Bozeman Employee Finally Finds Affordable Apartment In Townsend
Local worker discovers affordable housing just one podcast, two coffees, and 64 miles from work.
INTERSTATE 90, MT - After two months of searching, Bozeman employee Jake Miller announced this week that he has finally found an apartment he can afford just 64 miles from his job.
“When I got the job, I figured finding a place would be the easy part,” said Miller, who makes $26 an hour. “Honestly, I thought I was doing pretty well.”
Miller began his housing search with what he now describes as an “adorable” five-mile radius around downtown Bozeman.
Within a week, it was 10 miles.
Then Belgrade.
Then Manhattan.
Then Three Forks.
“Eventually Zillow was just like, ‘How do you feel about Townsend?’”
“Eventually Zillow was just like, ‘How do you feel about Townsend?’”
Miller now pays $1,050 a month for a one-bedroom apartment, a price he describes as “basically free.” The tradeoff is a roughly hour-long commute each way, assuming weather, traffic, and Montana cooperate.
He leaves home shortly after 6 a.m. each morning and has become so familiar with the Three Forks Town Pump that several employees believe he works there.
Miller’s employer recently announced a $1-per-hour cost-of-living raise, which he estimates should cover approximately one gallon of his daily commute.
Despite technically living in Townsend, Miller continues to tell people he lives in Bozeman.
He still goes out in Bozeman occasionally, although he now checks the weather forecast before agreeing to happy hour. Friends have stopped asking if he can give them a ride home.
“It’s just easier,” he said. “Plus, most of my stuff is still there.”
Miller says the arrangement has worked surprisingly well.
“I’ve got a place I can afford, a good job, and I’m only about two hours away from home for eight hours a day.”
Last week, Miller received a promotion.
He has begun looking for a job in Helena.
— By DIESEL ISHI
