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Lively Missoula, Montana, Remote But Sophisticated, Beckons to Retirees Seeking a Casual Western Retirement in a Rugged Mountain Setting
Cost of Living: Meets the National Average
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Situated at the foot of the Bitterroot Mountain range in western Montana's Rocky Mountains, Missoula (population 68,000) was once called the "Paris of the '90s" by writer John Updike and today is known as "Garden City." It started out as the Hellgate Trading Post in the mid-1800s and later became a mill town and an army fort. These days it is the site of the University of Montana (12,000 students) and is the most liberal spot in an otherwise very conservative state, one primarily populated with working ranches and small, rural communities. Missoula residents enjoy a lively cultural ambiance, very good medical facilities, some jaw dropping mountain scenery, four seasons and nearly unlimited outdoor recreation. In fact, 81% of the people who live here say Missoula's quality of life is good or excellent. Of the population, 20% is age 45 to 64, and 10% is age 65 or better.
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The average cost of living here meets the national average, and the median home price is $185,000, below the West's median price. The city has roughly 20 separate neighborhoods, some with a very urban feel and others with a distinctly rural character. Everything from farm houses to condominiums is for sale, but ranch-style and standard bi-level single family dwellings are the norm. Most neighborhoods are well kept (some need a little sprucing up), laid out in orderly grids, and a few close to downtown, including Lewis and Clark, are very walkable. In the years building up to the Great Recession, Missoula was attracting a lot of out-of-staters with money, and there are some very expensive homes with acreage on the outskirts of town.
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Missoula has a healthy number of rentals, from apartments to private homes, but many of these are leased by students. The median monthly rent is roughly $700 for a one bedroom unit and $850 for a two bedroom unit.
Property is assessed at 100% of fair market value and is taxed at roughly $12 per $1000 in value. However, all homeowners receive a 34% exemption, and homeowners age 62 or better may receive a further exemption. The annual taxes on a $185,000 home are approximately $2,200. When it comes to retirement income, Montana taxes both Social Security and private pensions (railroad benefits are not taxed). $3,600 of retirement income is exempt from taxes if income guidelines are met, and for people age 65 or better, some interest income is exempt. Overall, Montana has the 15th lowest overall tax burden of all 50 states (2009).
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Missoula straddles the clean Clark Fork River and sits in a high altitude valley (3,200 feet) that was once a glacier lake. National forests and wilderness areas are all around, and elk herds graze just outside of town. Locals and tourists alike engage in camping, hiking, cross country skiing, river rafting, kayaking and golfing (7 courses), and opportunities abound for photographing nature's bounty or just enjoying some quiet solitude. Fly fishing is particularly popular in these parts, and two nearby sparkling rivers, the Big Blackfoot River and the Bitterroot River, were featured in the 1992 movie A River Runs Through It (as was a sparkling Brad Pitt).
The lifestyle is casual, and the ambiance is an interesting combination of Western independence and liberalism. Not many towns see a similar mix of old school hippies, students, ranchers, affluent urban transplants and smokejumpers (Missoula is a Forest Service base). The city is animal friendly and has won national recognition for being bicycle friendly. Its crime rate meets the national average. Sixty percent of residents call themselves Democrats, a rarity in Montana.
The Missoula Public Library has two branches and offers downloadable ebooks, free wifi, 20 public access computers, book discussions, a writers' group and roving librarians. UM Grizzlie football, basketball, soccer and cross country athletic activities ensure that there is always a game to attend. The University's School of Visual and Performing Arts has an extensive calendar, with 20 to 30 different performances each month (jazz festivals, guest artist recitals, dance presentations, etc.). The Missoula Symphony Orchestra and Chorale is very active, as is the city's alternative music scene. The Missoula Cultural Council supports a wide range of cultural events and groups, including the Downtown Dance Collective, the First Friday Gallery Night and the Montana Writers' Guild. Montana Shakespeare in the Park, the Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre and the Montana Repertory Theatre give residents even more venues for enjoying the arts.
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There are also lots of festivals and fairs, from the Lewis and Clark Outdoor Art Gala and the Garden City Brew Fest to the Bearcussion Spring Event and the Montana Festival of the Book. Cozy coffee houses are plentiful, and shopping is adequate with box stores and malls. The trendy downtown is variously described as "quaint" or "pretentious," depending on one's point of view, with restaurants, pubs, shops, bookstores and galleries.
Mountain Line provides the local public transportation Monday through Saturday. Seniors ride for $.35 each way. It also has a route to the airport. Door to door para-transit transportation is available, too, as is a curb to curb service called Senior Van Lines (application is required). It runs Monday through Friday, and rides must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance. The cost is $1.50 each way. The local airport, Missoula International Airport, accepts flights from United, Delta and a couple of regional carriers.
Interstate 90 runs through the city, but there is not much besides wide open country and a very big sky (as was once documented on the license plates) for miles. The nearest town with a population of more than 55,000 people is Great Falls, 135 miles to the east. Spokane, Washington (population 200,000) is 175 miles to the west. Glacier National Park is 3 hours north, and Yellowstone National Park is 4 hours southeast.
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The Missoula Senior Citizens Center (for those age 50+) has a good selection of events and activities, from Tai Chi classes to country western dances, as well as trips to museums and theater events. Lunches are served Monday through Friday ($5 for a full meal and dessert). The Center also acts as a referral hub for other senior agencies in the area.
For people with a love of learning, the UM sponsors the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, also known as MOLLI. This program, similar to the other OLLIs around the country, is open to anyone age 50 or better and offers a full catalogue of classes, everything from History of the Law and Creative Writing 101 to Classic Problems in Philosophy. The emphasis is on learning for learning's sake, so there are no tests or grades. Registration is $20, and each class is $60. MOLLI also has a program tailored just for grandparents and their grandchildren.
The Community Medical Center and St. Patrick Hospital provide the local medical care. Community is a Level III Trauma Center (135 beds) that emphasizes cardiac care, diabetes care and orthopedics care but also has two emergency care units. It has won awards for its coronary intervention and beats national averages in all areas. Non-profit St. Patrick is a Level II Trauma Center, has 213 beds and has won several national awards for excellence in patient safety and experience. It also rates above national averages in all areas. Both hospitals accept both Medicare and Medicaid patients.
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The weather here is as might be expected. Winters are long. Temperatures are in the teens, 20s and 30s, and skies are gray much of the time. Snows can be heavy. This part of Montana is more humid than the eastern section, but on the comfort index, a combination of humidity and temperature, it still is way above the national average. Summers are cool and sunny, with temperatures in the 70s and 80s. The sun shines 165 days of the year.
A Missoula retirement has some drawbacks. Not all long-time residents like the fact that the city is growing (by 18% in the last 10 years) and attracting newcomers (sometimes called "outsiders"). The city is isolated. It snows a lot, and Spring can seem a long time coming. Ethnic diversity has not yet arrived. Jobs are low-paying. The water quality is below the national average, and because Missoula sits in a valley, the air quality is also below the national average.
And yet this mellow, progressive city, with its striking setting, bounty of outdoor recreation and energetic cultural scene, beckons. It is safe to say that retirees who come to Missoula usually want to stay in Missoula.
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Montana Real Estate Active Adult
Developments in Missoula, Montana Retirement Communities
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