Earlier this year I had a business road trip of over 6,000 miles, seeing St. Louis, Florida, the East Coast, Cleveland, Chicago, etc., then back home to Montana. The traffic was non-stop, with many multi-hour traffic jams. Although I found much of America very interesting, the congestion was pure misery.
When my wife and I hit North Dakota we were smiling, but when we entered Montana we were almost giddy with joy at the wide-open spaces and 80 mph highways. Of course, it got a bit more dense as we entered the mountain cities, but that is my concern. I have for years been hearing the growth promoting chamber of commerces and politicians, trying to draw big industries to Montana. A recent Beacon article quoted politicians saying we can “grow faster than any state, including Florida.” Outside tech businesses and big industries draw outside talent and increase our densities. Look how congested Highway 93 in Kalispell is now with all the newer growth – remember how it was in the ‘70s and ‘80s? I fear it will be built up like that all the way to Whitefish before long. Do we want the gangs, congestion, and problems of Florida and the big cities? When is enough enough? Do we want to tell our children about when Montana used to be the Last Best Place? Natural resources (mining, timber, recreation) hire our local people, but big modern companies will only draw more people and destroy that which we now cherish. My son has to work out of state, but he does that gladly in hopes that with retirement he can come back to a natural Montana where he can still fish and hike without it being just another major metropolis.
Steve Mangold
Eureka Montana