Bozeman is in top 20 Richest Towns in USA

[SonomaCat]

There seem to be a lot more good-paying jobs in Bozeman now than there was in the past, and the town has an infrastructure and business community that is making it possible for more good paying jobs to come to the area. Yes, this results in more people having good paying jobs (and opening them up to being labeled as bad people by the types who view anyone with wealth with scorn -- we see lots of that around San Francisco as well), and it puts pressure on the housing market until it catches up with demand, but that's the price of having a good economy in which MSU graduates can actually stay and get good jobs (instead of leaving the state like so many of us MSU grads have done in the past).

There are trade-offs in this sort of thing ... but I'd say the good far outweighs the bad in terms of having a good job market and even in terms of having so many more choices for entertainment/eating out, etc. Yes, some people will always pine for the days when there were fewer choices and houses were cheaper, but technology has made Bozeman a place where you can now live in a great place AND have a great job. That wasn't the case for most people in the past ... I consider that a step in the right direction.

[Bobcat Sig]

There seem to be a lot more good-paying jobs in Bozeman now than there was in the past, and the town has an infrastructure and business community that is making it possible for more good paying jobs to come to the area. Yes, this results in more people having good paying jobs (and opening them up to being labeled as bad people by the types who view anyone with wealth with scorn -- we see lots of that around San Francisco as well), and it puts pressure on the housing market until it catches up with demand, but that's the price of having a good economy in which MSU graduates can actually stay and get good jobs (instead of leaving the state like so many of us MSU grads have done in the past).

There are trade-offs in this sort of thing ... but I'd say the good far outweighs the bad in terms of having a good job market and even in terms of having so many more choices for entertainment/eating out, etc. Yes, some people will always pine for the days when there were fewer choices and houses were cheaper, but technology has made Bozeman a place where you can now live in a great place AND have a great job. That wasn't the case for most people in the past ... I consider that a step in the right direction.

Agreed.

And if reading this thread is any indication, if you make more any sort of money, you're rich, and therefore a prick.

[John K]

I find it sad that Bozeman is ranked by Forbes as one of the top 20 Richest small towns in America, but we can't tap into the local community to raise enough money to redo the sideline stands...

I think the most likely reason that we can't tap into the local community is that all the people (most of the people?) that put Bozeman in the top 20 richest small town are relocates. Meaning they have no ties to the Bozeman area besides the ski hill and the scenic views. They probably send all their college donations to the school that they went to, like USC or U of Texas...

I don't disagree with you, but I also believe that it could be possible to tap into the "hipster"/transplant crowd, with the right kind of marketing effort. Why couldn't we make Bobcat football an appealing entertainment option for these people? Do you have to be an MSU alum or a Montana native, to enjoy spending a beautiful fall afternoon at Bobcat stadium? I believe if you could get some of these people to give it a try, they'd eventually come to love the gameday experience, and once that starts happening, then the money would start rolling in. I'm just not sure that MSU has ever really tried very hard to market the school and/or the football program to these people. Missoula/the Bitterroot valley also has lots of transplants, and it seems like UM has done a much better job of converting their newcomers into Griz fans. I've met lots of people from that area who are huge Griz fans, even though they're not Montana natives.

[Hawks86]

The increased attendance numbers is coming from somewhere isn't it? It's not just Bozeman born MSU grads.

[SonomaCat]

The increased attendance numbers is coming from somewhere isn't it? It's not just Bozeman born MSU grads.

Good point. If Bozeman wasn't growing like it is, Bobcat football wouldn't have grown like it has. Lots of people travel for games, but I'd bet a huge % of the money donated to the program and butts in the seats are coming from the Gallatin Valley (and a decent portion of that from people who moved to Bozeman from other places ... including other states).

[lutecat]

I find it sad that Bozeman is ranked by Forbes as one of the top 20 Richest small towns in America, but we can't tap into the local community to raise enough money to redo the sideline stands...

I think the most likely reason that we can't tap into the local community is that all the people (most of the people?) that put Bozeman in the top 20 richest small town are relocates. Meaning they have no ties to the Bozeman area besides the ski hill and the scenic views. They probably send all their college donations to the school that they went to, like USC or U of Texas...

I don't disagree with you, but I also believe that it could be possible to tap into the "hipster"/transplant crowd, with the right kind of marketing effort. Why couldn't we make Bobcat football an appealing entertainment option for these people? Do you have to be an MSU alum or a Montana native, to enjoy spending a beautiful fall afternoon at Bobcat stadium? I believe if you could get some of these people to give it a try, they'd eventually come to love the gameday experience, and once that starts happening, then the money would start rolling in. I'm just not sure that MSU has ever really tried very hard to market the school and/or the football program to these people. Missoula/the Bitterroot valley also has lots of transplants, and it seems like UM has done a much better job of converting their newcomers into Griz fans. I've met lots of people from that area who are huge Griz fans, even though they're not Montana natives.

