Bozeman, MT

[Formosus]

Hi guys!

I just got my acceptance to Montana State University and I'll almost certainly be attending there in the Fall. I'm from Atlanta, GA (grew up in a suburb and Georgia Tech for undergrad) can anybody give me their feelings or tips about Bozeman or the surrounding areas?

 

Thanks!

[Rockerika]

I grew up in a small town near Bozeman by Montana standards (100 miles/ 1.5 hours away), but go to Missoula (UM) now, so take my POV with that in mind. I'm sure you've heard people rant and rave about how beautiful Bozeman is with the mountains and all that, so I'll skip that bit.

It's a nice little college town, and MSU is increasing enrollment compared to UM right now because its a more STEM focused school whereas UM is more Liberal Arts focused. Skiing is the activity of choice, and pretty much everyone there owns a Subaru with a roof rack for that purpose. Be ready for a major climate shock moving from the south to Montana, of course, but I'm sure you already knew that. The downtown area has a lot of little local shops that are worth a look, and it has many of the big chains you'd expect. Bozeman and its surrounding area has grew a lot throughout the housing boom, then crashed. There is a lot of suburban sprawl.

Culturally, it is a very "yuppie" environment one could say, but also full of many kinds of people. You have a mix of well to do college kids spending their parents' money to go skiing for 4 years, "granola" types, and hardcore Montana Republicans going into STEM and business fields for the money. Being close to the middle of the state, it is a bit of a mixing pot culturally, especially compared to Missoula, which is definitely more liberal.

What kind of things were you specifically wanting to know?

[Frozen__waffles]

Question- what is the housing situation like at MSU? The stipend they gave me (1690/mo) is significantly less than others schools, and from what I can tell the off campus housing seems expensive and not pet-friendly. I have a cat that's a licensed and registered (through my therapist) companion animal, and I would rather pet friendly housing vs. having to show up with a letter to a pet free place