Single mom looking @ MT, help please!

[Reziac]

You can still find reasonable housing in Great Falls. Here's an example from a real estate watch list that I get:

Untitled
This particular house needs a lot of work, but should still give you an idea what the bottom end of the market is like.

And yes, I am SOOOO glad that I got my education in Great Falls. When I compare what I was taught, and the quality of teachers, to almost anywhere else.... Great Falls' school system is just plain wonderful. They did so much with so little, too. Here they complain about crowded classrooms (30 kids is apparently a "crowd") and "not enough techno-stuff" (meaning they still have last-year's computers) ... yet we always had 30-32 kids in a class and made do with blackboards and books. Er, actually I think you're better off with just blackboards and books, that way you actually LEARN, not just LEARN HOW TO MAKE THE COMPUTER SPIT UP THE ANSWERS.

[snugglebump]

I so agree! My Mom and her relatives always talk about how well they were taught in school and the teacher had so many children she was teaching but every single one of them got attention and were taught well. Even now, my relatives who are going to colleges and universities in Montana talk about how wonderful the teachers are there and the quality and I can't wait to start. Right now, i'm just trying to get me and my Mom moved from Seattle but the place I will end up will be Great Falls for sure. The housing cost is so low and the area has always been beautiful to me. We used to go there every summer to shop at the mall and around the city and even on really, really hot days, it was just so beautiful. The people were so friendly too.
I think we will be happy there, at least until I graduate from University, after that i'll probably have to go somewhere out of state for grad school. But i'll cross that bridge when I get to it LOL!

[Reziac]

Whether you'll have to go out of state of course depends on what you want to do your graduate studies in. I know MSU has some graduate studies programs, and no doubt U of M does too.

Speaking of classroom size, I remember how we had 500 kids in Freshman Chemistry classes at MSU, and about 200 in 1st year Organic Chem, yet Dr.Olsen seemed to always know exactly who needed help. It's the teacher, not the class size!!

I too liked the environment in and around Great Falls. Pretty town, low-stress lifestyle, lots of room around the edges. Hopefully that will never change!

[jenzebel]

Originally Posted by Reziac

You can still find reasonable housing in Great Falls. Here's an example from a real estate watch list that I get:

Untitled
This particular house needs a lot of work, but should still give you an idea what the bottom end of the market is like.

The problem with a house like this that needs so much work is that you will find it difficult to get a loan. Just having a few fixers at this price doesn't give a true picture of the market.

[snugglebump]

I'll be a science major and a minor in vocals (not sure about two majors hmm) and my goal is to get myself to medical school one day. University of Washington Medical School will be one place i'd apply too.
Great Falls is and has been one of my first choices for school, not just for the low cost of living and tuition but also for the area. I have always thought it was a really lovely city and have loved shopping there in the summer since I was a child. I think I still get lost there though hehe.
Here in Seattle, everything is so high and the rentals really stink. We have had such horrible renting nightmares here and the City of Seattle does abosolutely nothing to bad Landlords! I'm currently renting a apartment and everything is breaking, the Landlord refuses to fix anything and the city of Seattles code enforcement who are supposed to enforce such things just don't care. I have had them come here a few times and they just make a phone call to the Landlord to fix it and he doesn't then they don't follow up or return phone calls. We've tried to call the City Council here in Seattle and they basically say, sorry we can't do anything but give you resources such as Columbia Legal Services (who don't even return calls and probably don't care either) and just tell us to call the code enforcement again. We've tried to get to the Seattle Tenant Union and they do absolutely nothing and don't even seem to know the Landlord/Tenant laws themselves. Last time we went to them for help, when this Landlord kept coming to our door knocking and trying to let himself in our apartment middle of the night, they didn't seem to know currentl laws.
I am so fed up with Seattle and renting here. I think if I did get into this grad school later, I would make sure that I can buy something even if it's a small condo and I wouldn't be buying it in Seattle and giving these people my tax money!
I wonder how Montana is about landlord/tenant laws there? Does anyone know how Great Falls handle bad Landlords. It seems here in Seattle, the Landlord can use his key and let himself in your apartment and if you call up the Police Department, all the Cops say is they can't do anything because it is a civil matter. Is Montana tougher on Landlords? I sure hope so lol. I'll tell you one thing, soon as we get out of this apartment and get on the road heading to Montana, i'm goig to kiss the freeway LOL!

[groundwerks]

I would give two thumbs up for Helena! I am a local, moved away, married a Canadian, and moved back, it is listed as one of the Best small art towns in America, great for kiddos, lots to get involved in, real community life, awesome coffee shops, close to lakes, lots of hiking...outdoorsy stuff...and I would recommend the Helena College of Tech, Carroll College, for finishing your nursing degree, there is a great hospital St. Peters, and I have so many friends finishing nursing degrees here, it would be great, and if you need financial help there is a great housing set up for low income families, and singles.
Hope that helps!
Blessings!

[P-Town Anita]

Hello, I was born and raised in the beautiful flathead valley and can't say I would have prefered to grow up anywhere else. Many of the reasons I love Kalispell, Whitefish, Lakeside and Bigfork are for the great outdoors. Hiking, swimming in lakes, bike riding, snowboarding, fishing,and hundreds of intelligent, talented, fun people make the valley a place I will always go back to and admire. However, being a single mom with a 7 year old boy I struggle with the idea of settling in a relatively small place with limited opportunities to make a good living. I think if you want to move to Flathead Valley then Whitefish is most expensive and fun, then Kalispell has lots of options and is a great place to be a kid. Columbia falls struggles to survive and relies on travelers which come and go,but housing is cheaper. Somers is right next to Flathead lake and all necessities are close by. I heard they also have lower income housing, I could be happy living in Somers due to the lake. I wish you luck in your desire for something better. The only happy people I know in Mt. (which there are lots) love it because they can do a million fun things outside and it is a damn beautiful place, but with limited social scene and lots of jobs revolving around construction and the service industry. Work at a nice restaurant and make some cash that is an option, but do you want to be a waitress forever?

If you find this useful and want a place to answer questions and to meet awesome single parents (not for dating)? I am working with friends that started this super helpful, hip single parenting website. Come check it out and get some quality advice from parents that are single, having fun and being great parents! Good Luck. Montana can be a great place to have a kid.

Anna
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[GEORGIAINMT]

I'm also from Wyoming and have been in the Billings area for about 14 years. Knowing where you are from, I would suggest the Billings area for you as it is fairly close to NE Wyoming. There is a nursing school in Billings at the MSU-Billings College of Tech. They just finished their brand new building about a month ago. It's got state of the art equipment, etc. I think everything you are asking for is in Billings. If you like smaller towns there are several small ones very close by where you could raise your kids and still go to school yourself in Billings and also take the kids there for fun, culture, etc. There is the availability of jobs like crazy in Billings and the housing is a lot more reasonable than some parts of the state. It's interesting that you plan on moving to Billings as I plan on returning to Wyoming sometime! Best wished to you and your kids
Georgia