I think part of it is the rabid grizzly fans are...indoctrinating the new people. They move there and see it's almost to be expected of you.

I love bozeman and by no means do I think people with money are pricks. And it's awesome the number of MSU grads who get to stock around. I hang out with some great friends who are engineers. And they bring their non-msu coworkers to games and we have a good time turning them into Cat fans.

The town is changing. I just feel some of the people moving here don't care about football. That's not bad, but I don't know if you can tap into that set of people to become fans.

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[lutecat]

I find it sad that Bozeman is ranked by Forbes as one of the top 20 Richest small towns in America, but we can't tap into the local community to raise enough money to redo the sideline stands...

The money that is in Bozeman is a lot of the people that go to Seattle or Portland during the week for business. There's a lot of commuting out of Bozeman for work. Its a different town. True story. I went and had sushi a few weeks ago and I felt way out of place because I wasn't a hipster. Its turning into a hipster town. Hipsters doen't go to football games, and they don't give money to the stadium.

Sushi, in Bozeman? Who's the hipster?

So when you guys say "hipster," what does that mean?

Around here, that terms refers to 20-something guys who wear skinny jeans, lots of faux-irony shirts, have gratuitous facial hair, and drink PBR in dive bars because it's fashionable.

Yep. That's a hipster. And don't forget the gell in their hair and shaved on the sides.

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[CelticCat]

My friend posted realtor stats from last year, and the average price paid for a single family home, in 2013 or 2014 I can't remember which, but it was like $440k.

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[SonomaCat]

My friend posted realtor stats from last year, and the average price paid for a single family home, in 2013 or 2014 I can't remember which, but it was like $440k.

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http://purewestchristiesbozeman.typepad ... eman-.html

I also assume the average size of the house they are talking about is quite large as compared to what you see in many other markets. And seeing the difference between the median and mean it appears that there are a couple really expensive houses in those numbers that's pulling up the average dramatically.

A perhaps (or perhaps not) sad reality is that as Bozeman reaches its limits for building new homes, prices will probably stay high (as being close to downtown and the University and jobs are preferred by most), and people who can't afford to buy those houses will move to Belgrade or even places like Manhattan, where prices will likely remain pretty low. Until I-90 starts seeing stop and go traffic every day during rush hour, that is still a reasonably fast commute into Bozeman.

I do realize that I have a totally skewed perspective on things, though, since I just moved out of one of the most insane housing markets in the world. When crappy houses or condos are selling for $2 million and rents for a 1 BR place average $4,000 per month, and commute times of over an hour an quite common where you just came from, the situation in the Gallatin Valley looks great. I do realize that there are people who are coming from the other side of things as well, where their "normal" is very cheap houses and rent and being able to zip across town in a few minutes, so it's all about perspective.

That's also a reason why people from other parts of the country do buy property in Bozeman -- it looks cheap as compared to what they are used to seeing. I actually just spoke to a guy a few days ago that is building a house in Bozeman (he hopes to eventually get a job in tech up there) and is renting it out for the near term. He lives and works in Mountain View (Silicon Valley), and he can barely afford to pay rent there, much less buy his own house.

Fortunately, I don't see Bozeman ever hitting the crazy level of jobs and wealth and population that the San Francisco/San Jose areas have seen, but I think Bozeman is starting to see it in a much milder form. Fortunately, there is plenty of space to grow in the Bozeman area whereas there isn't in the super-expensive parts of the country.

[RickRund]

So SonomaCat, you did move out of SF...Where did you plant your feet this time?

[SonomaCat]

We just moved to Santa Rosa. I'm liking the more rural lifestyle. I'm hating 101 between Santa Rosa and San Francisco when I need to make that trip (takes me two hours to drive the 60 miles to work when I have to go into the office). Fortunately, that job is wrapping up in the coming months and I'll be on to much more interesting projects that don't involve long commutes.

[RickRund]

We just moved to Santa Rosa. I'm liking the more rural lifestyle. I'm hating 101 between Santa Rosa and San Francisco when I need to make that trip (takes me two hours to drive the 60 miles to work when I have to go into the office). Fortunately, that job is wrapping up in the coming months and I'll be on to much more interesting projects that don't involve long commutes.

