Population Growth and Hunting in Rocky Mountain States

[Nick87]

It sure is a strange phenomenon. Politics and partisan tribalism has so infiltrated the American psyche that the chief consideration of where folks will move is R or D, and in Montana's case R, and even further, can be centered on a single personality.

I sat in a hotel hot tub this weekend and chatted with a young couple who were leaving Idaho for Florida because they loved Ron Desantis. When my drunk compatriot, who up until that point had been giving them fatherly advice, beautifully and hilariously berated them intensely for how shitty a place Florida would be compared to Idaho - there is not hunting, mountains, public lands, lack of people - it was as if it couldn't compute. Florida was Red and a lot of the people there were too and their governor was cool - that was all that mattered. The lens through which they put a value on place was partisan and little else, and frankly, that's weird. At least we had the hot tub to ourselves after that.

Yes, Montana is being flooded with well-to-do conservatives, and the obsession with politics of so many people my age who are coming here is gross to me. But, I have made friends with some of these immigrants, and they still want the things that make this place great to persist. It just takes education, and friendliness, and an openness that is the opposite of an obsession with politics. If ya just give up on em it's over, but more and more lately I've met and had conversations with Republicans new to Montana who like hunting the breaks more than they like Greg Gianforte and plutocrats in general.

Doesn't mean the odds aren't in our favor, but it's something.

Not sure I understand that train of thought, then what if DeSantis runs for a different office or someone else runs against him and wins? Up and move again? I can understand wanting to move to another state for some of its policies/culture. Certainly not for a single politician.

 

[MTGomer]

It sure is a strange phenomenon. Politics and partisan tribalism has so infiltrated the American psyche that the chief consideration of where folks will move is R or D, and in Montana's case R, and even further, can be centered on a single personality.

I sat in a hotel hot tub this weekend and chatted with a young couple who were leaving Idaho for Florida because they loved Ron Desantis. When my drunk compatriot, who up until that point had been giving them fatherly advice, beautifully and hilariously berated them intensely for how shitty a place Florida would be compared to Idaho - there is not hunting, mountains, public lands, lack of people - it was as if it couldn't compute. Florida was Red and a lot of the people there were too and their governor was cool - that was all that mattered. The lens through which they put a value on place was partisan and little else, and frankly, that's weird. At least we had the hot tub to ourselves after that.

Yes, Montana is being flooded with well-to-do conservatives, and the obsession with politics of so many people my age who are coming here is gross to me. But, I have made friends with some of these immigrants, and they still want the things that make this place great to persist. It just takes education, and friendliness, and an openness that is the opposite of an obsession with politics. If ya just give up on em it's over, but more and more lately I've met and had conversations with Republicans new to Montana who like hunting the breaks more than they like Greg Gianforte and plutocrats in general.

Doesn't mean the odds aren't in our favor, but it's something.

I think DeSantis is among a small handful of politicians in either party that doesn’t deserve the guillotine, but holy crap…. It’s still Florida. And it’s not like Idaho is exactly overflowing with the pronoun wokes.
seems like a bad calculation.

 

[Nameless Range]

seems like a bad calculation.

In so many words, they were told as much.

 

[hank4elk]

Yo,NM has BLUE skies 300 days a year.
There,they got the signal.

 

[TheTone]

Another good one I ran into this fall:

Guy moves to Idaho from Washington because of all the growth around his former home and “imports”. He builds a home in what has always been a pasture or hayfield. Essentially has nothing to do with any of his neighbors that are all multi generation in the area and upset about a neighbors fence line that’s been present for decades being a couple feet onto his property. He was complaining to me about all the well heads and driveways he is seeing pop up around him and people moving in and changing things. I really wanted to hand him a mirror

 

[BigHornRam]

The last year's Census Bureau show @neffa3 to be on target

View attachment 207540

The West has a little growth, but nothing compared to the South.

I'm reading a Jack O'Connor biography right now and in an interesting note, he moved his family from Arizona to Lewiston, Idaho in 1948, due to the rapid post WW2 growth in AZ. He would likely roll over in his grave to see both Arizona and Idaho today.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Crazy Red and crazy Blue are just different manifestation of the same kind of people.

I wish both would take their flavor of crazy to somewhere other than MT.

 

[mtmuley]

Crazy Red and crazy Blue are just different manifestation of the same kind of people.

I wish both would take their flavor of crazy to somewhere other than MT.

We've been saying that for a long time round here. mtmuley

 

[Irrelevant]

I’ve seen that a lot lately in Montana. But they are all quick to tell me not to worry, they vote red and they’re not here to change how we do things. Except how we manage elk.

Or public land, or conservation easements, or...

 

[ccc23454]

All i know is my 10 day forecast will likely influence some people about moving to florida... i love it!

 

[MTLabrador]

Or public land, or conservation easements, or...

Feds aren’t even allowed to own land bruh, read the articles of confederation.

 

[Marshian]

Rhetorical question; if a couple has more than 2.1 kids (replacement rate), does that make them part of the problem?

 

[Hydrophilic]

I bunch of “wacky” people from those states moving to Idaho are incredibly conservative from what I’ve seen. Often more so than those already here. I saw one that came here from Oregon a couple years ago and is already leaving for more conservative waters because in his opinion locals just aren’t smart enough to heed his warnings

Seems on par with the type of folks I know moving that way…angry, bitter, and on a mission to create their utopia. Definitely a product of polarized politics.

 

[Unlucky]

Ya getting to be too many people. All of u should fall on the sword so i can keep hunting

 

[longbow51]

I think DeSantis is pretty cool, but Florida? If they had said Florida vs. NY, OK, I get that, but Idaho? It is encouraging that many feel that the folks who ruined once-great CA and Washington aren't bringing their votes to Montana. Fingers crossed.

 

[thebestusernamesaretaken]

You guys are going to get a lot of the crazies looking to build militias and prep for doomsday for sure.

 

[longbow51]

You guys are going to get a lot of the crazies looking to build militias and prep for doomsday for sure.

You would think that, but I haven't seen it. Lots of turnover in our area, and most are just fleeing crime, high taxes, and schools that close when all the science says not to, and they know their kids suffered.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Lots of turnover in our area,

Upper right hand corner under number of messages, describe briefly location by state, city, or area. Thanks; it's helpful for context.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I sat in a hotel hot tub this weekend and chatted with a young couple who were leaving Idaho for Florida because they loved Ron Desantis. When my drunk compatriot, who up until that point had been giving them fatherly advice, beautifully and hilariously berated them intensely for how shitty a place Florida would be compared to Idaho - there is not hunting, mountains, public lands, lack of people - it was as if it couldn't compute. Florida was Red and a lot of the people there were too and their governor was cool - that was all that mattered. The lens through which they put a value on place was partisan and little else, and frankly, that's weird. At least we had the hot tub to ourselves after that.

Here's the security cam footage of said event:

 

[Mountain Man]

Here are two screen shots of an article in the Steamboat Today (local paper). Home prices in Routt county (CO) have doubled since 2016. The average price is now $1.1 million!?! This development is so depressing to me. I was really hoping to move back there in 2024 after retiring from the military, but the market is moving out of my reach. I don’t foresee this trend slowing down anytime soon.