Bozoulian | Column by Pete Talbot

What’s Underneath the “Snobbery” of Bozeman and Missoula

By Pete Talbot, 3-24-06

There have been comments that this column has slighted the other cities and towns in Montana.

"You folks in Bozeman and Missoula are snobs," a woman in Kalispell remarked.

She’s right. We can be pretentious. You don’t hear the spontaneous “howdy” on Main St. in Bozeman, or Higgins Ave. in Missoula, anymore. The welcome wagon isn’t quite as welcoming.

Is it because we’re just too cool or are there underlying factors? Could it be that we’re not quite sure what to make of all these new faces on our streets, that we want this breakneck growth to slow a bit, that maybe we’re losing control over the future of our cities?

Change can be scary. Old schools and family cafes close, new schools and franchise fast-food shops open. Our hiking trails and fishing holes become more crowded. And while other Montana cities may not offer sushi or Beaujolais, they also don’t have median home prices approaching $200,000.

After traveling to Great Falls and Billings recently, I remember what Montana cities used to be like. The folks there just seem to be more genuine. They may not be thriving but they’re secure in their Montana way of life. Maybe because Great Falls and Billings aren’t changing as fast as many other New West towns, they’re more accepting of strangers.

I’ve always been proud of Montanans, both urban and rural. They tend to be hard working, independent and they keep their noses out of other people’s business. They judge you by your character, not by your income or skin color or even, usually, your sexual preference. They’re the kind of folks who’ll stop and help you out when your rig breaks down on the highway.

Can we keep these fine attributes? It’s going to be a tough balancing act – to stay accepting of newcomers in the face of monumental change. To do so, we need a plan.

Not everybody agrees on the definition of smart growth, but smart growth is exactly what we need. The true cost of the ten-acre ranchette needs to be figured into the parcel’s price. This means infrastructure, like roads, and the increased police force, firefighters and schools that the outlying areas require. City dwellers shouldn’t have to subsidize these things.

But what about the more intangible costs like loss of open space and wildlife habitat, and access to public lands, or the diminished air and water quality? Figure those costs into the price tag and you’ll see a lot fewer of this these properties on the market. Also, enact a gated community surcharge – few things in Montana are less hospitable than gated communities – then we could use the fees to buy up some open space after we’ve been locked out of these resident-only developments.

Conversely, we need to encourage growth inside our cities, especially in the more blighted areas of our urban core. We need better public transportation, more bicycle and hiking trails and more neighborhood commercial establishments. I believe folks will be friendlier when they get out of their cars and start walking or biking to their neighborhood grocery stores, coffee shops, pizza joints, etc.

These few suggestions may not be the answer to all our snootiness issues but current growth management strategies in Bozeman and Missoula are polarizing people. A change in direction certainly couldn’t hurt.

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