Guest Column by Pete Talbot
The Tales of a “Bozoulian”: Where Bozeman and Missoula Meet
By Pete Talbot, 3-09-06
Red lights don't mean much in Bozeman. Locals and transplants alike won't abide long waits at intersections. Heck, ease of getting around the valley is one of the reasons they live here. So they run those red lights more than anywhere else I've seen in Montana.That's my first observation, coming here from Missoula. I split my time between the two cities. Don't get me wrong, Missoula has its share of boneheaded drivers. The other day on Reserve St. (Missoula's version of 19th St.) I heard someone lean on the horn when the light turned green and the car in front didn't get off the line fast enough. This sort of behavior was unheard of a decade ago.
Traffic congestion is just one of the growing pains that both cities are feeling. How we deal with this growth will dictate what our cities will look like in the not-to-distant future.
A lot of cities in Montana wish they had our problems: a booming housing market, jobs (albeit not the highest paying), nice downtowns and abundant recreational opportunities. They might even put up with the accompanying sprawl, traffic and rising property taxes for a piece of the action.
But there are bigger issues here that I like to call carrying capacity -- things like loss of water quality and air quality and wildlife habitat. We get our drinking water from the same aquifers that our septic tanks drain into. Our new subdivisions are covered with Kentucky bluegrass, asphalt and mercury-vapor lights. In the place of bison and grizzlies, we have white-tailed deer nibbling on our rose bushes and black bears knocking over our garbage cans. Just how much growth can we sustain and still maintain our quality of life, and the diversity of the people that live in our fair cities?
Let's face it, Bozeman and Missoula are the hippest towns in Montana, and we prosper and suffer because of it. (Livingston, Whitefish and Big Fork are pretty darn hip but I don't consider them cities…yet. Helena has some nice things going on but it still rolls up the sidewalks at 10 p.m., unless the legislature is in session.)
Back to Missoula and Bozeman, though -- even if we're archrivals in some things, we have a lot more in common than most cities in the New West. First, we're Montanans. Our roots are in the Old West: cowboys and ranchers, farmers and loggers. But things change. Now it's health care, real estate, recreation and retail.
So how are we going to deal with these changes? Will we have car-dependent suburban sprawl leapfrogging across our valleys? Will we continue to acquire open space? Can we solve affordability problems or will we just become cities for the wealthy, with the service workers commuting in from their manufactured homes in the next county?
Tough questions but one way to start is to take a hard look at what other cities in the West are doing about growth. Let's see what's worked and what hasn't in cities like Portland, Ore., Boulder, Colo., Phoenix and Sante Fe. These New West cities have had to deal with rapid growth, with varying degrees of success.
First, though, maybe we should look at our own two cities -- put our civic biases aside (except for Bobcat/Grizzly games) -- and find out what works to keep our cities livable and affordable. Bozeman's done some smart things and some not-so-smart things about growth. So has Missoula. Let's share our experiences. We have a lot to learn from each other.
In the meantime, please remember, the yellow caution light means slow down, not speed up. [End of article]
Promising topic, wanted more depth. Hope you do parts 2 and 3.
Comment By Pete Talbot, 3-09-06RJ,
Parts 2 and 3 run Fri. and Sat., I think. I hope you find them more in depth.
Pete
I live in Missoula. Cars will stop for pedestrians in Missoula - even mid-block. My recollection is that traffic does stop for pedestrians in Bozeman too.
I'm out here in Billings today, and down on Montana Street there are these nice cobblestoned crosswalks. I assumed (yes, I know that is dangerous, and I was soon to be reminded of how dangerous that is) that vehicles would stop for pedestrians here...so there I was Tuesday evening, attempting to cross at a cobbleystoned crosswalk when the truck that was nearly a half a block away didn't bother to slow. Luckily my friend pulled me back as I stepped out.
I thought it was common courtesy (or something like that) to stop for pedestrians, especially at crosswalks.
Apparently not in Billings. The motor vehicle apparently rules here, hell-be-damned on any pedestrian who tries to cross at anything less than a traffic light-controlled intersection.
Thanks, Pete, for the invitation into the discussion about how to keep our two cities great. I grew up in Bozeman but have called Missoula home since the early 70's so my roots go deep in both places. There is no question, though, where I come down when the Grizzly-Bobcat game rolls around.
