Culture
California: Official Scapegoat of Montana?
By PJ DelHomme, 11-26-05
When things go wrong in Montana, chances are it’s some Californian’s fault—at least that’s what many of us in Montana assume. When property values get too expensive for average folks, it’s got to be because of all those people moving here from California. When places like Reserve Street bring in the big box stores and accompanying cookie-cutter subdivisions, it’s those Californians.Problem is, most of the transplants moving to Western Montana aren’t from California. According to a report published in 2003 by Montana Business Quarterly, most transplants come over from Washington with California coming in second. Here’s another kicker from the report. In 2001 there were 3,700 Californians moving to Montana and 2,900 Montanans moving to California.
The report goes on to state that “…for those moving from one house to another [in Montana], we see that slightly more than half, or 195,434 persons, moved from one county in Montana to another.� For Missoula County, between 1995 and 2000, only around 16 percent of the people moving here were from out of state. In other words, folks from Montana are moving around Montana.
It seems as though Montana has chosen California as the sacrificial lamb to curse as it grows for better or for worse. Sometimes, though, the name-calling gets downright nasty.
“The rock-throwing at California seems to be unfortunately serious and misguided,� says Pat Williams, a Butte native and former Congressman who is now a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Rocky Mountain West. “There are a hell of a lot more ranchers and farmers living in California than in Montana.�
In the past, census data has proven that Californians do love their mountains. Take Colorado for example. Between 1995 and 2000, over 110,000 Californians moved to Colorado. That’s roughly 10 percent of Montana’s entire population. With this migration to Colorado’s hills, terms like Californication have evolved to deal with what happens to places like Colorado. Californication isn’t just the appearance of over-priced art galleries featuring images of the West before everyone moved here. It’s uncontrolled and unregulated development. It’s Reserve Street and the subdivisions that infest it.
“Missoula hasn’t done much planning,� says Tim Davis of the Smart Growth Coalition in Helena. He says Helena has done a somewhat better job at planning by adopting a growth policy with subdivision regulations like setting homes back from rivers, which maintains a quality of life and reduces impacts to homes from flooding. Planning, Davis says, is about, “saying we’re going to grow, so how are we going to grow.�
So, if Californians aren’t the majority of people moving here, and they’re not responsible for the uncontrolled growth, why do they still get under Montanans saddles?
Perhaps part of the growing resentment of those moving here has to do with the gulf between the haves and have nots. The MBC report notes there is a definite out-migration of younger people, while wealthier older people (like baby-boomers) are moving in.
The report’s author, economist Paul Polzin of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research, writes, “When looking for the impact of newcomers, don’t think in terms of net migration. Rather, think in terms of replacement. The people moving out are different from the people moving in, and this fact changes the composition of the population.�
From personal experience, people moving here fall into two camps: those that can afford a nice house on a hill far, far away, and those that can barely afford enough for Ramen noodles, but have a ski pass.
Could it be that those of us who live here are a tad bit annoyed that we make a living by building summer homes for those who live elsewhere? Maybe we can only roll our eyes when we wait on a table with a tab amounting to two months rent. Who knows? Before this gets into a bourgeoisie versus proletariat class struggle, I might have a solution.
I had a conversation recently with a local mechanic who commutes from the Ninemile to Missoula everyday, about 20 miles. While he reminisced about the way things used to be here 30 years ago, I asked him, as a transplant from Alabama myself, what’s it going to take for everyone to leave? Weather was his answer. Apparently, Missoula can have some really nasty winter weather—and I’m not talking just fog. He recalled the good ole days when Missoula actually had a winter with extended sub-zero temps and weeklong snowstorms. I haven’t seen anything like that so far, but if the fog stays around long enough it may have all of us running for the plains soon enough. [End of article]
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2003/10/29/build/state/54-housing.inc sigh...read this. I hate to tell you but there really are too many damn Californians in Montana. If we're moving to california it's only in the desperate hope that if they're all over here wrecking our state theirs might become livable again. Well that and the fact that we can't find jobs or houses...Montanans can't afford to live here anymore. The problem might not even be quantity, you're right about that, more like quality. apparently only yuppies want to move here...but it doesn't do anything to increase my love of Califonians when I'm constantly having to chase them away from my house. Because I'm lucky enough to live in an area where we still have trees, every other month or so someone knocks on my door and asks me to sell them my house for some ridiculous price. I like my house...I DON'T WANT TO SELL! 20 years ago this was the only house within 15 miles, there are now houses on every side owned by people from...California! Suprise! And just so you all can't accuse me of some bizarre form of hipocracy I'm a native whose parents go back five generations on one side and three on the other. Oh, and we're in a lull weatherwise right now. Eventually we're gonna get four feet of snow with 20 below zero temps...I hope it's soon.
