Montana
Montana's Transplant Debate: Are Newcomers Really Ruining Our State?
We hear a lot about how transplants are ruining the great state of Montana.
Over the last few years, thousands of people have moved to The Treasure State and for many Montanans, that’s been a hard pill to swallow. If you were to spend any time on social media sites that are Montana-related, chances are you will most certainly read lots of comments from disgruntled “locals”.
Of course, the strange part of that is that only about half of the state’s residents are actually from here and while it’s true, many have moved to Montana recently, according to new data, just as many people are moving away.
In my opinion, it’s not the transplants that are the problem, it’s the fact that we live in this environment of “if you don’t agree with me and my belief system, then you’re wrong, and screw you”.
Over the next several months we will be indoctrinated with political ads on TV, Radio, and Social Media and if history repeats itself, the majority of those ads won’t talk about the accomplishments of the candidate running, but everything wrong with the candidate that is going against them.
Somewhere along the way, many Montanans have simply refused to listen to anyone who has a different opinion than them.
Instead of focusing on things that benefit everyone and the state, we instead focus on who is “liberal” and who is “conservative”. While many Montanans are under the impression that liberalism is new to the state, the truth is, that two of the biggest cities in Montana have leaned liberal for decades. Both Bozeman and Missoula are “college towns” and like most college towns across the United States, tend to be a little more left.
On the other hand, Montana is filled with small towns and like most small towns across the country, tends to lean a little more conservative. In other words, it’s kind of always been this way, and this isn’t anything new. The difference is that we have multiple platforms to share our opinions and viewpoints and while technology is a wonderful thing, it has also caused quite a riff in our society and how we treat each other.
Like many Montanans, I’m conservative on some issues and a little more liberal on others. I find myself somewhere in the category of “I don’t care what you do, just leave me alone.”
The truth is, this country and this state are big enough to have all kinds of opinions and just because someone doesn’t share mine, certainly doesn’t make them better or worse than me. Until we can compromise and meet somewhere in the middle, Montana will continue to suffer, no matter how many “transplants” move here.
Californians: What To Know When Moving to Montana
If you’re moving to Montana from California, here are a few things that might make you rethink your decision.
Gallery Credit: Jesse James
10 Helpful Montana Weather Terms You Need to Know
Weather in Montana can be unpredictable. Here are 10 weather terms that you need to know.
Gallery Credit: Jesse James
Fame and Fortune: These Are the Richest Celebrities in the World
Gallery Credit: Stacker
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 8 drawing
12-29-37-43-55, Powerball: 18, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from July 8 drawing
17-26-31-32-37, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from July 8 drawing
03-13-16-17, Bonus: 10
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 8 drawing
06-27-33-44-69, Powerball: 23
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from July 8 drawing
08-16-17-22-27
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 8 drawing
16-18-43-48-50, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
HELENA, Mont — Gov. Greg Gianforte is backing a new effort to keep data centers from driving up Montanans’ power bills.
This week, Gianforte announced Montana is signing on to the Ratepayer Protection Pledge — an initiative endorsed by President Trump.
Several major technology companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and XAI first signed the pledge back in March.
The pledge comes as data center development continues to grow — raising questions about how much new energy will be needed and who will pay for it.
NBC Montana spoke with Julia Haggerty, professor of geography and department head of earth sciences at Montana State University, about whether Montana’s power grid is ready for that growth.
“Not without resolution of significant transmission bottlenecks and massive amounts of new generation. So, while our grid is adequately, relatively adequately equipped to serve the needs of our current load base, it’s definitely not equipped to accommodate the new demands without a lot of expansion,” she said.
According to the pledge, data center developers will pay for new power generation, and infrastructure needed to support their operations.
“It does align with ongoing regulatory efforts to ensure that the cost of new generation associated with data centers is borne by the developers of those data centers and not customers,” Haggerty said.
The governor’s office says Gianforte’s support of the pledge is designed to encourage responsible data center investments while protecting Montana ratepayers from long-term costs.
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