Two big WaPo stories out of Montana: rural gentrification in (1) the coronavirus era and (2) in politics

Here's the rural gentrification story, which drew sharp criticism out of Montana when it was published yesterday.  The headline is, "New homes on the range: Weary city dwellers escape to Montana, creating a property gold rush," by Lisa Rein.  A lot of the complaining was based on the fact Ms. Rein didn't interview the folks being displaced by urbanites moving to Big Sky Country (also known as the last best place).  But other complaints were based on this statement, which overlooked the significant Black Lives Matter protests in Bozeman, which in many ways is the quintessential example of rural gentrification in the mountain west right now: 

"We are 98 percent Caucasian,” said Candace Carr Strauss, chief executive officer of the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce. “We haven’t, thankfully, seen a lot of the unrest other places have seen.”

Here is more great context, just before that quote in the story:

The mask police lay low. In a hyper-divided country, Montana’s politics are balanced. Its demographics less so, but that is part of the appeal for many who are coming here.

And on the nature of the latest round of gentrification sweeping the state, there's this:

The newest migrants are different. They’re escaping fear, of the pandemic and of the social justice marches they believe are bringing violence to their door. Montana can bring them back in time.

The other story is about the governor's race, in which Greg Gianforte, the Republican who slugged a reporter when Gianforte was running for U.S. Representative two years ago, is challenging a Democratic candidate with much deeper roots in "the Last Best Place."  In short, Gianforte, who made his money far from Montana, represents rural gentrification.  I can only imagine the politics in the state capital if he wins.  Kathleen McLaughlin reports: 

Cooney, 66, is a well-liked Democrat, a sitting lieutenant governor and grandson of a 1930s Montana governor, with decades of public service experience. His opponent is two-term Rep. Greg Gianforte, 59, a Trump-aligned Republican running largely on his credentials as a self-made multimillionaire tech businessman.

* * *  

In a state where voters routinely split the ticket and vote across party lines, retail politics and personal connections have long mattered. The 2020 gubernatorial contest has morphed into something different, led by ad spending and partisan identity centered on President Trump. It is a reflection of the polarization gripping the nation, which now threatens this traditionally bipartisan state.

Gianforte has put $8 million of his own money into the race, and it'll be interesting to see where that gets him.  Meanwhile, outgoing governor Steve Bullock (D) is trying to unseat first-term U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R).  Bullock has been a popular governor who has worked across the proverbial aisle, and it'll be interesting to see where that gets him in a race which, at this point, is very tight. 

And back to gentrification for a moment, don't miss this High Country News piece from a few years ago about Bozeman--and 10 reasons not to move there.

I first visited Montana in 2009 for a "rural law" symposium.  I wound up publishing this article on the challenges of delivering health and human services to rural folks.  I learned so much about Montana geography from that project, which focused on four counties that were rural to varying degrees (Wheatland, Gallatin (Bozeman), Sweetwater, and Big Horn), and one that was urban/metropolitan (Yellowstone County, home to Billings)  Two years later, I returned for my first Big Sky vacation, starting in Glacier National Park (Kalispell (Flathead County) and Browning (Glacier County)) and working my way down to Salmon, Idaho (via Missoula and Darby (Ravalli County)).   In 2016, I returned to Missoula for the Bill Lane Center's Echols Family's Rural West Conference.  Most recently, in 2017, I flew in to Bozeman and worked my way, via Livingston, to Gardiner, on the northern edge of Yellowstone National Park.  From there we made our way into Wyoming, to the Grand Tetons for the total eclipse.  I admit to having my own not so secret desire to move to Montana.