Montana on average is now 2nd or 3rd most expensive housing prices in the US. I spoke recently with a partner company rep where the company’s HQ is in Bozeman. He couldn’t afford to live there and was based in Chicago. It’s insane. When I grew up, Bozeman was a sleepy little college and ski town with a population in the summer half what it was during the school year. Missoula too.
Edited: Billings was growing too due to fracking in the Bakken oil fields and may be again, but Billings seems opposite to the rest of the country. It grows when the rest doesn’t for some odd reason. I grew up there (born in Missoula) but have lived abroad for 20+ years now
It's now the getaway quiet place for every rich person in the west wanting to play cowboy for a week or two every year. They bought all the cheap houses during covid and now want double what they paid.
I’m not trying to start anything, but under what set of laws or rules does it say that land values must be artificially suppressed, and land ownership be restricted to “locals”? Who do you think sold the land (and profited handsomely) to the Californians? (Last word must be read in either Bill Hader’s or Fred Armison’s voice)
My parents live near whitefish in a house that’s been in family for generations, and their neighbor who bought a house cash for 100K above asking, bought 4 houses in the valley, happens to be Californian and bring all their friends out every summer, who then say they want to buy a place up there
You'd likely not recognize Missoula now. I grew up in Missoula, and live in the Bitterroot now. Every now and then I have reason to go to random Missoula neighborhoods, and it's mind blowing how much things have changed.
I’ve been back this year it’s changed dramatically (mom and Sister are in Hamilton but they got in before it went nuts so they’re doing OK and have a hell of a nest egg if they sell up but likely nowhere to go local)
I was born in Helena in the 90s. Back then, most of the north valley (Basically everything North of Custer Avenue) was just open fields with a few businesses here and there (and St Pete’s was just a little dinky community hospital)
It was alright but for some reason around 2010 is when you started noticing housing costs going up faster than wages. By the time I was in college at Carroll (scholarship), even studio apartments were going for $1500-2k minimum in some less desirable areas.
I lived in Missoula for about 15 years and was forced to move due to the cost of living in 2019. Wages were just not keeping up. I moved to the Butte area because it was less expensive and closer to family. That didn't last long. housing/rent has tripled.
its horrible everywhere here and showing no signs of slowing down or easing up. I don't know how much longer i can afford to stay here.
ayy, a fellow billingsite on a non montana sub hehe- i'd say go broncs but i don't actually care at all (and am gonna assume you don't care at all too lol)
Haven’t been back for over 5 years now. No real family left there, they went first to Portland and now outside Hamilton. The Yellowstone effect is huge, luckily they got in before it godly bad tho.
I grew up in Kalispell Montana and I watched the prices soar during covid and I don't understand what's happening in my home town. The population has more than doubled and prices for everything have gone up BUT nobody is working Everywhere I went during my last visits. Popular Restaurants would be full with only 1 waitress and 1 cook, Walmarts isles stacked with pallets, multiple popular business only open a few days a week and drive through only. I do not understand it. Population doubles means we have more people to work. Prices going up people need to work more yet the workers are nowhere to be found anywhere. Most people I know haven't moved out of the area i just don't get it.
I was in the Bitteroot this past summer and most everything was open and businesses seemed to be doing well, but a lot of people are complaining to my family about how expensive everything is and how fast the property taxes and home prices are going up, but that wages aren’t going up nearly so quickly.
Nice that sounds wonderful! I ended up having a child at an early age and I’ve been hunkered down in parent rearing mode. The next couple of years I plan on branching out and doing something international where in the UK recommend?
I think you are confusing affordability with expensive. Hines in Montana are expensive compared to the average wage there but nowhere near the most expensive in the US. Here’s the report data
pretty crazy to see. i grew up in missoula and moved to bozeman for a number of years.. lived there most of my life. i moved to miami about 5 years ago now and what's crazy is that it costs less to live here in the downtown brickell area than in montana. it really is tragic for those who live there and grew up there because of how unreachable homeownership is anymore.
I think Billings has reverse economic booms because the bakken oil fields are only economically viable when oil prices are high, and those high oil prices often correlate with an economy thats struggling in other regards
I lived in Bozeman right at the start of the boom. That place got absolutely high jacked by yuppie turds from CA and WA. Housing shot up like a rocket it was insane.
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u/GomiBoy1973 26d ago
Montana on average is now 2nd or 3rd most expensive housing prices in the US. I spoke recently with a partner company rep where the company’s HQ is in Bozeman. He couldn’t afford to live there and was based in Chicago. It’s insane. When I grew up, Bozeman was a sleepy little college and ski town with a population in the summer half what it was during the school year. Missoula too.
Edited: Billings was growing too due to fracking in the Bakken oil fields and may be again, but Billings seems opposite to the rest of the country. It grows when the rest doesn’t for some odd reason. I grew up there (born in Missoula) but have lived abroad for 20+ years now