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Old 04-06-2010, 09:01 AM
 
7 posts, read 39,922 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi!

Okay, so I was recently accepted to Montana Law and I've been browsing the board looking for answers to questions/concerns I have about Missoula before I make my final decision. Since I can't find much besides "Missoula sux!" and "Missoula is the best place evar!" [edit: this isn't exactly true, but there seems to be a good amount of MT residents that are trying to "dissuade" outsiders from pursuing residency in Montana], I'm just going to start up a new thread and hope I get some good responses

Here's the situation. I've lived on the east coast all my life: NJ, VA, NYC, now Boston. I'll be 29 in May and have a great girlfriend. We were both sick of our go-nowhere "careers" and decided to apply to schools. She was not accepted at any school, I was accepted at a few, including Montana Law. I have until April 15th to put a deposit down and I'm weighing our options.

For me, I have heard that there are careers for someone coming out of Montana Law in Montana. I know the salary may be comparatively low to the nationwide average, but the cost of living in Montana is also low. My biggest concern is for my girlfriend.

She is currently finishing her Master's in Museum Studies from Harvard and wants to, maybe not now, but at some point in the future (perhaps after I get out of law school and we can move elsewhere in the state), get into museums in Montana. She is afraid that there are low opportunities for that, even in Billings or a larger city in Montana.

She has been an exec. assistant and office manager in Boston for the past 7 years and wouldn't mind doing something similar, but I'm not sure if they even have a need for that kind of person in Missoula. Overall, what kind of employment is there for someone with her experience? Is it hard to find a salaried position? Are there new and growing businesses moving into Missoula? What kind of salary can she expect?

Also, moving from the East Coast may be a bit "shocking". Is there enough arts/culture that life isn't super boring? We love the outdoors - camping, hiking, fishing, etc., but are there concerts, art galleries and festivals to keep us happy? What else can you tell us about the Missoula winters? Are they really that bad?

Last thing. We heard it's difficult to get in and out of Missoula (like travel). She's afraid that if there is an emergency, it would be difficult or expensive to come back east to be with her family. Is this true?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Last edited by Pisto3; 04-06-2010 at 10:09 AM..
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Old 04-06-2010, 09:41 AM
 
7 posts, read 39,922 times
Reputation: 10
Hate to comment on my own post, BUT...I know that I should visit before I come to live there, but it's just not feasible, just as it's not feasible to visit everywhere we applied to school. My girlfriend and I are hardworking people and we, unfortunately, don't have the funds to visit

[EDIT: We are certainly not your average "Trust-ifarians" or "Brat-agonians" that are going through a quarter-life crisis and want to move to an "open and clean" space. Although we are from the East Coast, neither of us are particularly privileged, and, although we love the outdoors, know that there is more to living in a place than bunny rabbits and pristine mountain springs. We don't look down on anyone and care more about contributing to a community than exploiting it for personal gain.]

Last edited by Pisto3; 04-06-2010 at 10:18 AM..
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Old 04-06-2010, 10:24 AM
 
Location: Where the mountains touch the sky
6,743 posts, read 8,518,469 times
Reputation: 14928
I don't live in Missoula, and tend to fall into the "Missoula Sux" crowd, but if you have lived in Boston you should fit right in there.

For your Girlfriend, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is in Missoula and has a fabulous Elk and wildlife museum. I don't know if they are hiring, but Montana is no slouch when it comes to world class Museums.

The Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman is one of the best in the world especially in the Dinosaur wing under Jack Horner.

The Montana Historical Society in Helena has a collection from the Pleistocene to present and has constantly revolving exibits and interactive activities.
There is the Military Museum at Fort Harrison with exibits from every war Montana has sent our people to fight in.

Malta has a new museum that showcases Leonardo, The mumified Hadrosaur that made headlines around the world and is part of the Dinosaur Trail from the Hell Creek formation near Glendive, the Missouri Breaks all the way to Egg Mountain near Choteau. Some of the best dinosaur fossils and opportunities ever found.

In Great Falls there is the Charles M Russel museum.
Billings has the Alberta Bair.

Just about every little or large town in Montana has at least one museum. I don't know what the opportunities for curators are, but she could spend a lot of time traveling around the state and seeing some one of a kind exibits available no-where else.

As to entertainment, last weekend had the Walking With Dinosaurs show in Billings. Robotic life size Dinosaurs with a light and sound show that was out of this world.
Lots of concerts around the state with the Summer Fair Season coming up.

Opportunity and entertainment are there, it just depends on what you want to see.

Lawyers we have more than enough of....
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Old 04-06-2010, 11:55 AM
 
Location: State of General Disarray
836 posts, read 1,488,312 times
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Missoula doesn't suck, it has pluses and minuses, just like everywhere else.

