Better than Bozeman? New Resident Impressed by Downtown Billings Events

It's tough not to get involved in some friendly jabs toward our fellow Montana cities. Bozemanites have been known to hate on Missoula. Missoulians like to razz people who live in Bozeman. And it seems like everybody loves to give Billings a hard time. Sorry, Great Falls... you're not even in the discussion.

Good old Bozeman.

I try not to get into the attacks on Missoula or Bozeman much, for a couple of reasons. 1) I grew up in the Gallatin Valley thirty-some years ago; my parents still live there and it will always have a place in my heart despite how extra "Bozemany" it has become in recent years. 2) I also really like Missoula. It's a fun town, with lots to do and the community attracts the best concerts in the state. And 3) it's kind of silly to pick on other towns. We're all Montanan's, right?

Living in Billings, we often take it for granted.

Yeah, yeah, we're all familiar with the common complaints about Billings. Too many homeless. Not close enough to the mountains. Not "pretty" enough. Too much crime. Whatever. I love this town and I feel like sometimes we overlook all the awesome stuff in our community. A recent post on one of the Billings Facebook pages made me realize how we often take it for granted.

Downtown scene better than Bozeman, SLC, Boise, or LA?

A newcomer to the Magic City wrote,

Shout-out to the Downtown Billings Alliance for putting on a great event last night. I’ve lived in Los Angeles, Portland, Phoenix, SLC, Boise, and with the exception of Portland, downtown events just weren’t much fun. When we were deciding which city to relocate to, I had a feeling Billings would have more to do than Bozeman.

I’m glad we didn’t choose Boze. Whatever country band was on stage, they were funky enough for my daughter and I to have a dance. And I can’t stand country music. Impressive little city and events we have here.

Well said, new resident. Welcome to Billings.