Considering a move to Montana-- questions. (Missoula, Great Falls: upper-class, apartment complex, how much)

[mihomi98]

Hello Montanians!

My girlfriend and I are considering a move to Montana for graduate school and possibly permanently live there. I'll be getting my Doctorate of Physical Therapy, and she'll be getting her MS and PhD in paleontology/geology. We're looking at Montana because I have family living in Bozeman, and for my girlfriend, there's a ton of dig sites so she has a higher chance of finding her place in the paleontology world.

So here are my questions:
1-- what's the need for physical therapists in MT?

2-- What are the winters like? We live in Saint Louis, MO at the moment, and I'm certain that the weather is different.

3-- how much would a 1-or-2 bedroom apartment in Bozeman cost, and what neighborhoods should we look in for a good apartment?

4-- How would Bozeman treat a lesbian couple? One of my biggest concerns is that we'll be shunned by the community.

5-- What do you like the most/the least about Montana?

Thank you everyone!

[montygarlic]

I don't live in Bozeman, so my impressions are from someone living in a much smaller and more conservative place (Polson) in NW Montana.

As to your questions:
Other than the cost of living (apartments, etc.), I believe you would find Bozeman entire a positive improvement from St. Louis regarding all your social concerns.
The trick is to solve the "make a living/afford to live" in a state with low wages/per capita income and high costs of living.
The College Town atmosphere and climate should be friendly for your situation.

Good luck in your pursuits.


mg

[bongo403]

Montana winters are much different than what you've experienced in St Louis. You'll need to be prepared for long winters with lots of temps in the teens and single digits, and occasional below-zero stretches. Also, snow - Bozeman gets a lot of that (I was there last weekend and they had just gotten 5"). On the plus side, the skiing is fantastic. :-)

I agree that as a college town, Bozeman is fairly progressive and you'll probably find most people supportive of your lifestyle. There will be exceptions, but I think that's true of any place. Missoula would be more accepting, but I don't believe that UM has options in Paleantology.

Montana seems to have a lot of Physical Therapists, but I also see a lot of PT job postings, so it seems there is room for more.

I don't live in Bozeman, so I don't know details about housing costs, but it is one of the more expensive areas of Montana.

[Mt-7]

Sure that PT have a good deal of work here, older populations plus the hazards of winter walking create a steady supply of patients
If you are outdoor folks you will love the variety of things to do. I think Boz has higher than average housing cost.
Good luck and let us know how it is going. When I grow up I am gonna be a dinosaur hunter...

[SunnyLin]

I don't live in Bozeman, I do however live in a small town in Montana and I am living with my gf. I would say that although it is soo different from what I'm used to (lived in cities most of my life) I have really been happily surprised with how kind and welcoming everyone is. People will wave when they don't even know you. We don't completely stand out so perhaps people don't know we're together as we are not publicly affectionate but the people that do know have still been very kind. I would say if you have family here (and it doesn't have to be permanent if you change your mind later) Go For It and Good Luck!!

[SunnyLin]

Hey here is an update... I just asked one of my friends who is going to college in Bozeman what it's like and here was her reply:
Bozeman is AMAZING. It is less liberal than Missoula. We have a lot of real montanan's who farm and are cowboys here so its more republican like based. But then again it is a college town so you get the liberalness too.
People are very nice and friendly since most people who work here are college students and its a very young town and open for new things. We have the older generation that live here to but are the type that is more open minded to "gays/lesbians" which i like. We are more Gay friendly than say Bigfork MT, but i think thats cause we are a college town.
Bozeman is full of things to do all the time. There is the downtown life (bars with dancing), we have a country bar, we have two places that have karaoke during the week, we have your classy upper-class bar called the Plonk where celebrities will occasionally be there thanks to the Yellowstone Club. We also have hot springs that are AMAZING! Bozeman hot-springs, Norris hot-springs which has live music and a bar, and then chico hot-springs that is out by yellowstone and is nice. What else. . . . we have football games that are a HUGE thing during the fall thanks to the cat/griz rivalry. And we are building a new stadium right now so this year will be insane. And we have hockey teams "ice dogs" and then the college one callled "Hell-Cats" which are big deals. Other than that we have RODEO's like crazy in the summer haha. They are fun. OH and we don't have any lakes too close by but we have the madison river and other various rivers that are very popular for floating on in the summer. Hope this helps

[Timberwolf232]

Originally Posted by mihomi98

Hello Montanians!