Missoula has several museums and art galleries. We have a children's museum, art museum, and an historical museum as well as the Rocky Mtn. Elk Foundation museum. I think there are more. Anyway, there are opportunities for a museum career here. If they're not hiring now, your girlfriend can certainly volunteer, which brings me to my next two points:

--Nobody in Missoula is hiring for anything, ever. Yeah, I'm exaggerating, but it's hard to find a job here, and when you do, expect your employer to pay you nothing and try to exploit you. Don't blame the economy, either -- Missoula has always been this way. Most of the jobs you will find will be in the service sector, hence low-paying (i.e., minimum wage).

--One of the great things about Missoula is that there are a TON of volunteer opportunities for people who are looking to get involved, whether out of a sense of brotherly love OR out of being bored and unemployed, ha ha. One complaint I have NEVER heard about Missoula is that there's no sense of community. There's almost too much sense of community here!

I would also say the cost of living here is NOT low! Housing and utilities are quite high compared to wages here.

You're right about travel -- it's very difficult. It wasn't so hard in the past to catch a flight, but the airlines in their infinite wisdom have cut many of their routes and now it's not only difficult to get out (or in), it's also insanely expensive. This adds to my theory that the airlines are minions of Satan out to cause as much earthly suffering as possible (they're good at it, too).

OK, on to stuff to do. The best thing about Missoula, hands down, is that there are three National Recreation Areas within fifteen minutes of town: Blue Mountain, Pattee Canyon, and Rattlesnake. If you enjoy hiking and/or mountain biking, you have a ton of trails to explore. In town, we have the First Friday Art Walk and in summer, the farmer's markets, which are super fun for people watching as well as shopping. There's a concert somewhere in town just about every night, though we don't tend to draw big acts for a lack of big venues.

Oh, and by the way, winter does really, really, really, suck. It's long and cold and boring. (Unless you like to ski). And summers are very hot and dry and frequently smoky, from forest fires. And the pine beetles are killing our trees -- major bummer.

So, all that being said, Missoula is a great place to hang out for a few years if you're into outdoor recreation. If that's not really your thing, you will be bored here. Also, if you want/need to make money, that's probably not going to happen for you here.
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Old 04-07-2010, 09:08 AM
 
Location: NW Montana
6,259 posts, read 14,629,384 times
Reputation: 3459
Can I be really honest?
I am from Oregon, here now about five years.
I was too fast paced for here when I came.
I walked too fast, talked too fast, could and did juggle 65 tasked at one time. Never thought to ask for time off for the dentist, car repair ect....
I had to change. Good or bad that is what had to happen. I still have to reel in my impatience on the job because I am a taskmaster. Really used to lots of competition and that is not a trait well received here. Now notice I am in Eastern MT and the two side of Montana are quite different. More outsiders on the Western side but the ground floor is still original Montanans with their original way of doing things. Unless your GF is a paleontologist there is no way she will be able to use her skill set. Now if you think she can sew crochet her time away while you are in school then go for it. Otherwise I think Lewis & Clark Law School would be a good match if they have openings, she would have access to PDX and SE-Tac for her jobs.
Good luck, and apologies to my neighbors, they know I love them here on CD. Just want you to be realistic and you post sounded like you wanted the hard core version.

Last edited by Mt-7; 04-07-2010 at 09:10 AM.. Reason: neatness counts!
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Old 05-07-2010, 08:21 PM
 
1 posts, read 2,793 times
Reputation: 10
Default missoula

I live in Missoula. Given the description of things you value in a place I'd say that you'd be happy here. Fantastic arts community, farmers markets, outdoor recreation, etc... usually listed in the best places to live magazines.
Downsides are what others have mentioned. Getting in and out of here is very expensive. Flights to Boston are typically around 700 if purchased in advance. As far as the Museum profession goes Montana cannot compare to New England. There are very few museums here and those that are here probably only have a few permanent staff. Unlike the East where heritage tourism is more common, the natural resources are the bigger draw here. Yes, you'll find state and national parks that offer historical interpretation but those jobs are few and far between. So as far as museum work goes the prospects are slim.
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Old 06-30-2010, 12:42 PM
 
4 posts, read 10,168 times
Reputation: 12
Hi,

I am from Upstate NY and recently moved to Missoula. I too had lived on the East Coast my whole life. I miss it terribly and I count down the days till I can move back. Living here is a lot cheaper, however finding a job is hard and pursuing a career here is worthless. I moved here for my boyfriend and don't really like it and I am not sure if your girlfriend will. If you just want to hike every single day than you will love it. Coming from the East Coast we have to ability to travel quickly and we have access to a lot of different activities. I would recommend staying where you are. I plan on moving the the North Shore area when my boyfriend graduates. I will most likely visit again since his parents live in MT, I would never choose to live here.
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