Which College Town is Better Bozeman or Missoula?
Let the debate and rivalry continue to rage. If you have lived in Montana for any amount of time you know there is a rivalry, not only in sports, but in pretty much everything between Bozeman and Missoula. Both the University of Montana and Montana State University football teams are in the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs this weekend, so both cities have good football programs at the very least. But which college town is better?
Who's Better?
I don't think anyone in this state will ever agree on who's better (but we have our own reasons why we think Missoula is a pretty great college town). Wallet Hub has weighed in on our long-standing debate and has declared Bozeman the winner in the "Which college town is better?" debate. According to their metrics, "Wallet Friendliness", "Social Environment", and "Academic and Economic Opportunities", Bozeman is the overall winner in the head-to-head battle with Missoula. When it came to the scores Bozeman scored a 43 while Missoula didn't even break the top 80 coming in at number 81.
Size Matters
Bozeman scored high nationally when it comes to the "Best Small City", cracking the top 20 nationwide coming in at number 19. Bozeman didn't beat Missoula in every category, Missoula won in the "Wallet Friendliness" category. According to their metrics, it is much more expensive to live in Bozeman compared to living in Missoula.
Expect More People
I hate to say it, but the word is out that our state is a great place to live, work, and play. The more stories that come out like this the more that people will be looking to relocate to Montana. So let the debate rage on. To me, it doesn't matter which town was voted the "Best" because for me I am just lucky to be able to call Montana, "Home."