Population & Economics, p. 2.gif)
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| The
Missouri River from Signal Point |
Despite the population losses and migration experienced
on the Montana Hi-Line, the area is hardly a ghost town.
Nor is it going to become one. A trip down the Hi-Line shows
quite clearly what towns are doing relatively well and what
towns are losing out. In general, the county seats of each
county (which is also usually the largest city) are doing
reasonably well. The combination of local government employment,
the main business district of the county and, frequently,
the location of federal government offices, provides a much
needed employment boost for these towns. As such, while many
of the county seats have been indeed hard hit by the closing
of various agricultural businesses over the years, many have
made this up, at least partially, in attracting new businesses
to town.
Consolidation
on the Hi-Line
Although the county seats of these counties have had many
struggles to overcome, it is the true small towns of the
Hi-Line that have had to bear the worse effects of the exodus
of people and population from the area. Towns such as Inverness,
Rudyard, Harlem, Bainsville, Culbertson and many others along
the Hi-Line have been severely impacted by the exodus of
population and resources from the local economy. These people
and resources have either moved into the county seat (the
largest town in the county, generally) or have moved on to
other pastures in Montana or elsewhere.
Today,
what seems to be happening along the Hi-Line region, similar
to what has been happening in agriculture for the
past several decades, is a process of consolidation. The
process of consolidation in the Hi-Line region is one of
where the small towns of each county seem to continue to
lose population and businesses to the larger towns of each
county, which is generally the county seat. The county seats
of each county, owing to their at least slightly more diversified
economy and larger size, provide better employment prospects
for county residents. As such, county seats are able to better
retain their residents and often attract new ones.
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| Power
Plant at Fort Peck Dam |
By contrast,
many of the small towns on the Hi-Line, which are completely
dependant on the agricultural economy, are unable to stop
the loss of people due to the reduction in the number of
people employed in the agricultural industry. This then
leads to a loss of businesses in the town. The result is
that the
small towns of the Hi-Line region continue to get smaller
and smaller, while the County Seats are at least able to “tread
water” and are often times able to do very well, economically.
Role
of the Automobile
No small
factor in this consolidation of towns along the Hi-Line
has been the automobile. There are many, many small
towns on the Hi-Line. Virtually all of these towns were created
in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s, long before
the automobile invaded this part of Montana in full force.
Having all these little towns at that time served the purpose
of allowing farmers and ranchers to quickly and easily get
supplies – instead of trudging for 30 miles on a slow
moving horse or driving in a slow, break-down prone vehicle.
Today, though, the modern automobile has shortened distances
considerably. Driving an extra 30 miles to town for supplies
and services is not a big deal today in terms of time or
expense – where-as 80 years ago it was a major effort
of time and expenditure.
And so, once again, we see the free market at work along
the Hi-Line. The automobile has allowed the thinned down
farm and ranch population to reach town easily and relatively
quickly, weather conditions permitting. There is, in short,
often just not enough demand for products and services to
support every town along the Hi-Line today. And this lack
of demand leads, invariably, to the decline of many towns
on the Hi-Line, as businesses are either forced to move or
go out of business as they are unable to make a profit.
Daunting Challenges Ahead
The
Montana Hi-Line region faces many challenges in the years
ahead. There is some good news, though. While the consolidation
of the agricultural industry continues, the pace of consolidation
has slowed down recently. Additionally, the agriculture industry
in general is now benefiting, and is likely to continue to
benefit, from strong commodity prices – due in part
to the explosive growth seen in Asia. While there are many
things that can trip up a booming agricultural industry,
from drought to grasshopper infestations to federal government
actions, I do believe that long-term trends point to generally
strong commodity prices in the future due to ever increasing
demand for food from a growing world population and a probable
continued decline in value of the US dollar (which makes
exports of US food less expensive and thus more competitive
on the world market).
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| Agricultural
Fields near Havre |
Yet, while the Montana Hi-Line region may not be seeing
many more losses of people who are involved in farm and ranch
operations, the towns themselves are hardly out of the woods.
While the towns may no longer suffer from a loss of population
as the agricultural industry stabilizes, achieving growth
in these towns may be a different matter altogether. The
sad truth of the Hi-Line region today is that employment
prospects are still limited. And the pay of many of the jobs
in the Hi-Line region is also frequently very low, although
this is balanced out quite a bit by the low cost of housing
in this part of Montana. As such, many residents leave the
Hi-Line region in search of better jobs. And the lack of
decent employment prospects frequently prevents new people
from moving in.
Recognizing
the lack of employment prospects on the Hi-Line, many towns
have made a concerted effort to attract new businesses.
Few have had much success, owing to the towns remote locations,
limited infrastructure and lack of population. Moreover,
the businesses that do move up into the Hi-Line region generally
congregate in the larger towns, Havre in particular – thus
contributing to the consolidation in the Hi-Line region in
general.
The Hi-Line region of Montana also suffers from what could
be called bad luck. Over the past two decades, the United
States has seen a massive shift in people who either want
to live, or now live, on the ocean or in the mountains. People
have chosen to live on the ocean or in the mountains due
to their scenic beauty, the weather or their recreational
opportunities. The Hi-Line region of Montana, and the Great
Plains in general, have so far been unable to garner the
same motivation from people to move to the prairie.
Yet,
despite these challenges in getting people to stay or move
to the Hi-Line in Montana, the biggest challenge
of them all is going to be the difficulty these towns face
in competing against literally thousands of similar type
towns throughout the Great Plains. In today’s economy
of fast automobiles, air travel, the Internet and modern
communications, a town on the Hi-Line has to compete with
similar prairie towns in Colorado or Kansas to attract new
businesses and people. If the Hi-Line was unique – the
only place left in the US that had wide open spaces in the
middle of a vast, unspoiled prairie – the Hi-Line would
have amazing growth prospects in the future. Unfortunately,
the Hi-Line isn’t unique in this regard. And this daunting
competition that the Hi-Line towns face will pose a big hurdle
in attracting new people and businesses to this corner of
Montana.
And,
if that wasn’t bad enough, the Hi-Line also lacks
what has often been a savior for other small prairie towns.
And that is a big, or at least large, city nearby. Many struggling
prairie towns throughout the United States have been invigorated,
if not completely overcome, by growth in metropolitan areas.
As these metropolitan areas grow, invariably, people begin
moving further away from them – brining new people
and ultimately new jobs with them. The Hi-Line region completely
lacks this option. With the possible exception of Chinook and Fort
Benton, which stand to benefit from the continuing
but slow growth in Havre and Great
Falls respectively, none
of the Montana Hi-Line towns are really in a position to
capitalize on the growth of a metropolitan area since there
are no metropolitan areas anywhere near the Hi-Line.
Yet,
the future of the Hi-Line is hardly a completely bleak
one. Later on in the Hi-Line section on Big Sky Fishing.Com,
we'll go over some things that could prove to be beneficial
to this area of Montana (see future of the Montana Hi-Line).
But,
for now, let's get on with exploring the Montana Hi-Line
in more detail. We'll start first with what we find on
the western edge of the Hi-Line, not too far away from
Glacier National Park.
Next
Page : Western Edge of the Montana Hi-Line
 
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