Montana’s Growing Pains: Is There Light At The End Of The Tunnel?

Montana is a desirable place to live and over the last few years, we've seen record amounts of people decide to pack up and leave where ever they were living to make The Last Best Place their home.

Of course, that has come with some growing pains, and some of those growing pains are hard to handle.

As people continue to move to Montana, the state has seen an increase in housing as well as crime. While most locals aren't a fan of either one of those, the truth is, it hasn't seemed to detour the folks who want to live the "Montana Dream".

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If you spend any time on social media or reading bumper stickers on vehicles, you will no doubt hear the popular phrase "Montana Is Full". Of course, that's not true, the state is the 4th biggest when it comes to acreage and ranked 43rd when it comes to overall population.

Montana is facing some tough decisions.

Certain areas are more prosperous than others, and in the bigger cities, you will find more opportunities, however, those opportunities come with a price and it's usually factored into housing costs. While jobs are more plentiful in more populated areas, the pay doesn't always match up with the cost of living.

Are transplants to blame?

That depends on who you ask. Locals will tell you that it's the out-of-staters moving here and jacking up the housing prices. While there is certainly truth to that, keep in mind, that many Montanans have cashed in on those increases and made themselves a big fat profit.

Are politics to blame?

For years, Montana was a bit of a purple state.  There was a nice mix of both Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. However, much like the rest of the country, Montana has fallen under the "it's the other guy's fault" mentality. In a state that prides itself on being 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation families, many of Montana's politicians aren't actually from Montana.

Let's be honest, and don't get me wrong, I am in no way endorsing or criticizing either side, but it's hard to relate to the "common Montanan" when you own multiple homes in various places. Especially when the people you represent can't afford a home in the state they reside in.

What's the solution?

Great question. It's hard to come up with a solution when you have a large number of people on both sides of the fence. As people continue to move to Montana, it certainly benefits the business community. However, for those who are hoping to buy a home, it can certainly be rough.

For many Montana towns, the expansion of infrastructure is a must, but then the debate becomes, how do we pay for that? Property taxes are through the roof and people are simply maxed out. So, is there light at the end of the tunnel? It looks like that's yet to be determined.