What major city do Montanans identify with? (Missoula, Great Falls: high school, college)

[MimzyMusic]

When I lived in Montana, it seemed of anything, people were fans either of Seattle or Minneapolis teams, which makes me think Montanans see their world position as being south of Canada and between Washington and Minnesota.

There isn't much connection with the closest big cities - the Canadian cities of Edmonton and Calgary, for obvious reasons, though they're very close if Montanans don't mind a border crossing and want big city life.

[grizzfan]

We head to Spokane when we can; good shopping. But we don't really 'identify' with it.

[allforcats]

Originally Posted by MimzyMusic

... which makes me think Montanans see their world position as being south of Canada and between Washington and Minnesota.

Funny! Love your idea!
When I was living in Montana, I never "identified" with anywhere but Whitefish, Kalispell, Kila, Bigfork, maybe on a generous day Hungry Horse or Polebridge and occasionally Missoula

My friends who'd been living in Whitefish for a long time would go up to Alberta for one or another purpose and there was little concept of a border. Lethbridge, and Cranbrook, B.C., got the most mentions after Kalispell and Missoula, along with Medicine Hat whose high school had sports competions with the Whitefish high school. I heard next to nothing about Idaho or Washington, but lots of jokes about North Dakota, and nothing about Wyoming.

So based on your interesting concept, those people might have had a "world view" of Montana as the quiet center of a calm universe, with Canada "up there", North Dakota as an elbow-poke to the side, and just the trees and the stars to the south and west.

[MontanaGuy]

When I left Montana many years ago I moved to Seattle. Denver is also a place that many Montanans move to and I spent a few years there as well. Montana is a very large state and I think that plays a part in the nearest big city that people from Montana might be attracted to. I think for western Montana the most influential city is Seattle and I know quite a few people from Montana who've moved there. I also really like Calgary and Canada in general but the fact that it's in a different country does change the dynamics of the situation. I can only think of one person I knew in Montana who ended up moving to Calgary. Changing states is easy, changing countries is not.

[NYMTman]

Calgary is interesting because while it's a different country, culturally it shares more in common with Montana than Seattle, Salt Lake, or even Denver. It is also the closest geographically. Plus, you've got Banff right by Calgary so many hit Calgary on their way to Banff.

The drive to Calgary is EXCEPTIONALLY boring, though. At least if you go up I-15 and up the Canamex, which is the easiest route for most of MT.

[lorelei2873]

I think you've hit the nail on the head with this Minnesota to Washington thing and south of Canada. That's exactly what I've always thought of as my "area." I'm a Vikings fan and many of my family moved to Seattle. The rest of the out-of-staters live in Minnesota. When my sister moved to Seattle, she already knew 26 people from high school and college (which was in MT). But, I also think a lot of people go to Salt Lake. But, the cultural differences are pretty great, so I don't think most "identify" with it. However, the area I grew up in was about 1/4 Mormon for those people that did go to church.

[Timberwolf232]

Don't forget the Broncos!!

[jimj]

green bay packers

[JetMech72]

When I was younger, our family would head out to the Oregon and Washington coast for summer vacations. The first major U.S. city that I can identify with is Seattle. Portland wasn't really considered "major" back then, but it certainly has grown since my childhood. Victoria, B.C. was my first adventure out of the country and we would drive through Canada on our way back to Montana. Having grown up in Western Montana and being surrounded by tall peaks and wide valleys, I would say that I identify with the Pacific Northwest more than any other part of the nation. From Redding, Ca. to Everett, Wa. and inland all the way to our little portion of the Rockies. So, yeah, Northern California,,,Oregon,,,Washington,,,and Idaho feel familiar to Western Montanans and you'll probably find a lot of people who grew up in Montana, now living in those areas because of higher wages. But, not to fear, a majority of them will move back to Montana to retire...as some are already doing just that.

[Reziac]

When I lived in MT, I didn't follow sports. Just never had much interest. Somehow during the '86 World Series I got hooked, and ended up a diehard 49ers and Angels fan, my teams win or lose. There are other teams I like and root for, but these two have my heart, and probably will forever.

I like the Lakers too, but not to the same degree... I'm not that much of a basketball fan.

And I root for *whoever* is playing the Hated Raiders or the Unspeakable Athletics

I don't identify with a city for any of 'em ... better not, since I utterly *loathe* the city of San Francisco, and am not too fond of Anaheim either!!

Tho that isn't what I thought the initial question was about. I thought it meant "Which city in Montana defines the state for you?" and my answer was "Great Falls".

Now I'm confusled