Raising Children in Bozeman

[WanderingDoc]

Pretentious is a great word to describe Bozeman. It's filled with entitled trustfund types and liberal coastal transplants. Lot's of californians on vacation and divorcees, etc. Housing is twice the cost of elsewhere in MT. They all seem to think everyone wants to meet their dog. Everyone owns a Subaru with lots of stickers about what types of expensive outdoor products they buy. That said, it is a beuatiful area and generally safe. It is certainly not diverse, but filled with people who wish it was. People are generally friendly on their own terms (you can't disagree wih people in this town). It seems to be the perfect town for urban folks who want quick access to skiing and YNP. Plenty of trendy shops and resaurants.

[Senah]

Originally Posted by WanderingDoc

Pretentious is a great word to describe Bozeman. It's filled with entitled trustfund types and liberal coastal transplants. Lot's of californians on vacation and divorcees, etc. Housing is twice the cost of elsewhere in MT. They all seem to think everyone wants to meet their dog. Everyone owns a Subaru with lots of stickers about what types of expensive outdoor products they buy. That said, it is a beuatiful area and generally safe. It is certainly not diverse, but filled with people who wish it was. People are generally friendly on their own terms (you can't disagree wih people in this town). It seems to be the perfect town for urban folks who want quick access to skiing and YNP. Plenty of trendy shops and resaurants.

Well, I would agree with the fact that it is safe, and beautiful, and that costs are very high and jobs are few. For example, house prices here are the same as you would generally pay in Minneapolis or Seattle, whereas if you go to Helena or Billings, they are half that. Wages for work are also much less (I made almost double what I make now in the same role in the northwest).

That said, I think WanderingDoc is painting with a pretty broad brush about "everyone" in Bozeman. There are transplants from the coasts, and I would say more than trustful types there are people here who were successful in their professions in their 30s and 40s and now are able to work remotely or part time and raise their kids in Bozeman, which drives up costs. They are often liberal, and like organic food, which is why we have more choices in vegetables and fruits and farmers markets and local fare, and a better public education system than Livingston or Three Forks.

That said, you can certainly disagree with people, and have spirited discussions. I hunt and fish as my main hobbies, am a Libertarian who doesn't like Obama, and tans animal hides in my basement. My husband drives a pick-up truck and we're both ACLU and NRA members. Our friends are...not all of this persuasion. We debate these issues over dinner on main street and at back yard barbecues, go hunting with some and others we do other stuff with. I think judging huge groups of people is not really on point. Bozeman is certainly more liberal and crowded than it used to be 20 years ago - we've noticed it. More people think deer are cute than tasty. But, there is still a lot to love about this place too.