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Being Like Bozeman

Kalispell city and business leaders increasingly prop up Bozeman as a model Montana city

By Kellyn Brown

Last weekend, I traveled with a friend to the bustling city of Bozeman, a place I left nine years ago. At that time, the area had already begun booming with new construction sites visible across the landscape and a sense that this former “cow town” was on the cusp of something big.

It was – it just took a little longer than I initially thought. The recession upended many communities’ best-laid plans, especially those whose economies relied heavily on the building industry (like Bozeman and Kalispell). Not long after my move to Northwest Montana, the subprime mortgage crisis unfolded and big banks subsequently began to fold. Nearly everyone suffered for a time, but Bozeman bounced back and found its footing faster.

Driving through southwest Montana, it’s clear that all of the Gallatin Valley is reaping the rewards of this rapid growth. Downtown is a mix of restaurants and retail. Like Kalispell, its commercial district is separated from the city’s core. But Bozeman has achieved a balance that is the envy of the state.

Kalispell city and business leaders increasingly prop up Bozeman as a model Montana city with a growing population, diversified portfolio of tech and manufacturing jobs and a knack for attracting modern businesses. Of course, Bozeman has advantages – mainly, Montana State University.

MSU is one of the healthiest universities in the region with growing enrollment that now eclipses the University of Montana. Bozeman’s largest employer also pumps out engineers to work at nearby tech companies. One of those, RightNow Technologies, was founded by Republican gubernatorial hopeful Greg Gianforte and sold for $1.8 billion in 2012. Oracle now plans to build a new operations center in the city, attracting even more high-paying jobs.

However, the Flathead and Gallatin valleys share several similarities. Our population growth rate is second only to theirs, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And while we can’t match that region’s proximity to hundreds of college graduates each year, we do have our own thriving community college that has tailored its courses to meet demands from local businesses.

Both regions rely on tourism and draw much of their identities from nearby national parks, Glacier and Yellowstone. And both are home to popular resort ski towns, Whitefish and Big Sky.

The manufacturing businesses here are growing, some by a lot. And so are both Kalispell and Bozeman’s public schools, with each city struggling to keep up with a growing student population.

But what may be most attractive about Bozeman, and what the largest city in this region is hoping to find, is that balance. There’s a balance between the commercial district and downtown that city and business leaders here hope to emulate, at least to a degree.

More storefronts are moving to downtown Kalispell, but there is an onus to attract more, which is one of the reasons the city, after two failed attempts, kept applying for a TIGER grant, which it finally landed last fall. The money will be used to help reinvigorate downtown, by developing a pathway system, reconnecting disjointed streets and, the ultimate goal, attracting more businesses.

It’s about finding our own balance. And while we share several similarities with Bozeman, we have our own unique identity, which is still being cultivated. And after an enjoyable weekend in southwest Montana, I was eager to return home.