How Land Ownership Trends Are Changing In Montana

If you are familiar with modern country music, you know in the last couple of years a popular song played on the radio has been "Buy Dirt".

The idea behind the song? Well, there is only so much land and they can't make any more, so it's only going to increase in value. That's certainly been the case here in Big Sky Country where a popular trend over the last couple of decades is for the rich and powerful to buy large plots of Montana.

READ MORE: Are less people moving to Montana?

It's interesting, because a particular Montana land owner has just been crowned the largest land owner in the United States.

Oh, and if you're wondering, he isn't from Montana. He is actually from a very little town in Missouri, where his Dad had a lumber company. So, how do you go from a kid from a town of 24 to owning the most land in America?

Easy, Walmart.

Stan Kroenke who is now the largest private land owner in the U.S. is also the owner of the Los Angels Rams. His family also owns the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche. Kroenke happened to marry one of the Walton girls, who's father was Bud, brother to Sam who started Walmart.

Kroenke started a construction company and then specialized in building up the property around...you guessed it, Walmart's. Among Kroenke's holdings include 3 big properties here in Montana:

Broken O Ranch- The Broken O is a massive ranch near Augusta that is compiled of 124 thousand acres.
Cedar Creek Ranch- The Cedar Creek Ranch is near Ennis.
PV Ranch- The PV Ranch near Hysham is a cattle ranch.

In total, it is reported that Kroenke owns over 225 thousand acres in Montana. He also owns large portions in Texas, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada, as well as large portions of land in British Columbia.

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Do you think there should be a limit on how much land you can own, or does money talk? What are your thoughts? Please let us know by sending us a message on our app.

Montana's Top 5 Largest Private Land Owners

One of the hot topics here in Big Sky Country is the selling of property. Over the last couple of decades, wealthy individuals and companies have come to Montana and purchased millions of acres of land. This has caused panic among many residents of the state, especially when it comes to access to public lands.

Here's a look at the Top 5 largest private land owners in Montana according to AZ Animals

Gallery Credit: Derek Wolf

Ten Best Towns To Raise A Family In Montana

Montana is a great place for those looking to raise a family. So which towns are the best? According to the folks at Niche, some Montana towns stand out a little more than others when it comes to the best places to start and raise a family in The Treasure State.

Gallery Credit: Derek Wolf

What's The Worst Thing About Living In Montana?

Montana is known as "The Last Best Place", and for many, that's a true statement. However, Montana isn't for everyone, and if you're living outside of Big Sky Country and considering making the move, there's a few things you should know before you decide to pack up, put the house for sale, and schedule that moving truck.

We asked ChatGPT what is the worst thing about living in Montana and the popular website came back with several answers, which you can find below.

Gallery Credit: Derek Wolf