Is This The Solution To Bozeman’s Housing Crisis?

If you're living in Bozeman and looking for a house, you know that chances are 1. You can't afford to buy one or 2. The selection is small and there aren't a whole lot of options.

It seems that one of Montana's fastest-growing cities wasn't prepared for the thousands of people who have moved to the area in the last few years. When you throw in the fact that many of those folks moved to Bozeman during a worldwide pandemic where supplies were darn near impossible to get, it makes sense that we're in the mess we find ourselves dealing with.

With the recent news that the average home price is around a million dollars, many locals wonder how long they can live in Bozeman.

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I was recently watching a local news broadcast where they were reporting on the housing situation here in Bozeman and one of the facts and figures they put up was the fact that there is a demand for 10 thousand additional homes in the Bozeman area. You read that right...10 thousand.

A quick drive around the city and you will see lots of construction taking place, however, most of that construction is either apartments or multi-family housing like townhomes and condos. While that will certainly fill part of the void, the truth is, that we need more single-family homes.

I mean, who wants to spend 600k for shared walls and no backyard?

It's been suggested that the best thing that can happen to Bozeman in the long term is that the population continues to grow. As more people move here, the demand will increase, and at some point, will have to be properly addressed. Maybe you're wondering how more people equals more homes when it seems that we can't keep up now.

The theory is that with more people the infrastructure will grow, which in return, will attract more business including contractors and construction. Of course, this isn't the most popular idea with many old-school Bozeman folks against the growth that has taken place and what the town has become.

I'm not sure that adding more folks is the answer, at least in the short term, but one thing is for sure, something needs to be done because Bozeman is on the map and the chances of it going back to that sleepy little rodeo town are slim to none.

What do you think the answer is? Do you think Bozeman will ever be affordable again? Let us know by sending us a message on our radio station app.