A Taylor’d Approach
Don’t dread Montana’s growing pains
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The winds of change are moving through the ponderosas. The faces and skylines of our towns are fluctuating, growing in ways many Montanans have not seen. The secret has gotten out, and it seems more and more people are flocking to the Last Best Place. What does this mean, though, for the Montana experience? For the place and identity we all know and love? While the sudden population growth Montana has seen recently will mean changes in our day to day lives, I argue that what it boils down to is not something to be feared.
According to the 2020 census, Montana has experienced a 10% population increase in the last decade. While that might not sound like much, to a state as sparsely populated as ours it means visible differences within our towns. A flood of residents, both new and returning, cropping up in the last year alone has resulted in increases in traffic, presented new housing challenges, and introduced new businesses that were not a common sight in Montana before. The arrival of trendy establishments like saltwater floating pods and speakeasies have caused some Montanans to become concerned that we’re losing our essence, becoming gentrified. However, taking a look at existing cities may help to alter some perspectives.
All cities, in essence, begin with the expansion of a small town. As people are drawn in, it spreads outward from a single nucleus, and morphs in its own unique way from there. This can result in sections, multiple city “centers,” and neighborhoods with vastly different populations and cultures from what first began. However, this is simply the foundation of a melding pot, a staple of the American identity. Despite the similarities that are obvious between cities, each still manages to retain its individuality. The idea of confusing Seattle with Minneapolis, or Los Angeles with New York is hard to think of for those who know those places. What makes them unique from each other is something deeper than their geographic location, something down to the very roots of their cultures. No matter what is added in, the essence of the city still shines through.
What Montana is now experiencing is a natural life stage. Our state is growing up, and that has plenty of benefits if one stops to look. New resources mean improved quality of life for our population. Some of those trendy businesses bring with them solutions to which we haven’t before had access. Saltwater floating pods, for example, are shown to help relieve chronic pain by the National Center for Biotechnology, an ailment numerous Montanans deal with every day. And while new arrivals may bring with them new attitudes and perspectives, they do not subtract from those already present. With them also comes a new variety of skills and abilities, and what is achievable in our towns for the betterment of all increases with every one.
There will be growing pains, as with any growth spurt, but we will not lose what makes us Montana. Our wide open plains remain wide open, our mountains still call to us, and whatever challenges arise we will rise to face. We’re not called “Montana Strong” for nothing, and there is power in numbers.
