What Do Montanans Wish Would Make A Comeback? Here Are The Top 5.

Not to sound like that old man who yells at the kids to get off my lawn, but it seems that with every year, I wax nostalgic for days gone by.

I mean, who doesn't think back to the "good ole days" and how things used to be?  Back before everyone's head was buried in a screen and people actually talked to each other instead of opting for texting the other person. I'm I the only one that misses those days?

Apparently not.

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When asked "what's the one thing that you would bring back that's no longer around?" Montanans had a lot to say. Things like different foods, drinks, and businesses made the list.  Several Montanans spoke of loved ones that have passed on and how they wish they could bring them back.

There was certainly a variety of answers, however, here are the Top 5.

Affordable Housing

It's hard to argue with this one.  The cost of housing in Montana has skyrocketed and it is certainly something folks have a lot of opinions about. I recently found an old checkbook from when I lived in Missoula over a decade ago and one of the carbon copy duplicates was for rent.  I lived in a nice one-bed/one-bath apartment and paid 700 bucks a month.  That exact same apartment would cost me 1600 today.

Roller Rinks

Skate Palace in Bozeman was a legendary hang-out for youth, and several Montanans made mention of it.  Although I didn't grow up in Montana, I did hang out at the skating rink in my hometown. Not only was the skating rink the place to be on the weekends, but all of that great 80s music?  Come on, it almost makes you want to grow out a mullet while couple skating to power ballads.

Drive-In Theater

Drive-in theaters are certainly a thing of the past, however, we do have a couple here in Montana. There was just something special about going to the drive-in. I remember the first movie I ever saw at a drive-in theater; my Dad took me to see Star Wars and my childhood changed forever.

Common Sense

This might have been the most popular answer, and I couldn't agree more.  It seems that for whatever reason, common sense can be a rare thing to find these days. The good news?  I've traveled around a whole lot of this country and there seems to be more common sense in Montana than in a lot of other places. Let's hope we keep it that way.

Bozeman

As a Bozemanite, I often hear all the stories of "Old Bozeman" and how much better it was before it became "Boz Angeles". What was once one of the best-kept secrets in Montana has exploded into a tourist destination where famous and fancy people from other famous and fancy places come to buy a second or third home. And while you can still see plenty of "Old Bozeman" around town, there is no doubt that things are changing, and it certainly seems that growth will be part Bozeman's future for some time to come.

So there you have it, the Top 5 things that are no longer around that Montanans said they would bring back.

While I certainly miss those days, I'm also the first to admit that I've become rather spoiled with all the technology that is a part of our lives. Think about all the time we save with GPS, or how convenient life is with all of the apps on our smartphones.

Still, part of me wishes for a time machine, and apparently, I'm not the only one.