Not Wanting Newcomers (Great Falls, Bozeman, West Yellowstone: buying, theatre, private school)

[Threerun]

Originally Posted by Reziac

The problem isn't the new ballet. No one objects to the ballet, in fact most will be pleased to have it (do remember that those ancient downtown theatres were used for travelling opera companies and the like, long before they became movie houses!) The problem is when fans of the newly-arrived ballet start complaining, and eventually lobbying to nuke the long-established rodeo, because the rodeo smells bad and makes dust, and therefore "spoils our enjoyment of the ballet". Simplified example but that's what it boils down to.

Is this actually happening? People lobbying to shut down rodeos? I've lived in WV most of my life in the Eastern Panhandle area where there is a huge influx of 'newcomers' from the Wash DC / Balto metro areas. For years Berkeley County WV was in the top 5 counties in the nation for 'growth', going from 60,000 when we moved there to over 100,000 now. There was an awful lot of complaining about disappearing culture but it turned out mostly anecdotal sans the few true reports of a few morons that moved in and simply bad-mouthed and complained about our 'hickish' ways. Most everybody else simply embraced where they moved to.

I have yet to experience any negativity towards my arrival in MT, rather most people have said "Glad to see some good folks move in". Of course we don't watch ballet either!

[Walter Greenspan]

There's a big to-do going on in Great Falls about changing local zoning to allow for 3 or so chickens in folk's backyards.

It's seems that this argument between those who favor the change and those who do not want the change is reminiscent of the open range versus homesteaders conflict of the late 19th Century, huh?

[strudel42]

Oh, no... not the chickens again!

That was a Great Debate in Missoula a couple of years ago. I love how our local government isn't afraid to tackle burning issues.

Totally got you on the rodeo thing. Every time there's an event at the fairgrounds here, people up in the South Hills complain about the noise. I think that was a main reason behind the push to abandon the old fairgrounds and relocate the fair outside of town. Not sure if that idea has been abandoned or if the county is still considering it. As far as I know, though, in general events go on as they always have... people gotta complain about something, after all.

[heymon]

david aguilar lol funny spokane nice but not as nice as montana especially out door activities although washingtons afine state i have seen and lived in them all spokanes nice but overated same with cda idaho missoulas anice community with a university close to alot of out door ameneties and glacier park and has a major airport you can find anything you need in monatana just the same as spokane , spoaknes streets are worst then an indian reservation omg they dont repair nothing there and their taxes are the highest in the nation ,Montanas streets are alot nicer and no sales tax and alot of things are cheaper then washington altough spokanes job markets alot better i guess it depends on what yr looking for Im from Montana and i miss the old west indian culture and history and at times montanas alot more sunnier then dreery washington and idaho you get atru 4 seasons in monatana where here in post falls aka close to spocompton lol this years geesus we have 3 falls and summer hasnt even began ive seen monatan go from 70 in march to 90 in october and yr begging for winter in the pacific inland ive never begged for winter as the summers are too short and the spring is like fall just depends what you want , want cloudy cool 9 mos and high taxes but better jobs spokane want 4 true seasons and lower taxes and more out door thing close by as well as tru culture montana

[MTsam]

Originally Posted by heymon

david aguilar lol funny spokane nice but not as nice as montana especially out door activities although washingtons afine state i have seen and lived in them all spokanes nice but overated same with cda idaho missoulas anice community with a university close to alot of out door ameneties and glacier park and has a major airport you can find anything you need in monatana just the same as spokane , spoaknes streets are worst then an indian reservation omg they dont repair nothing there and their taxes are the highest in the nation ,Montanas streets are alot nicer and no sales tax and alot of things are cheaper then washington altough spokanes job markets alot better i guess it depends on what yr looking for Im from Montana and i miss the old west indian culture and history and at times montanas alot more sunnier then dreery washington and idaho you get atru 4 seasons in monatana where here in post falls aka close to spocompton lol this years geesus we have 3 falls and summer hasnt even began ive seen monatan go from 70 in march to 90 in october and yr begging for winter in the pacific inland ive never begged for winter as the summers are too short and the spring is like fall just depends what you want , want cloudy cool 9 mos and high taxes but better jobs spokane want 4 true seasons and lower taxes and more out door thing close by as well as tru culture montana

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by snowdreamer

:confused:

Must be a cultural thing, huh?