The discussion about growth has been going on for quite a while without much "doing" replacing the "discussing." We haven't boiled down the issue to one we can agree on, say, what it is we want to pass on to our kids and grandkids. Short term payoffs, getting what's mine, the sanctity of private property, mistrust of collective problem-solving, winning at any price; these are the perspectives that seem to get in the way. They are the things that assure us that we will certainly cut off our noses to spite our faces.
When I ran for Mayor of Missoula last year, one of the themes I tried to press was that if we were not going to sprawl out and fill our valley with automobile dependent development, we, as a community, would have to learn how to embrace density in levels we have never known, but we would have to do it right.
The call to learn from other cities is, of course, right on. Many of us have traveled to other cities that have density much higher than we usually encounter in Montana. Many of those cities are charming and people love living in them. Less dependent on automobiles, public transit prospers. Increased densities means that small businesses have a chance to flourish. Economies of scale also mean that the arts and culture can benefit,too.
We have to take care of the urban environment, be more vigilant about crime, develop a new tolerance for our fellow citizens,provide for open space, and encourage good, lasting architectural design if we want higher densities worth embracing.
That said, we better get to it. As the old saying goes, "they're not making any more dirt" and people are certainly buying up what there is of it. As citizens we have a duty of stewardship for the place we occupy. By recognizing that our land, water, energy and so on is precious, we can begin thinking about--and undertaking--ways of using it more wisely.
Hmmm - and here I thought that the topic would be Butte...between Msla and Bzm.
Come on over and visit, Pete! See you this weekend?
"A must read", "Couldn't put it down" "Perfect sequel to a Tale of Two Cities" ...actually very intriguing to compare the two cities. I too will look forward to parts 2 and 3. I always find it hard to describe the differences between the two towns to outsiders, even though there are definately differences between the two, the subtleties are hard to define.
Comment By Juniper Davis, 3-10-06I grew up in Missoula and also lived in Bozeman. I love the two cities for what they offer outside of a typical Montana city - a bit of culture, some night life, good restaurants, and engaged citizens. Now that I live out of the state and only come back to Bozeman and Missoula to visit family, I have the opportunity to observe the cities with some perspective. It scares me to see the way they both, in their own distinct ways, are developing and expanding at such an alarming rate. I keep hoping that the voices of citizens calling for “smart growth,” “livable cities,” and “urban in-fill” will deafen the voices of short-term developers looking for a quick profit. If not, Missoula and Bozeman could easily lose the characteristics that set them apart and above other booming cities in the west.
I think we all realize what a special place Montana is, and Missoula and Bozeman hold a special place in my heart. You’re right, Pete, that these two cities can learn a lot from each other, as well as from other cities outside of Montana. We need to approach these issues of growth with our eyes wide open. We have no room for added mistakes.
What's up with the ring-tone troller? He/she/it popped up on a few other forumns.
Comment By James, 3-10-06Being from Bozeman, but now living in Missoula, I enjoy reading comparisons between the two cities... however, what exactly is affordable about Bozeman? Missoula is easier to live in if you have a lower income, there is more to do, better rents, etc. Even while dealing with property managers such as The Apartment Store, I'd still rather live in the Zoo.
Comment By Courtney Lowery, 3-10-06Secondtear, ringtones troller is us getting spammed by robots. I've closed those two here and I'm always on the lookout for others. Always feel free to let us know about spam, we're out to get it!
Comment By Paul Montgome, 3-12-06An article that reflects your BozMissoulacentrism. Other Rocky Mountain cities apparently don't rate in your vision of the New West. It makes me wonder if there is a certain liberal? hipness? quotient that needs to be passed to conform to your worldview.
Comment By Pete Talbot, 3-12-06Paul,
You raise a good point. But as they say, write what you know about and I know about Missoula and Bozeman. I welcome insights from folks in other cities who are experiencing rapid growth and development, and are losing affordability and quality of life.
Pete
Paul,
What other comparisons would you like to see? What Rocky Mountain cities are you interested in? We're continually looking to expand into other cities and towns ... it's just that we started in Montana with Bozeman and Missoula.