Column: Making it in Missoula
How Missoula Ranks Among “Best Places”
By Big Sis, 5-16-07
I just learned some fun facts about Missoula’s demographics, thanks to a trustworthy Missoula source who emailed me this link from the New York Times Sunday Edition.
The article summarized the best places to live in the country, taken from the newly-released book: “Cities Ranked & Rated: More Than 400 Metropolitan Areas Evaluated in the U.S. & Canada.” In this 850-page publication which hit the shelves on Monday, authors Bert Sperling and Peter Sander take into account everything from trails, transportation, hurricanes and crime, to spirituality, respiratory infections, migraines and telecommuting.
Luckily for me, they also compiled data from the Census Bureau on the best places to live for singles, families, retirees and so on. Guess where Missoula falls in the mix?
Not too shabbily, actually—if you’re an “Empty Nester.” Out of all metro areas surveyed, Missoula came in as the second-best place to live in America for middle-aged folks whose children have moved on. Bellingham, Washington holds the #1 slot, and Santa Fe, New Mexico is #3.
Missoula, unfortunately, was nowhere to be found in the snapshot of the top ten best places for singles to live. San Francisco beat all the competitors to hell with 44.7% of its residents touting single status, followed by Detroit, New York, and then Boston.
Originally, these statistics made me depressed. As if it’s not tough enough to be single, now the whole country knows Missoula is the best place to live for married couples with grown children—which means it’s unlikely their perhaps-single and much-more-eligible grown children will be moving here with their parents and dating me. Damn.
Upon further research, however, I found the bright side. Author Bert Sperling’s website, www.bestplaces.net, revealed more detailed information on how he ranked these hoppin’ single cities. Although the big cities are by far and away the best place to be single, Missoula ranked a lofty #4 in the “Small Metro” category with 35.1% of our population boasting single status. Santa Fe tops this list at 39.3% of single residents.
In the mid-size metro category, Santa Cruz, California is the best place to live with 38.5% of the population single. On the other hand, single people probably feel pretty out of place in Utah, since Logan, St. George and Provo all have the lowest percentages of single people in the nation, at just under 20%. Perhaps the high marriage rates within the Church of Latter Day Saints has something to do with that.
Why, you might ask, would such an extensive survey be published on single-dom in America? Well, according to his website, Sperling and his compatriots were spurred by a recent New York Times study to research the “most single” cities in the country.
This original study reported that 51% of women in American now live without a spouse, up from 35% in 1950 and 49% in 2000. However, the NY Times study included all women 15 years of age and older, when the average marrying age these days is actually 26 (thankfully also up from the average in 1950).
Sperling narrowed the survey range to 25-64 years of age, and looked for patterns nationwide. These data show that 34% of American women are single. Interestingly enough (or perhaps just using common sense), the data also show that men aren’t far behind, with 32% of men in the same age-range single.
Other good news abounded among Sperling’s rankings. One of the categories detailed the most gender-imbalanced cities. The U.S. has about 6% more women than men, which means that most cities have a gender imbalance favoring single men. In fact, except for San Jose, CA, all of the top ten most gender-imbalanced cities have 15% to 28% more single women than single men.
Yet when you shift to small metro areas, the story changes. Here in Missoula, which ranks #45 among the most gender-imbalanced cities, we have a whopping 10.4% more men than women. (Where are you hiding, men?) Apparently though, the men are flocking west of the Continental Divide, as Billings and Great Falls both have 1.8% more women.
Missoula also hit the charts outside of the dating scene. Nationwide, the Garden City placed #24 in the “Best Green Places” category, just above Asheville, NC. So, we’ve got that going for us, which is nice.
The take-home lesson? Missoula’s actually a hot spot to be single, according to the numbers. Plus, when my parents move up here in a couple of years, they’ll have no trouble making friends with all the other “Empty Nesters” flocking to town. Maybe one of their new friends will even have a single son.
