Sure, you could watch a couple episodes of "Yellowstone" and decide to whimsically move to Montana. That's totally your decision and I'm not going to stop you. Carpe diem baby, just don't carpe my DMs. One had better think twice before moving to the Treasure State.

There's plenty of room in Montana, but as I pointed out with this amazing t-shirt (which you can totally buy at the Paddleheads Post)...

Yes, I'm aware of the grammatical error. It's still a cool shirt.

Montanans value quality over quantity, especially in our residents. So if you're planning on moving to Montana, we'll welcome you with open arms as long as you leave these things behind.

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Your Hometown College Apparel

You can learn this the easy way by heeding our advice, or the hard way by ignoring it; the Griz and the Bobcats are the ONLY two college teams that matter here. And you'll find out quick who's cool with who. It's not that we don't respect your fandom, you can root for whoever you want, it's just that your college team doesn't matter as much here. We root for/boo the Griz and the Bobcats in Montana. Get yourself a hat or a hoodie and join the party.

Your Politics

As we pointed out in our "How To Stay Sane During MT Elections: 2022 Boogaloo Edition" article, you're going to see lots of blue bumper stickers and lots of red hats in Montana. That's hardly different from other states, right?

What is important to know is that the local politics from wherever you're moving from do not apply in Montana. Conservation of public lands is our number one issue (source) and even during heated political tensions it's the only thing we can agree on. New residents will quickly learn that national political bickering takes a backseat to local issues.

Your Bank Of America Accounts

We checked and then double-checked Bank of America's website and confirmed...there are no Bank of America ATMs or financial centers in Montana. You'll be paying a pretty penny in ATM fees alone if you like carrying cash around. Our local banks and credit unions would be happy to take you on as a customer, and will probably offer you better rates and features than BofA was getting you.

Your Home State License Plate

We're not saying drive without a plate, that would be ridiculous. But once you're here, change your vehicle plates as soon as you can for a couple of reasons:

  • it's the right (and legal) thing to do
  • you won't get side-eyes from other drivers
  • there's LOTS of cool plates to choose from

And by the way, welcome to Montana!

You Know You Grew Up In Missoula If You...

Test your knowledge of Missoula with these classic Missoula references.