New Data Reveals Top States Moving To and From Montana
We call Montana the "Last Best Place." Many think it was given that name because of all the scenic beauty. Many also think it was given that name because of the lack of congestion and population. But, it is safe to say that the "Last Best Place" has been found.
We have been complaining about it since the 90s. I can still remember all of the grumpy old men at the diner talking about all the Californians moving to the state. I remember everyone in Billings making a big deal out of Mel Gibson buying a ranch nearby. Or the complaints you could hear about Michael Keaton buying up a bunch of land near Big Timber.
Today, it is a lot of the same drama as it was in the 90's. Just on a much greater scale. Big money has flocked to Bozeman to "get away from it all" and enjoy one of the best ski resorts in North America. Many of them stayed and bought land or million-dollar houses. Driving up the property values in Bozeman. Making it nearly unaffordable for many residents to live in the popular Montana town.
But where are they all coming from? We like to blame California for most of it, but we are seeing out-of-state plates from all over the country.
New data from Gardner Economics shows that a large majority of people are moving from California to Montana. Actually, the data shows 1 in 3 people who moved to Montana recently are from California.
Montanans are getting priced out of their homes and moving elsewhere. So what states are seeing a whole lot more Montana plates driving around the neighborhood? According to the Gardner Economics data, Arizona seems to be the most popular destination for relocation from Montana. I was surprised to see how many Montanans chose New York out of all places.
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