Is Billings getting gentrified?īillings is what the rest of Montana used to be like. Our housing continues to be much more affordable. It may be a trigger, but you still have to have the ability to move, and our housing is significantly less expensive than many formerly more popular areas, especially on the coasts: in California, especially in Washington State, Seattle area, Portland area and even places in Montana like Bozeman and Missoula. But that’s not where the economic component ends. And so they have an opportunity to move or a motivation to move that they might not have had before.
#BILLINGS TO BOZEMAN LICENSE#
Driving back to the office for this interview, I was behind a BMW 328 with a personalized license plate that said “Trump 24,” which you would not do in downtown Manhattan. Places like Montana are going to be perceived to be further to the right, more red, and that has certain attractions for some. We see it-people coming from California, maybe parts of Washington, the Seattle area, larger cities. I have not heard anyone express that view before. It’s people seeking out other people who think more like them, and where they feel more comfortable, culturally and politically.
I think it’s possible, although I don’t have data, that some significant portion of the trend toward smaller cities has been from the coasts, from blue states to red states. The 2020 election cycle was unusually brutal and divisive. How do you like your new truck?” Or you’re walking your dog and people will ask, “Do you bird hunt with your dog?” It’s subtle, but it matters. So unlike other times in history when there are migrations, people aren’t moving to Billings to strike it rich?īelieve it or not, in Montana, and certainly in Billings, the first question when you meet somebody new is not always “What do you do?” It is just as likely to be “Oh, I see you got a new truck. And when they did hit that refresh button, friends, family and community came out on top of that list, and things like money and career went down a notch. People hit the refresh button on their priorities. My theory is that there are three major influences that are motivating people to move. What’s behind the flurry of moves to cities including Billings? (This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.) Subscribe to The Leadership Brief by clicking here.
Many of the beneficiaries of such moves are sunny, warm-weather cities in Florida and Texas, but Billings has benefited from people leaving pricey housing markets in California and the Seattle area. According to a Zillow study in April, 11% of Americans moved during the pandemic, which has generated a profound shift in priorities for many people. 1 emerging housing market, based on its affordability and draw for newly flexible workers.īillings, like many smaller cities, has experienced an influx of newcomers since the pandemic and remote work sent many Americans in search of cheaper housing and a less stressful lifestyle in homes with more space and shorter commutes. “Billings real estate market ranks hottest in the country,” the newspaper declared, citing a Wall Street Journal index, which ranked Billings as the No. But the lead story was on the housing boom sweeping the nation and its impact on Montana’s biggest city. The July 21 front page of the Billings Gazette included the following stories: a local man used a bow and arrow to catch a world-record paddlefish (92 lb.), searchers reported a possible sighting (which proved false) of a missing hiker, and Montana coal production dropped sharply last year.
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