Imagine planting Minneapolis on Bozeman, Montana. The image above depicts what the results.

But that might be more than a fanciful proposition. With its current population growth, Bozeman and the Gallatin valley, population approximately 105,000, could reach a population of 400,000 by mid century (that’s the size of Minneapolis).

Property values will skyrocket, which might be great for property owners looking to sell, not so great for those looking to buy.

The incurred costs extend outward from there. Infrastructure, (including roads, water, sewers, power, and schools) will require massive investments that might not be available. The quality of life will decrease with pollution and overcrowding – and that doesn’t include the impacts of climate change.

As is happening in other popular areas of the West, those without significant means may need to leave – with a workforce that must drive in daily from where? Billings- 144 miles to the east?

And then there are the impacts to the land, flora, and fauna – the nominal reason people leave the coasts or elsewhere for the Montana lifestyle?

Does Greater Yellowstone face the future posed by a Teton County, Wyoming land commissioner (Luther Propst), “…a West of precious tourist towns that exist to feed a global cowboy / mountain man / Disney /ski resort / New Age fantasy, surrounded by busted towns that are ghettos for workers”?

As I’ve written before, I’ve seen the changes in the years I’ve visited Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding towns. I fear the place I knew will soon be only in memory, and my grandchildren will never know what I saw.

And if the region also becomes a destination for those fleeing climate change in other areas of the country, it may be more than lost memories, it may become a the location of a dystopian future.

You can read an article discussing these issues here.