brendonjames65
US Veteran
There is an interesting phenomenon when one moves. Some locals develop the attitude as if they own the state how and how dare an outsider move to their area. The last time I checked, a citizen can move wherever they damn well please. Many veterans have earned that right as well by risking their lives to protect our country or having bled for our country but any citizen has the right to move to the state of their choice, this is America the last time I checked! Yes, we’ve always assimilated but that’s beside the point, I don’t need to ask a locals permission to move now or ever.
When we relocated from California to Montana, I only encountered this attitude online on various social media platforms but never in person. Some local people will spout this rhetoric online but never to your face and even some of them relocated from somewhere. A big complaint many locals had was outsiders were buying up all the properties and dramatically increasing the prices so no local could afford to buy yet it was locals who were selling the properties to outsiders for a tidy profit! Of course perhaps bringing the same voting habits that ruined their previous state is a legitimate concern. Full disclosure: I never wanted to leave California but it became unrecognizable to me and we chose to leave after retirement. If the political climate was like it was say 20 years ago, I would have tolerated it and stayed.
A couple of Montana locals I became good friends with were a couple of guys in their 80’s. Perhaps I had more in common with them. My friend and old time master gunsmith Dennis Olson knew both Jack O’Connor and Elmer Keith. Dennis is tough as nails and doesn’t suffer fools. I remember when Dennis and I went on a very rugged 12 mile off trail hike, fording the creek over a felled log and climbing the steep terrain to checkout the damage from the Graves Creek fire. Pretty good for an 80 yr old guy recovering from cancer! The man’s fitness level could put many 20 year olds to shame even in his 80’s! Dennis had moved to Montana from South Dakota back in the late 50’s. I asked him how long did it take for the locals to accept you? Dennis replied, “25 years!”
Since relocating to Oklahoma for family reasons, we haven’t encountered this online or otherwise. Really nice folks here although probably not a destination area although I think it should be. Very beautiful and as long as I have land to hunt and shoot I’m quite content. I think people generally get along well in person but not always online for obvious reasons. I certainly get that nobody wants their community changed for the worse but we’re still a free country where folks can move wherever they want!
Update 11/8: Just to update since I didn’t explain it very well:
We got along very well with the locals we interacted with in person in our community in north western Montana during our 4 years there. I was invited to join a militia after all! Certainly that’s a sign of acceptance! I politely declined. My great grand parents immigrated from Ireland to Butte MT in the 1890’s as well. It’s the locals who complain online and pass judgement about newcomers without even knowing them that irritates me! Passing judgement on people you’ve never met is something I will never accept or agree with pure & simple! Yes it’s just the internet, ignorance abounds at times, usually I ignore it.
When we relocated from California to Montana, I only encountered this attitude online on various social media platforms but never in person. Some local people will spout this rhetoric online but never to your face and even some of them relocated from somewhere. A big complaint many locals had was outsiders were buying up all the properties and dramatically increasing the prices so no local could afford to buy yet it was locals who were selling the properties to outsiders for a tidy profit! Of course perhaps bringing the same voting habits that ruined their previous state is a legitimate concern. Full disclosure: I never wanted to leave California but it became unrecognizable to me and we chose to leave after retirement. If the political climate was like it was say 20 years ago, I would have tolerated it and stayed.
A couple of Montana locals I became good friends with were a couple of guys in their 80’s. Perhaps I had more in common with them. My friend and old time master gunsmith Dennis Olson knew both Jack O’Connor and Elmer Keith. Dennis is tough as nails and doesn’t suffer fools. I remember when Dennis and I went on a very rugged 12 mile off trail hike, fording the creek over a felled log and climbing the steep terrain to checkout the damage from the Graves Creek fire. Pretty good for an 80 yr old guy recovering from cancer! The man’s fitness level could put many 20 year olds to shame even in his 80’s! Dennis had moved to Montana from South Dakota back in the late 50’s. I asked him how long did it take for the locals to accept you? Dennis replied, “25 years!”
Since relocating to Oklahoma for family reasons, we haven’t encountered this online or otherwise. Really nice folks here although probably not a destination area although I think it should be. Very beautiful and as long as I have land to hunt and shoot I’m quite content. I think people generally get along well in person but not always online for obvious reasons. I certainly get that nobody wants their community changed for the worse but we’re still a free country where folks can move wherever they want!
Update 11/8: Just to update since I didn’t explain it very well:
We got along very well with the locals we interacted with in person in our community in north western Montana during our 4 years there. I was invited to join a militia after all! Certainly that’s a sign of acceptance! I politely declined. My great grand parents immigrated from Ireland to Butte MT in the 1890’s as well. It’s the locals who complain online and pass judgement about newcomers without even knowing them that irritates me! Passing judgement on people you’ve never met is something I will never accept or agree with pure & simple! Yes it’s just the internet, ignorance abounds at times, usually I ignore it.
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