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If it wasn't for the mountains here in Montana........how many of you would actualy want to move here ?
Answer....Next to none !
People move here in droves with little or no reguard as to how or if they will be able to make a living here, and they do it based all on, (whetther they'd admit it of not)......the fact that Montana has mountains........
That one would be a tough call. we looked at Properties in New Mexico, Colorado,Idaho, Oregon and Washington and Az some advertised water creek pond etc. but was not much access to it. Then the well thing some areas it was not possible.
Montana almost lost us, some prime areas had excessive mine tailings contamination etc.
When we actually located property in a superfund site of all things it was amazing. We researched and found our property was far enough away from the stack that no remideation was required.
So we loved the fact that there was 1/2 mile of creek and wetlands on the property. We have all of natures critters we are in The mountains and 8 miles back off the paved road and a well was not going to be a problem. (year around access was)
If it wasn't for the mountains here in Montana........how many of you would actualy want to move here ?
Answer....Next to none !
Ok JJM, here's one that we completely agree on. Let me make a comparison. West Texas is some of the flatest most desolate landscape in the nation and it's very sparsely populated. Now when you get into the hill country around Austin and San Antonio suddenly it's jam packed with people. The eastern part of Texas has alot of greenery and is a whole lot more attractive then west Texas and Dallas and Houston and two of the fastest growing cities in the nation simply because it's more attractive. Areas that are flat or desolate like eastern Wyoming, western Kansas, North Dakota and eastern Montana have very few residents for that very reason. If those areas were filled with beautiful mountains with lakes and rivers you'd see them filled with people instead of the prairie dogs that live there now.
interestly enough I don't think that Montana is unique in the fact that it attracts people because of its mountains. I think people in Idaho and Colorado feel the same way---I know a few who do. I think many areas attract people for what is offered....here in Maine people pay millions to live on the ocean or thousands to live back in the deep woods. So what?
Any area, that's "marketed" effectively, will attract folks in droves.
It just happens to be mountains in this instance.
Nowhere, in any of the official discourse, with regard to "states", does it extoll the virtues of mountain living. As a matter of fact, mountain living, realistically, is one of the hardest, most expensive and most unrewarding kinds of lifestyles found in todays modern environment.
You will not find any honest assessments of mountain living in any of todays real estate marketing materials.
Humans, by their very nature, are fairly gullible.... They are more than willing to believe anything they are told..... like a herd of cattle, they are lead around by the nose to do anything, or go anywhere, "just because someone said so". In this case, it's the slick marketing tactics of our land developers and real estate brokers that are applying the deceptions.
You are going to love Montana, because someone said so.... and that's about it.
It would be no different if the plains were being promoted effectively.... people, not too unlike cattle, would herd themselves to Kansas in droves... if they "were told" that this is the place to be.
Never mind that the Bitterroot is far more polluted than Los Angeles County, folks will move there because they were told to move there, and to them, it's a paradise, because some else "told them it was".
Never mind that these McMansions are buit atop old mine tailings and mercury filled soil..... folks will live there, because "it's the thing to do".
I'm born and raised here... been here all my life, and you won't find me breaking my neck to get in on all of the hype with regard to living here, there or the other........ I know what's buried there and I've got a pretty good handle on what's gone on before here.
I'm saddened somewhat, when I think of what my fathers have done to this place over the years. We've exploited every aspect of our big sky country, all for the sake of money.... and, in this most recent case (building boom)..... it's still all about the money..... We've already ruined the land itself, and now, I guess it's time to ruin the air, by packing people as tight as sardines into Western Montana.
As with today, we'll look back 100 years from now, and cry over our mishap, with one hand, all the while, trying to figure out how we might continue to ruin this place with the other......
Last edited by GiftShoppeGuy; 04-10-2007 at 05:29 PM..
Any area, that's "marketed" effectively, will attract folks in droves.
I don't think I'd go that far. I agree that effective marketing will boost sales but no amount of hype or marketing could ever make people move to a place like Midland, Texas or Jamestown, North Dakota. Wyoming is another good example. It's really beautiful around Yellowstone Park and the Tetons and prices are really high in that corner of the state but it's really cheap in eastern Wyoming because it's just not a desireable place to be.
Any area, that's "marketed" effectively, will attract folks in droves.
It just happens to be mountains in this instance.
I'd have to agree with you that people are like cattle and fall for all types of advertising and bs, but I think eastern montana would be a tough sale even if you gave it away free. In any event I think "mountains" are an easy sell, you might say they sell themselves, which is basically my point.
Giftshopguy wrote
Quote:
I'm saddened somewhat, when I think of what my fathers have done to this place over the years. We've exploited every aspect of our big sky country, all for the sake of money.... and, in this most recent case (building boom)..... it's still all about the money..... We've already ruined the land itself, and now, I guess it's time to ruin the air, by packing people as tight as sardines into Western Montana.
On this point.........lord knows I couldn't agree more with you
I think this whole notion of wanting to live someplace 'nice', living for the 'quality of life', etc, is a phenomena of our american culture these days. A self indulgence of the rich and poor alike, thus you see the rich moving here for the quality of life (mostly scenery - mountains) and even the not-so-well-off and even low income people moving here, and in their case many times, with complete disregard for how they'll make a living when the get here, I guess they figure Uncle Sam will always be there to step in.
