Reviews & Comments
Billings, MT
Rising star… -
12/15/2023I would give this place four stars, but decided to give it five because it’s been so underrated. The five stars is contingent upon the city following through with its commitment to adding 1000 units of multi family housing to downtown. So far two large multi-use (residences, office, and retail) projects have been approved; one is a mid rise of luxury “flats” and the other is a 12-story tower “for working people”. Not quite “affordable housing” but also intended to relieve the crunch of reasonably priced, modern urban living. In 2018 a very large development that would have been the tallest building failed to get the support of the city council. Now that average rents have reached or surpassed those of cities like Portland, they won’t make that mistake again. The downtown is full of life and one of the most desirable areas. This gives Billings an advantage at a time when most downtowns in midsized to large cities are struggling due the pandemic promoting suburban flight.
Even with median rents approaching those of West Coast cities, Billings is desirable. Right about now it is the ideal size for most people. However this means lots of growth. I believe Montana won’t make the same mistakes as California with regard to things like urban sprawl and NIMBY zoning. Measures have been taken to relieve the affordability crisis due to lack of new housing. For instance, Billings was the first in the nation to approve construction of 3D-printed homes. As a side note, it is also one of the first cities to be designated LEED gold. In the past, one might call that ironic due to the prevailing conservative views here, and one of the largest employers being the fossil fuel industry. This however is thankfully rapidly changing.
Billings checks pretty much all the boxes, besides having a beach/ocean. It’s not exactly nestled in the mountains, but it’s plenty close for me. I like the way the skies feel huge and you can see six mountain ranges surrounding the city from atop the Rimrocks, which remind me of the beach. The valley below was pre-historically part of the ocean, the Rimrocks were indeed a tropical beach at one time.
I really can’t think of many negatives. All the ones I can think of have changed. This city has made massive progress over the past few decades and seems to be gaining increasing momentum. The largest city between Boise, Denver, and Minneapolis, its cost of living is lower than all other comparable cities in Montana besides Butte and Great Falls, both of which have had stagnant population growth as opposed to the explosive growth happening in places like Bozangeles, Kallispell, Helena and Missoula. Furthermore, amenities, population and cultural characteristics have pushed Billings into a class of its own in Montana. People are saying it’s growing up, finally blossoming from stunted puberty thanks to a backward city council and conservative viewpoints which are thankfully thinning out or coming alive.
Billings’ size and diverse economy and relative affordability to the rest of the state put it at a great advantage in the years to come, both at the state and national level.