here the winters are just right and our summers the last two years have been hot. There is a lot of little towns around Missoula that you could live in. Also to let you know Bozeman is surrounded with mountains also, but any place you pick in Mt. is a great place to live. I wish you luck with what ever you decide.

[Timberwolf232]

Originally Posted by Timberwolf232

The sun is more intense at higher altitudes... It might not feel as intense, but with the dry/ high altitude combination people tend to sunburn faster here than in other lower altitude areas.

Had to fix my bad grammar! (I started a post, got called off to work and sent it without reading it...)

[jimj]

Radek hit it on the head.
I just found out my neighbor has a condition where he can't sweat so he has to stay out of the sun. He built his house completely in the middle of a grove of trees and during the summer stays inside quite a bit and he just put his house up for sale so I guess that says something.
As for the SPED thing, my son was diagnosed high functioning autistic and I do NOT reccommend Montana schools when it comes to SPED issues we've had to threaten lawsuits to get them to serve him. I think it has to do with funding and the long runing lawsuit the schools have had against the state to provide said funding.
I'd think Seattle would be more equipped to deal with your situation as a whole than here but that's just my opinion.