My girlfriend and I are considering a move to Montana for graduate school and possibly permanently live there. I'll be getting my Doctorate of Physical Therapy, and she'll be getting her MS and PhD in paleontology/geology. We're looking at Montana because I have family living in Bozeman, and for my girlfriend, there's a ton of dig sites so she has a higher chance of finding her place in the paleontology world.

So here are my questions:
1-- what's the need for physical therapists in MT?

2-- What are the winters like? We live in Saint Louis, MO at the moment, and I'm certain that the weather is different.

3-- how much would a 1-or-2 bedroom apartment in Bozeman cost, and what neighborhoods should we look in for a good apartment?

4-- How would Bozeman treat a lesbian couple? One of my biggest concerns is that we'll be shunned by the community.

5-- What do you like the most/the least about Montana?

Thank you everyone!

First thing... You need to know before you read my comment that it's my B-day and I'm drinking.... Hope I don't offend anyone, but if I do... Get over it.

1: There are smart people here even if you think we are all hicks.

2: Winters are drier and we get a lot of snow when you don't think it would snow.

3: Bozeman is a liberal town these days, and prices are like they are in San Fransisco, because most people in Bozeman these days are from California..

4: Nobody cares if you are a lesbian or not. If they say something or make you feel uncomfortable, they most likely are not from here and are just some tea bagger that thought Montana was a refuge for the anti-govt, hate everything group from Rural CA, Vermont, or New Hampshire . Nothing to worry about.

5: We love hiking, long drives, snowmobiling, aviation, and all kinds of exploration.. We have all kinds of friends of all kinds of races and lifestyles.
Live and let live is the best way to put it. If you want to force something on people then do it at your own risk, if you are happy and fun, nobody that matters will care or even notice if you are different... because truthfully you are no different, we are all human.

Good Luck!

[Montana Griz]

Originally Posted by Timberwolf232

First thing... You need to know before you read my comment that it's my B-day and I'm drinking.... Hope I don't offend anyone, but if I do... Get over it.

1: There are smart people here even if you think we are all hicks.

2: Winters are drier and we get a lot of snow when you don't think it would snow.

3: Bozeman is a liberal town these days, and prices are like they are in San Fransisco, because most people in Bozeman these days are from California..

4: Nobody cares if you are a lesbian or not. If they say something or make you feel uncomfortable, they most likely are not from here and are just some tea bagger that thought Montana was a refuge for the anti-govt, hate everything group from Rural CA, Vermont, or New Hampshire . Nothing to worry about.

5: We love hiking, long drives, snowmobiling, aviation, and all kinds of exploration.. We have all kinds of friends of all kinds of races and lifestyles.
Live and let live is the best way to put it. If you want to force something on people then do it at your own risk, if you are happy and fun, nobody that matters will care or even notice if you are different... because truthfully you are no different, we are all human.

Good Luck!

.............Hey Timberwolf......

Happy B-Day, have another "drinkie" on me

By the way.....what the hell happened to Spring? Had almost 2 inches of snow the night before last down here by Victor.

Something else for you: had 38 elk about 300 feet from the house 4 mornings ago at about 6:30 a.m. They're normal patterns are really screwed up due to the wolves between Hwy 93 and the mountains on the west side of the valley. Up to 5 years ago they never hung around this immediate area......they'd just move right on thru and get into the lower foothills by now..................well, we'll see what happens, last april they hung around for 3 weeks. Have a good one.

[NDak15]

I can answer a few of those based on living in Bozeman for five years. The winters can get cold and there is snow for about half of the year. However, the wind in Bozeman isn't as bad as some areas in the state like Livingston or Great Falls. You will have to look for current prices on one or two bedroom apartments, but count on paying more than $700 for one that is a dump. (Keep in mind I last lived there in 2005 so things may have changed). A good apartment complex is the Green Trees. They are in a nice little neighborhood and several of my friends lived there in college. Stay away from Management Associates. I had major problems with them as did my friends. For a lesbian couple Bozeman is one of the best places in the state to live. You shouldn't have to worry about being shunned. The thing I liked the most about living in Montana was the plethora of outdoor activities available. There is no shortage. I also liked the slower pace of life. What I did not like was the low wages and the fact that the state is romanticized. Many people take "The Last Best Place" nickname literally and often are oblivious to the rest of the world (although Bozeman is not as severe). One thing to think about with Bozeman is that the town is very anti-student. I cannot count how many times my friends and I faced discrimination for being students (although this was as an undergraduate). As far as a need for a physical therapist I can't answer that question.