Complain about Bozeman’s Growth – Here Are 3 Legit Reasons I Think You’re Wrong

I actually smiled a bit this morning as I watched a jacked up Land Rover with out of state plates turn the wrong way onto Mendenhall. It was a smile for the Bozeman that hasn't changed a bit. But we all know that it has. A lot.

I get to see the wrong way drivers on the one-way Mendenhall more than most, as my studio windows directly face the street. The oblivious drivers are my daily wallpaper.

With Bozeman's explosive growth, there certainly have been more wrong-way drivers on Mendenhall for my entertainment, but we all know there have been far more annoying and concerning problems.

This article is not about things that I hate about Bozeman's growth. It's about the several things that are actually pretty great about Bozeman's growth. They are in no particular order.

PARKS

Bozeman is full of neighborhood parks, community parks, pocket parks, linear parks, and linear trails. We can argue about the encroachment of development into what was once open space, but for as much growth as Bozeman has experienced - the parks are plentiful.

MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY

MSU is the heartbeat of this community, no matter if you ever attended. It's very existence dictated the direction of Bozeman's growth, to a large extent. It's Montana's land grant university, which is invisibly important. MSU is a top tier research university. Montana State has grown as Bozeman has grown - and the school is better for it.

MSU's land, faculty, student body, property, research, etc. all contribute to what makes Bozeman so attractive. Students from all over the country want to attend MSU, and are more than willing to fork over out of state tuition to do it.

Land Grant Universities: "These institutions receive federal funding and land grants to support agricultural and mechanical arts education, along with other scientific and classical studies." (Best Colleges)

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

"Approximately 5.07% of Bozeman's residents were born outside the US in 2023. This percentage has been increasing." (2023 DataUSA) That's not a huge number, but it's much larger than it used to be.

And it's not just about being from another country, it's about Bozeman not being a bubble anymore. Growing populations come with bumps in the road, for sure. But living in seclusion is no longer an option. Embrace the good parts of the 'New Bozeman' and make them even better.

Get our free mobile app