I think we've become a numbly minded society, whereas our of parents of the 'great generation' seem to have alway put the horse before the cart, making a living was their main concern and only once and if that was accomplished did any notion of the 'good life' set in.....Today it's get it all and get it now, thus this decedent irrational compulsion to 'live in the mountains"
I don't think I'd go that far. I agree that effective marketing will boost sales but no amount of hype or marketing could ever make people move to a place like Midland, Texas or Jamestown, North Dakota. Wyoming is another good example. It's really beautiful around Yellowstone Park and the Tetons and prices are really high in that corner of the state but it's really cheap in eastern Wyoming because it's just not a desireable place to be.
Sure, you might not buy into the B.S., but there are millions of stupid people in this world, that would drink sand if they thought it would do them some good.
The marketing of eastern Montana may not be so far fetched as one might imagine, when you look at all of the other nefarious ads floating around that folks are buying into..... and, the mountains really don't quite sell themselves... if this was all genuine, and not hyped up, the western Montana mountains would have been responsible for filling our valleys up many, many years ago.
The marketing of eastern Montana may not be so far fetched as one might imagine, when you look at all of the other nefarious ads floating around that folks are buying into..... and, the mountains really don't quite sell themselves... if this was all genuine, and not hyped up, the western Montana mountains would have been responsible for filling our valleys up many, many years ago.
Well previous generations had more sense than to move all the way up here to see some mountains. They had enough empty space where they lived, not so anymore.....
The more well-to-do people in our society have been seeking country estates and ocean/water front property since this country started and long be 'advertising' was even a real word. No one had to convince them to get a vacaction home in the country.
I'll tell you what, you advertise to sell eastern montana and I'll advertise to sell western/mountain montana, and we'll see who makes the most money....you know, be real, You could spend a billion dollars advertising road apples (horse turds) and I'd bet McIntosh will still sell more without spending a dime on advertisment.
And not that I don't completely agree with you that people are suckers.....
And say weren't you the guy on that other post....saying all that overly exaggerated stuff about how woderfull montana is as a place to do business and how "diversity" ruled supreme around here...........hum hum hum.....looks like you might be putting some of your "you can sell anybody anything" philosophy right to work around here.
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And not that I don't completely agree with you that people are suckers.....
And say weren't you the guy on that other post....saying all that overly exaggerated stuff about how woderfull montana is as a place to do business and how "diversity" ruled supreme around here...........hum hum hum.....looks like you might be putting some of your "you can sell anybody anything" philosophy right to work around here....
You are 200% right JJM....... you can sell just about anything to anybody, and again, yes, Montana is a rather easy place to conduct business.
Part of what I do around here (in Montana) has everything to do with sales/marketing.... works great in my business..... I don't sell Montana, or cars, so don't worry. I do have a rather intimate knowledge of the inner workings of how this marketing thing works though... It's sort of a "it takes one, to know one" kind of thing.
If new business can get some sort of foothold here, then I'm all for it, so long as it's of the sustainable variety.
I already know that you are going to hire your buddy's first, before hiring someone that lives 1,000 miles away. It's always been that way around here for as long as I can remember. Heck, I've even done my own fair share of hiring my buddy's first. I'll pull someone out of Missoula to come work for me long before I'll put the gamble to hiring someone from parts unknown out of state. Nothing to do with prejudice really, but more to do with, if it doesn't work out, they won't have to travel too far to get home.
I've hired from out of state, and it is indeed a gamble..... by that I mean, there are plenty of folks who come here, stay for a while, and then up and leave... Sure, they've got the very best of intentions, and do well at the job, but they somehow just can't get their minds wrapped around the fact that living here isn't all what the "marketing" materials have lead them to imagine.. so they end up not making it here at all.
If there is a town in Montana that is no stranger to strangers, Great Falls has got to be it. Malmstrom Air Force Base brings folks in from out of state all of the time, so we are pretty used to meeting folks from out of town.
We have some pretty good and direct experience on what it means to be diverse, and our welcome wagons are the shiniest in the state, because we get good practice at welcoming folks from out of state all of the time.
When it comes to welcoming folks from out of town, Great Falls, Montana is at the top of it's game. I can safely say that Great Falls, Montana is the friendliest and most welcoming town in Montana. We meet more new folks in one day, on many occasions, than Missoula will meet in a month.
Many who come here because they were transfered here by way of the military, often stay, or return to stay when their enlistment is done, because they love it here.... While in the military, stationed at Malmstrom, they have every good opportunity to meet the folks here over a long period of time, and when they get out of the military, they are as welcome here as ever, and, are considered to be "one of our own"...... they have no trouble finding a job right out of the gate. Many are young and have families..... and they stay.
Montana needs these kinds of folks..... with kids, family, and a life.
Diversity can mean many different things to many different people on any given day of the week..... True diversity has everything to do with the good opinions of others, good ideas on how to protect the welfare of our fair communities, and such and so on..... These young families bring a certain freshness to this state that will rival any retiree.
These young folks aren't at all jaded and aren't real interested in "agenda"..... they are more than willing to become part of the community, and do well to learn and grow with it..... Our young families are more interested in the presevation of their family than they are in promoting any odd ball agenda...... They don't sit around and complain about the places they've come from, like most of our retirees do..... they don't have time for that.
Even our home prices are lower, because we know that these folks aren't loaded with out of state money.... so we accomodate them accordingly. They get good paying jobs, because we know that it costs money to raise kids. Great Falls wages are the highest in the state.
These families add a certain stability to our town, that no other town in Montana can dare compare to. They aren't marketed to either, so there are no surprises. They already know what to expect, and by that, they do very, very well here.
They quite obviously don't come here initially because of the mountains...... They stay because we are who we are.... The mountains are just an added bonus.
Last edited by GiftShoppeGuy; 04-12-2007 at 10:06 AM..
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hmmm.....
