Dogville, MT
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1/2/2008
People in Missoula have a major chip on their shoulder about outsiders moving here. The "Us vs. Them" mentality is huge here, because people in Western Montana think they live in the best place in the world and refuse to confront the region's problems head on - they'd just rather blame it on people moving here. This is not to say that people aren't very nice on the street, and that there aren't very many charming things about this town if you visit as a tourist. For one, the scenery is beautiful, and I do like that this area is full of interesting old guys who can talk up a storm about how things used to be. The problem is that the later generations have taken "this is how it used to be" to heart. If you make the mistake of moving here from somewhere else, be warned - the petty, small-town mentality will cost you work. Speaking from personal experience, HR people here often don't accept credentials earned outside of Montana as being valid at all, unless (perhaps) you earned them in a neighboring state. If your degree or experience isn't from a place they consider "one of Us", expect it to count against you in interviews. I, with my Massachusetts and Seattle education, have been passed over for jobs more times than I can count because I wasn't "One of Us". People here are classically paranoid about their way of life being eradicated by "those people" (including anyone from anywhere in Western Washington, California, or the East Coast), and think it's their God given right to do whatever they please to keep "those people" from moving here. Missoula also exists in a love-hate relationship with UM, which has a chip on its shoulder that puts the rest of the town to shame. UM's athletics people are notorious for being the rudest, most disrespectful, awful people in the AA conference, and the school generally conducts itself as though it - and especially its coaches - are above the law.
Missoula is also swamped with UM's recent graduates, to the point where most UM grads are working at Subway because education doesn't matter to employers here. Wages are a joke, too - even if you survive the outsider-screening process and get a job here, it's amazing to earn enough to squeak by considering the relatively high cost of living. If you make more than $10/hr consider yourself lucky. The chain grocery stores all charge Seattle prices because that's their nearest supply center, and the real estate market is insanely overinflated. A house in the nice area by the University costs at least $400,000, or as much here as it would in Seattle or Portland, and the rental market is so oversaturated that less than 1% of apartments are available at any given time. And don't even get me started on the way people drive here - it's as though everyone is offended that there's more traffic now than there was ten years ago, so they just pretend it isn't there. Is it any wonder that half of the cars in town have crumpled corners from being clipped at high speed? Western Montana thinks it's unique and interesting, but it's easily the most unenlightened, backwards, idiotic place I've ever lived, and I've lived in four other states. Do yourself a favor and never, ever, move here. I personally can't wait to leave.
Anonymous | Missoula, MT