There’s a Whole Lot of Nothing in Montana

As someone who helps cities, tourism destinations other kinds of places brand and market themselves, I tend to see things a little differently than most when I go some place new. You can learn a lot by casually talking to people, or just watching them go about their day-to-day business. Even when I’m not “on the job”, my uber awareness is kind of hard to turn it off. Such was the case on recent trip to Bozeman, Montana.

I’ve always had sort of a crush on the West. I’m not sure where and when, but I’m pretty sure that I’ll move out there some day. Maybe Denver, or even as far west as Oregon. My wife has always been partial to Montana, but for some reason it’s never really spoken to me. My perception of Montana was that there was nothing there. Little did I know just how right I was. A few of weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend a few days in “Big Sky Country”. Before my trip I did a little research to get a lay of the land. But nothing prepared me for what I found (and didn’t find) in Bozeman, Montana.

Imagine a city without Starbucks. No Nordstroms. No Banana Republic. And no super-sized malls. Now take away the traffic jams, the hurried pace of the big city and the stress that comes with it all. I knew all of this going in. But what I didn’t know is, deep down, I really don’t want all of this stuff anyway. That is until I spent 3 days in quaint, but somehow “cosmopolitan meets small town” Bozeman, Montana.

I didn’t know it at the time, but my first 45 minutes in Bozeman would be very telling of what was to come the next three days. It started, interestingly enough, at a Subway (the restaurant chain, not the underground train). Behind the counter were three of the most outgoing, articulate teenagers you could have hoped to have served you. When it comes to fast food restaurants anywhere, service can be a bit of a crap shoot. I was pleasantly surprised, but I didn’t think much of it at the time. Then I had a similar experience at Wild Joe’s Coffee that afternoon, and again that evening at a great local restaurant, Montana Ale Works. Same great service, same beaming smile. But the one that really got me was when Kathy, the owner of the guest house I was staying, called me one evening to ask if I wanted fresh eggs from one of her hens for breakfast in the morning. Said she’d bring them over her self. Seriously? I don’t about you, but that was a first for me. And it’s not like they don’t have chickens in Indiana.

Was it something in the water? Was it just that cool “college town” vibe? The more I talked to people one-on-one, I came to realize two things: 1. Bozeman probably isn’t for everyone. 2. The majority of people here are transplants from somewhere else. They could have chosen to live anywhere, but they made their home in Bozeman, Montana. So, of course, they love their lives here.

Bozeman, Montana isn’t for everyone. It’s for those who know who they are and where they want to be. They come here to ski the mountains. They come to run; to hike and to bike the trails; and kayak the rivers. They come to fish and to hunt and enjoy a lifestyle that includes all of these things in this one place. And I suspect this is true for those that visit and live in all of Montana.

Thinking back now, an hour before even landing in Bozeman, I was reading the new issue of National Geographic Traveler on the plane. I noticed an advertorial for Montana state tourism and I was immediately struck by an image of a ram on a mountain and a simple but audacious headline that read, “There’s nothing here.”

I couldn’t agree more and I could use nothing less right about now. Can’t wait to go back.

PS: Check out this video by Montana photographer, Lynn Donaldson. I think it speaks for itself.