Yes, 101 is a disaster. Our Daughter is in Petaluma..
If you get a chance to stop by Healdsburg head west 3 miles on Dry Creek Road and stop by my Cousins Vineyard/Winery. Amista Winery, cousin Vicky Farrow and her hubby Mike.

As for Bozeman, I remember farm land in "70's" being replaced by homes. Always made me a little mad. Hearing people are "commuting" to places like Seattle makes me shake my head. But then Bozeman is much better than Seattle.

[SonomaCat]

If you get a chance to stop by Healdsburg head west 3 miles on Dry Creek Road and stop by my Cousins Vineyard/Winery. Amista Winery, cousin Vicky Farrow and her hubby Mike.

Will do ... thanks.

[AlphaGriz1]

I find it sad that Bozeman is ranked by Forbes as one of the top 20 Richest small towns in America, but we can't tap into the local community to raise enough money to redo the sideline stands...

The money that is in Bozeman is a lot of the people that go to Seattle or Portland during the week for business. There's a lot of commuting out of Bozeman for work. Its a different town. True story. I went and had sushi a few weeks ago and I felt way out of place because I wasn't a hipster. Its turning into a hipster town. Hipsters doen't go to football games, and they don't give money to the stadium.

Sushi, in Bozeman? Who's the hipster?

So when you guys say "hipster," what does that mean?

Around here, that terms refers to 20-something guys who wear skinny jeans, lots of faux-irony shirts, have gratuitous facial hair, and drink PBR in dive bars because it's fashionable.

Exactly..........homos (yes homo)

[gtapp]

I graduated in 1981 and have been trying to get back since! The lack of good jobs and now the cost of living have made that difficult. I was a season ticket holder for 14 years and made every game except about 4 in that time frame. But ticket prices, booster requirements and finally travel costs exploded and I no longer have season tickets. I finally decided to take a job with a start-up company in MN to at least give me a shot at making enough money to buy a home and retire or semi-retire in Bozeman. I sure hopes this works otherwise I will be watching games on TV for life! Bozeman has changed over the years and the I miss the "old" Bozeman but I still love it enough to tolerate the change. I guess the "new" Bozeman is still better than anywhere else I can think of!!!!

[AlphaGriz1]

I have never really liked Bozeman, I lived there for 5 years when I worked on campus and couldnt wait to leave. Moved to Boise and that place is awesome if you like bigger cities. I prefer Butte, Missoula, Dillon and possibly Helena.

There are much worse places to live than Bozeman thats for sure and I would pick it over Great Falls or Billings. Then again I would rather live in Browning than GF or Billings.

[RickRund]

I have never really liked Bozeman, I lived there for 5 years when I worked on campus and couldnt wait to leave. Moved to Boise and that place is awesome if you like bigger cities. I prefer Butte, Missoula, Dillon and possibly Helena.

There are much worse places to live than Bozeman thats for sure and I would pick it over Great Falls or Billings. Then again I would rather live in Browning than GF or Billings.

Come on AG1, GF and Billing can't be that bad.. Although Billings was never one of my favorite cities, softball tourneys mostly, and have only been to GF four times. Three for softball tournaments but through it a few more times.

[allcat]

I have never really liked Bozeman, I lived there for 5 years when I worked on campus and couldnt wait to leave. Moved to Boise and that place is awesome if you like bigger cities. I prefer Butte, Missoula, Dillon and possibly Helena.

There are much worse places to live than Bozeman thats for sure and I would pick it over Great Falls or Billings. Then again I would rather live in Browning than GF or Billings.

Come on AG1, GF and Billing can't be that bad.. Although Billings was never one of my favorite cities, softball tourneys mostly, and have only been to GF four times. Three for softball tournaments but through it a few more times.

While I'm not a fan of GF, they do have the Sip and Dip. (It used to be better, I have to admit).

[St George]

The increased attendance numbers is coming from somewhere isn't it? It's not just Bozeman born MSU grads.

I am a Montana born MSU grad and I bring 5 to 10 with me to homecoming from Southern Idaho every year that have no ties to MSU or Bozeman.

[St George]

I have never really liked Bozeman, I lived there for 5 years when I worked on campus and couldnt wait to leave. Moved to Boise and that place is awesome if you like bigger cities. I prefer Butte, Missoula, Dillon and possibly Helena.

There are much worse places to live than Bozeman thats for sure and I would pick it over Great Falls or Billings. Then again I would rather live in Browning than GF or Billings.

I am not really fond of what Bozeman has become. It is like a large Ketchum, ID or small Denver, CO. But mizzoula on the other hand is like a small Berkley, CA or a big outhouse.