[Ziasforever]

Originally Posted by Redraven

Yeah, we have "culture", but it may not meet YOUR definition of "culture".
If you don't like seeing pictures of dead animals and big fish in the newspaper, you may not be comfortable with our "culture".
If, when you see a deer in a field, you think "Bambi" instead of steaks, chops, roasts, and burger, you may not like our "culture".
If you think "culture" means Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso, but NOT Charlie Russell or Ace Powell, you may not be happy with OUR "culture".
If living next door to a gun collector makes you nervous, you may not like our "culture".
If you think Beethoven and Mozart are "culture", but Charlie Daniels isn't, you may not be comfortable with our "culture".
If you drive by a feedlot or livestock auction house and think "That stinks" instead of "that smells like dollars on the hoof", you may not like our "culture".
If you think that Nijinsky and Nureyev are "culture", but square dancing and line dancing are not, you may not be comfortable here.
Oh, yes, we have art shows and community symphonies mixed in with our gun shows and rodeos.
Heck-fire, we even have kids playing SOCCER!!!
EVERYBODY is welcome in Montana! All we ask is that you accept us as we are, warts and all, and don't expect us to change our way of life to suit your big-city ideas or ideals.
It is just that simple.

I am a 'gun collector' in Santa Fe, NM. I have a neighbor from Philadelphia who can't stand me because of that perchant and my southern New Mexico (i.e. little Texas) accent. Right now, the Nor' Easters out number locals and I think even Californians as resident tranplants. Don't even bring up Texans because they spend lots of money, tell us how great the Chicken Fried Steak is back home and then head that way. On the New Mexico forumn there are plenty of threads from people in the North East inquiring about moving down here but not too many from CA or TX.

What I've seen in Santa Fe is going to happen in the 'select Cities' in Montana. As cities get filled with people from other other places so do things change to be more like where they came from. It's gonna happen to MT. You can't stop it...and then one day the gun collector is going to be disarmed by the newly elected sheriff who moved there from Boston! Then that new culture becomes you children's culture.

Change is inevitable. You can't stop it....until you run out of water.

[flyingcat2k]

Originally Posted by Reziac

Not much different (if less economically destructive) than when a new subdivision starts complaining about the feedlot that was there 50 years before the first house was built, and eventually becomes so vociferous that the feedlot is forcibly closed (usually by the authorities declining to renew their permits) if only to shut up the subdivision's endless complaints. This is not a theoretical example; it happens with some regularity everywhere "civilization" encroaches on agriculture.
[/i]

Reziac, you are missing out on the gravel pit fights in Billings and Belgrade. In Belgrade, the Californian developer built homes next to the gravel pit and then complained about it. The gravel pit then wanted to expand up to their property line and had a huge fight with the developer. The gravel pit won.

In Billings, the Shiloh interchange area was built on an old gravel pit. Actually, pretty much everything along W King Ave was at one time an old gravel pit and they just kept moving west. Well, now the developers have finally caught up with the gravel pit at Shiloh and King and wanted it shut down. The gravel pit, as far as I know, has won every challenge to the operating permit.

I wonder how long it will take before we get some of the wacky decisions like in California come home to roost. If Montana can survive the retirement of the Baby Boomer generation, it might.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by flyingcat2k

Reziac, you are missing out on the gravel pit fights in Billings and Belgrade. In Belgrade, the Californian developer built homes next to the gravel pit and then complained about it. The gravel pit then wanted to expand up to their property line and had a huge fight with the developer. The gravel pit won.

In Billings, the Shiloh interchange area was built on an old gravel pit. Actually, pretty much everything along W King Ave was at one time an old gravel pit and they just kept moving west. Well, now the developers have finally caught up with the gravel pit at Shiloh and King and wanted it shut down. The gravel pit, as far as I know, has won every challenge to the operating permit.

I wonder how long it will take before we get some of the wacky decisions like in California come home to roost. If Montana can survive the retirement of the Baby Boomer generation, it might.

<cheering madly for the gravel pits>

That's why I said something above, or in some other thread, that MT still has time to put a halt to the encroachment that is happening so many other places. In CA, in every case I know of, the developer or the new homeowner has won over the existing ag interest or "ugly eyesore" business. You really do NOT want that happening in MT, unless you want the entire state covered in tract homes and malls. Which is pretty much the next step.

This is also why I've occasionally muttered about running for office if I ever get back to MT... because I've SEEN the "future" up close and personal, and it's not a good place to be.

So, HURRAY FOR THE GRAVEL PITS!!!!!

[wranglers4ever]

as I live on the gulf coast of Ms. I love the smell off cow manure compared to shrimp hulls anyday and yes we are relocating there as soon as possible, I come form the west and miss the smells of earth and animals, rotting seafood just stinks period.As far a culture goes there is more culture there than anywhere I have seen in a long time and its got roots to we as a people are.