MTLabrador
Well-known member
Hopefully not, but we’ll see I guess.
Any Montanans frustrated with population growth, sprawl, rising prices, etc?
- Thread starter Dougfirtree
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Hunting Wife
Well-known member
Our part of NE MT got very little out of this. Not enough to help.
NW ND got about 11 inches they say, but all ended up in big drifts, some taller than me. The rest of the state got much more. We were set to have a phenomenal upland bird year in ND but I think this storm just set bird populations back a decade.
MarvB
Well-known member
Which for them just means more late spring growth turning into better fire/fuel carry for their Nov/Dec wildfire seasons unfortunately.
Didn’t amount to nothing through here either.
I'm a relative newcomer to Montana- this is my 4th year here. I love it- the winters included.
I'm 32. Single. I'm an engineer. And the Covid rush just priced me out of pretty much anything resembling a livable house in this area. And that's the reality I'm facing- my position here is unsustainable, because housing has exceeded the safe percentage of my income.
I watched the purchasing power of my down payment evaporate before my eyes. Do I risk everything and take a major hit to my standard of living, and clear out my savings? Or have faith that my company will value their employees and increase salaries to adjust for this "new normal"? The last option is change jobs- but the specifics of what I do doesn't lend itself to a remote gig, and that means leaving the place I've lived longer than anywhere else since high school.
In short- I'm mad as hell, but have no idea what I can do about it, short of leaving the game.
I'm 32. Single. I'm an engineer. And the Covid rush just priced me out of pretty much anything resembling a livable house in this area. And that's the reality I'm facing- my position here is unsustainable, because housing has exceeded the safe percentage of my income.
I watched the purchasing power of my down payment evaporate before my eyes. Do I risk everything and take a major hit to my standard of living, and clear out my savings? Or have faith that my company will value their employees and increase salaries to adjust for this "new normal"? The last option is change jobs- but the specifics of what I do doesn't lend itself to a remote gig, and that means leaving the place I've lived longer than anywhere else since high school.
In short- I'm mad as hell, but have no idea what I can do about it, short of leaving the game.
And Joe is saying..."That's YOUR problem, not mine. I don't care what your problems are! My job is to get my skim from the global climate change scam, not solving your petty problems."
But keep in mind, it is not just Joe driving this attitude; It is all of Washington, Dumbocrats AND Repubs. I live in a redneck as hell county, and our lame republican congressman can' find time for Townhall meetings. They couldn't care less what we think. The big donors drive them. Acceot that reality.
Irishman
Well-known member
Funny, everyone here in Montana used to worry that California liberals would move here. However, something much worse happened, instead of liberals who don't hunt, we got invaded with folks wanting to come to conservative Montana. Now they are all buying hunting licenses.
This phenomenon has also led to a boom in the local antagonize-people-you-disagree-with lawn sign, flag, and banner industry.
For what it’s worth, a job that was recently open in the med field that was advertised as being $72k/year got filled at $125k a year.
Maybe employers are starting to realize they have to pay.
Also, if it’s any consolation, Bloomberg ran a piece today about the housing market in Boise starting to simmer down. Could perhaps be an indicator of what’s to come in other western markets.
Pay does seem to be going up. I have a friend in the building trades who is capable, but not an especially skilled or experienced finish carpenter. He’s able to find work easily with wages I’d have loved to earn when I used to do that kind of work (and was very skilled at doing).
Long way of saying, stick it out as a renter for a little while longer. Hard to tell right now if housing markets are a Dutch tulip bulb bubble or if the rapid increases in pricing are actually durable in the long run.
D
Deleted member 28227
Guest
I had a buddy in Bozeman who was making $17/hr as an engineer, he had his PE.
Company he worked for dragged him along for 3 years and never paid him more, he moved to a different part of the state, different company and got a massive raise.My wife and I realized we were never going to accomplish our goals in the towns we wanted to live in, we decided to leave with the hopes of returning after we had pursued our careers. We are pretty close to being in the position to return... not sure if we will though, the "shitty" parts of the country have turned out to be pretty great, and the west has lost a lot of it's appeal.
Montana is special but I have no regrets about leaving, YMMV.
Hunting Wife
Well-known member
But that’s just because they brought their “Montana values” with them.
Nameless Range
Well-known member
I believe the idea that Montana is a state with low wages relative to the rest of the country is one that is fading as fast as it is exploding in population.
The increase in wages in this state is victim to a lag, but I see an obvious trend in every sector I am aware of and have friends and family in. Wages are increasing rapidly. Employers must adapt or suffer the friction of high turnover and empty positions.
Doesn’t mean wages are going to increase commensurate with housing prices, but I do think wages are clawing their way up.
I’d still rather be poor here than rich in a lot of places. I’ve been the former, though never the latter.
I’ve heard of the scenery tax, but that’s ridiculous. Twice that is ridiculous.I had a buddy in Bozeman who was making $17/hr as an engineer, he had his PE.
L
longbow51
Guest
The scenery tax in Bozeman is real, even way before Covid. I was paying professionals twice as much in Great Falls. Lots of trust funders there who are intellectually capable and great employees but could care less how much they make.
220yotekiller
Well-known member
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Just tell them those were taken in June!
D
Deleted member 28227
Guest
At the time there just weren’t any other options… about as close to an employers market as you could get.
I wish these marketing campaigns and TV show stereotypes stuck with the “live and let live” and “mind your own business and be nice” attitudes of yore.But that’s just because they brought their “Montana values” with them.
I had a buddy in Bozeman who was making $17/hr as an engineer, he had his PE.
If this is within the last 10 years, sorry to say, but that’s his own fault.
I moved here 15+ years ago and had my pick of several engineering jobs at substantially more than that with no PE.
Not saying it’s affordable even now at these wages, but engineers right out of school with zero experience are making $70k plus here.
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