Moving to Missoula from Mississippi (renting, insurance, landlords)

[Nurse92]

Hi all! I plan to move to Missoula or the surrounding area soon. I'm a nurse, so I'll pretty much always have to get to work. A little of my background- I'm from Mississippi. So no- I don't have experience with any kind of winter that would compare to Montana. I get it. I'm looking for advice on how to manage in the winter, etc. My dream has been to move to Montana for a while, and there's really nothing holding me back from going for it.

I'm sure there are things you do/need during the winter that are second hand you don't think about to mention. I know tires are very important. Do a lot of people use chains, or snow tires with an AWD vehicle are fine? What do you do for snow removal? Layers and good boots/shoes are a given. I'm 100% a novice. Literally anything would help. I truly appreciate any advice you might have from finding housing, surviving a winter, things that are needed... I'm doing a lot of research, but most things I find are older posts or articles.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by Nurse92

Hi all! I plan to move to Missoula or the surrounding area soon. I'm a nurse, so I'll pretty much always have to get to work. A little of my background- I'm from Mississippi. So no- I don't have experience with any kind of winter that would compare to Montana. I get it. I'm looking for advice on how to manage in the winter, etc. My dream has been to move to Montana for a while, and there's really nothing holding me back from going for it.

I'm sure there are things you do/need during the winter that are second hand you don't think about to mention. I know tires are very important. Do a lot of people use chains, or snow tires with an AWD vehicle are fine? What do you do for snow removal? Layers and good boots/shoes are a given. I'm 100% a novice. Literally anything would help. I truly appreciate any advice you might have from finding housing, surviving a winter, things that are needed... I'm doing a lot of research, but most things I find are older posts or articles.

If you're living in town and not doing much driving in the mountain you won't need to always have chains on, however, they are good to have in case of emergency travel. Quite a few people drive AWD. For snow removal,you can use a shovel snowblower, depending on how ,ugh you need to remove. If you're renting most landlords take care of that.

[mjstef]

You will find your nursing income will not go as far in Montana as it will in Mississippi. My daughter is a CNA (on her way to MA and then RN) and she is making $2 more an hour here in Wisconsin where housing is 1/3'rd the cost and insurance is less than 1/2. Missoula keeps the streets pretty clean. Just get a set of studded tires if your worried.....

[lv2hoop]

1. All season tires or winter tires
2. Get an emergency kit packed up in your vehicle
3. Go easy on overdoing it on the winter gear for wear. You might be surprised how quickly you become accustomed to the colder northern climate and heavy coats and boots might or might not be your thing.
4. Pick a place to live that is well built and insulated from the cold.
5. Fly to a warm climate 1 or 2 times between December and May
6. Get out and enjoy doing things in the winter snow

If you do all or most of these things, you'll find Missoula easy to live in. It's a great place.

[ManiaCat]

Suggest you first go visit in the winter. I, too, am considering a move to Montana and I know how to drive and live in snow, but it will still be a big adjustment for me. I'm sure there are YouTube videos with some excellent advice for how to live in colder climates. There is quite a bit to learn, and being from Mississippi it will be the exact opposite of weather you are used to, so be prepared for huge changes. That's why I suggested visiting before actually blindly making a move because you may discover you're not so enamored with the idea after all.

Your vehicle will be your #1 priority in winter, so treat it well and learn all there is to know about surviving winter in a cold climate. Door locks will freeze, windshield washer reservoirs will freeze and crack, batteries die without a heater, etc. Be sure to have windshield chips properly repaired because they weaken the glass and the entire windshield can crack in the cold. Wash your car often because the salt solutions used to remove ice from the roads will rust and corrode the metal of your vehicle. Stuff no one may tell you straight off but even one of these will sideline you.