P.S. Another fascinating category (which you might need to whip out during a dull moment in a conversation) is the “Most Romantic Cities for Boomers.” Pittsburg, Salt Lake, and Raleigh are the places to be for lovey-dovey Baby Boomers, with all three cities inspiring the most flower and candy sales in the nation, as well as the lowest percentage of divorced or separated adults.
Stay tuned for a new guest column: Dating in The Garden City versus in The Big Apple--which city has more delectable fresh produce?
To read more about life and love in the Garden City, visit www.newwest.net/makingit
[End of article]There are worse things that not being named on a national list of best places to live. It helps keep the poseurs out or getting a name like Boze Angeles.
Comment By BW, 5-17-07Here again the issue of authenticity comes up. What do you mean by "poseurs", Helena? What are the criteria that determine whether or not you're a legitimate Missoulian? And who gets to decide what that is, anyway?
Kind of seems like for a town that's built it's reputation on acceptance, there's a lot of xenophobia floating around.
Missoula is a GREAT place to be single. Where else can you find such a selection of fantastic women who do things like, hike, fish, drink, ski/board, AND walk their dogs in sun dresses. Being a fella who takes things like cruising the back roads around the Blackfoot area in a 70's era pickup truck with a beer in my hand and a roach in the ashtray VERY seriously, Missoula is my kind of hangout. I have been both single and hitched over my last 14 plus years in this community and despite the occasional 4 degrees of separation that tend to happen with the sex lives of us 30 sumpin's in the Garden City, I couldn't agree with you more Big Sis.......p.s. BW, as a Native Montanan, I hear ya on the xenophobia tip. We don't ALL hate out of stater's. Some of us are actually thankful for SOME of the outside perspective that folks moving here have brought to us. One area in particular in urban growth. We have a long way to go on the issue, but I think it has been the recent influx of new residents to the Big Sky state that have helped bring the issue to the forefront of discussion. Thanks for that.
Comment By pendejo, 5-17-07You know, 38.4% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
Comment By Beer drinker till payday, then I'll switch to Bour, 5-17-07They also say that 3% of people use 5 to 6% of their brain. 97% use just 3% and the rest goes down the drain. I'll never know which one I am but I'll bet you my last dime, 99% think think were 3% 100% of the time.....
Comment By Helena, 5-17-07I get to decide. Because I said so.
If you own a four-wheel drive but don't know how to get it into 4x4, you're a poseur.
If your first fly-rod cost more than $300, you're a poseur.
If you pronounce it, "Hell-ee-na", your's a poseur.
If you can't name the county and county seat for license plate counties 1-10, you're a poseur (All right, nobody gets Broadus so you can have that one.)
If you call yourself a Montanan but you've never been east of Bridger Bowl, you're a poseur.
If someone else killed the bird who's feather you wear in your cowboy hat, you're a poseur.
If you drive a Humvee and it doesn't have the name of your business on the side, you're a poseur.
Wikipedia - A poseur (or poser) is a person who adopts the dress, speech, and/or mannerisms of a particular group or subculture in order to impress others.
The lifestyle is usually one that doesn't come naturally for the person. It is "other than his or her true one.". The term implies an "affected or insincere person. Used as an insult, the term describes an array of perceived imitations. The insult becomes effective when used by a genuine member of the group that the victim is trying to imitate. Virtually any group or subculture can use the term to ostracize an individual as an imitator. A poseur is similar to a wannabe. However, a poseur is perceived to be actively engaged in imitation, whereas a wannabe may only be contemplating future imitation.
44.27% of all people who use wikipedia as a legitimate source for research are posers, "actively engaged in [the] imitation" of those who are not a dumbass.
Comment By Becky, 5-18-07Studies show that 100% of those who use cannot use "who's" and "whose" correctly, nor are aware that birds are not a who but a what, are posers.
Comment By Becky, 5-18-07Whoops. That statistic would also include those of us who don't proofread our posts.
Comment By liz, 5-22-07maybe its time to go back to LA to find some single folks and convince them not to come to montana
This article was printed from www.newwest.net at the following URL: http://www.newwest.net/city/article/from_swingin_singles_to_empty_nesters_how_missoula_ranks_among_the_best_pla/C8/L8/