The good news is that the golfing yesterday was a great success. The golf pro that gave Jordan her lesson was a young guy who had to be 6’6” to 6’7”. Not many people make me feel short but he certainly did. He was a nice guy and Jordan had fun. We spent over an hour on the driving range and whacked a lot of golf balls. I haven’t swung a golf club in at least two decades but didn’t embarrass myself too badly. In any case, we had fun and I’m sure there will be more rounds of golf and time spent on the driving range in our future, regardless of where I live.
Today we are going ATVing down around Big Sky. That should be fun. I rented a 2-seat side-by-side ATV and we’ll head up the trail to see what we find. I’m sure the engine noise will scare away any bears, moose, etc. but will be properly equipped just in case. Frankly, I’m more concerned about other humans driving fast and recklessly than I am about the wildlife!
There was an article in the Bozeman Chronicle this morning discussing the latest census results. Bozeman’s population now exceeds 50,000 and is stated to be just over 53,000. The population here has increased by 16,000 people since 2010 and there are no signs that it will slow down any time soon. Bozeman is one of the fastest ‘micropolitan’ areas of the country. I’m not sure how this area will be able to sustain this kind of growth as it is already putting a huge strain on the housing market and the ability of businesses to find and retain staff. The ‘locals’ are getting priced out of the market.
The contractor who installed my flooring lives in Big Timber, 60 miles away, and commutes into Bozeman for jobs. My piano teacher lives in Manhattan, 20 miles away, and commutes into her studio in Bozeman. The pandemic just helped to accelerate this trend. Real estate prices in Bozeman increased 50% in a little over a year, if you can find a house to buy. Apartment rentals are few and far between and prices have increased significantly.
For me personally, one of the big concerns I have is water. I live just outside of the city. I have a septic tank and I get my water from a well on my property. Almost all of the properties outside of the city depend upon private wells. Right now, there are many, many houses being built within a five-mile radius of my property. Each and every one of those houses is drilling a new well and tapping into the aquifer. Given the current and what is likely to be ongoing drought, one wonders how long this is sustainable. Will there come a time when I go to turn on my kitchen faucet and nothing comes out?
Most of the locals I talk to are hoping for a really hard winter this year in hopes that it might cause some of the people moving here from out of state to rethink their plans. The first winter after I moved back to Bozeman was more like a real Montana winter with stretches of below zero temperatures and significant snowfall. The last couple of winters were pretty mild. Last year during the ‘great migration’ into Bozeman, the winter was particularly mild. It will be interesting to see what happens if we have a really hard winter for a change. (Other than an increase in automobile accidents because people don’t know how to drive in winter conditions!)
The other interesting thing about the census report was the change in demographics across the country showing the population is becoming less ‘white’ and more diverse. As I have stated in this blog previously, all of the efforts to suppress voting by people of color are doomed to failure in the long term. Biology will ultimately win. Unfortunately, the right-wing media and politicians will use the results of the census to fan the flames of ‘white fear’ resulting in even more radicalization and potential violence leading into the elections in 2022 and 2024.
The fact is, the GOP is shrinking rapidly and they have a choice. They can either try to be more inclusive and alter their policy positions to appeal to a greater segment of the population or they can try to retain power through fear, intimidation and using authoritarian tactics. Unfortunately, they appear to have already made that choice which is why the road ahead is likely to be very bumpy.
But for today, Jordan and I will take the bumpy road into the back country!!
Enjoy – have fun.
Yeah – Texas is predicted to be white minority before too many more years ( less than 50%, due to higher birthrate of latinos). GOP is doomed as they are now – if inclusiveness is not adopted. A wee bit of humanity and intelligence would go part way there too.