Comment By Jeri, 12-07-05Good luck with fixing California,It's not fixable. I am a native Californian, and still live here. My friends are
all moving away to either Arizona or Colorado.
Why? Because our state has been taken over by
so many illegals it is getting unbearable. We
no longer feel like this is our California we grew
up with. People no longer have respect for each other. The gang problem is not taken care of.
The beautiful state which I was taught to take care
of is falling apart. I understand why you feel the
way you do. But we are Americans and we want to
live in an area where english is spoken, and
is LIVABLE. We have voted for changes but our
courts have let us down. Sorry, but Im outta
here with my husband when he retires. We will
sell our house to someone (with 3 families that will move in), take his retirement, and stocks and
will be moving to a place near someone who doesn't
want Californians for neighbors. Or maybe there
will be so many of us there by then we can start
our own, "Little California" or "California town."
I do understand your frustration, but to me we
have it much worse.
See ya soon!
I can understand why many Californians are leaving and relocating elsewhere. California has become an overcrowded state full of illegals, crime, and high taxes. The highways and streets are overcrowded with cars and trucks at all times of the day. Hit and runs are the norm, and people have become so ugly to one another. This golden state has become tarnished with criminals and low life people who care nothing about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Im only 30 and would rather live in a simpler place, with lower population and safer streets, than have a "good paying job" and live in this concrete jungle. Trust me people, after 30 years of living here, I would rather live happier and have less, than make a lot of money and having to deal with Californias horrible lifestyle. most of the people leaving California are the "good people" that want what they had when they were growing up, to live in a place like they had in the 50's, 60's and 70's. And we feel that its most likely to get that in Montana, Idaho, and the other smaller greener states.
Comment By orion 8591, 10-03-09Moved to NW Montana from California back in 1994. The scenery is nice (but still doesn't compare with the Eastern Sierras) and if you like hunting, fishing and dumb pretty girls there's plenty to do in MT (shot two elk and a handful of deer, caught a boatload of fish, ahem). Got a degree from the University in Missoula, worked for the US Forest Service after a lot of crappy jobs (Missoula and Kalispell Wally Worlds, "Big Sky Heaven" - yeah sure, total exploitation). Like anywhere else there are both decent people and sh*t heels in MT, but it seemed like the sh*t heels occurred at greater rates than elsewhere (recall the recent methamphetamine epidemic that engulfed the state). Even the decent Monts, while not stupid, are generally more ignorant due to their isolation (the average U of M student graduate had the consciouness of a junior college freshman in Orange Co., CA). A lot of them would probably agree and say "yeah, leave us alone," but alas, besides the stupid TV programming that they absorb from Hollywood and elsewhere it is they themselves who are quietly selling their homes and ranches to the Cali and others from more affluent areas. The Cali put down what seems like modest funds to buy these properties (not shopping hard enough), and this is one reason why property prices go up beyond the average Mont whenever the Calis move in (but the Monts who are selling certainly aren't complaining, are they?). Some of them seem to think just by being rude that the Calis will leave but this is just another example of ignorant Mont think.
Be prepared for some good bar fights. Once you fight back the Monts, many of whom couldn't afford karate lessons at the Y, leave you alone. Hell, they'll even ask if they can buy you a beer.