back to the economic base:
nymt was right about tech jobs growing here in bozeman. the city has been voted as the best place to start a small business in the country amongst mid sized cities
bizjournals: Quality of life in small towns -- bizjournals.com. there are many great opportunities here for tech jobs and startups. for one the techranch.org gets a huge high five from me. an indispensable tool for tech startups... the outsourcing of quality tech work and research to the university is another awesome boom for techies.
but alas, we always come back to real estate here in old bozeman don't we. who isn't involved in some kind of real estate here. a few years back they would give out a loan to a panhandler to start a construction business. twenty years ago i heard you could submit your new home plans on a napkin to the city. my how that has changed. real estate i think will be taking precedent over all other economic factors here very shortly. it is so sad to see the land go, but this is the crazy frenzy people fall victim to all over the country. nice land? build on it!
but the hospital and MSU cannot be forgotten when talking about bozeman's economy as well, employing approximately 1/15th of the town.
agriculture and livestock also accounts for 63 million in revenues in gallatin county, which also makes it number one in the state for milk, alfalfa, and potato production.
but what it really all boils down to is tourism. without tourism, no one would move here, the farms would be smaller, and MSU would be a backwater research facility specializing in snow sciences.
if you are a professional serious about moving here to start a business or work for one, i suggest checking this out:
Prospera : Economic Profile
the weather is not bad. i think it is beautiful here year round. it gets cold but you get used to it, or die miserably on your couch while watching everyone else have fun in the snow. mike.