Which Large Metro is most similar to MT culturally?

[Jbechtel]

Hate to bust your balloon but religion is not a top priority for Montanans, and is way down the list for being religious. Tied with NY and within spitting distance of California, yes California, according to the Gallup Poll taken in 2009. We're so bad even Vermonters think of us as kinship. Sorry, we don't even come close to the upper crust of SLC.

[NYMTman]

Yeah Montana has little in common with SLC. It's less religious than Maryland or New York, the two places I lived before moving here. It's a noticeable difference too. The closest major city to Montana - Calgary - has a lot in common with MT even though it's in another country.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by NYMTman

The closest major city to Montana - Calgary - has a lot in common with MT even though it's in another country.

Except that Calgary has a kosher butcher, kosher bakery and kosher delicatessen, which Montana does not.

[jasper12]

California is a state, not a "metro area". I have not heard a word of Spanish since I moved here. You can't even order lunch (fast food) in the ten top largest cities in California with out speaking Spanish. Forget about trying to hire movers, or get a house cleaning service that speaks English.

[Space Cowboy]

Thanks for all the great replies everyone! Definitely some food for thought here.

I'm also happy a couple of you pointed out that MT is not exactly the "Bible Belt"-- I lived there 19 of my currently 27 years, and definitely met more "in your face" religious folks living in Idaho and elsewhere than in MT. In fact, some of my better friends from growing up are the most hardcore atheists you will ever meet. Politically, we are conservative leaning nationally, but the state tends to elect democrats at the statewide level (although that could change in the next governor and senate elections). And of course, there is the long standing libertarian streak of MT and the northwest in general. So MT isn't totally easy to describe in those ways-but really, everywhere is complicated!

I totally agree that we have some similarities to Calgary also. Maybe Saskatoon or one of the Saskatchewan cities as well? I have also heard that Kelowna in BC is similar to Missoula in some ways. Maybe we'll just finally merge with Canada someday...I kid, I kid!

[oldtrader]

Trying to saying any big city area is like Montana is an impossible goal. Remember, that you could fit the entire population of Montana some big cities, and have a lot of room left over. There are only 33 cities with 500,000 or more people in the entire U.S. and they all have thousands of people per square mile up to over 27,000 people per square mile, not less than 7 as in Montana.

Montana is a few small cities, and a lot of small towns and open space. The entire state of Montana is about the land area of the entire North East U.S., and then is quite diverse.

Montana does not have the diversity of the big cities, by race and, religion, by culture, and recent immigration from other countries.

Montana is mostly very rural, with considerable distance between cities and towns, with less than 7 persons per square mile.

You should be comparing Montana to small cities and towns around the nation, to have any chance of making a match.