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In a November 24, 2019 piece by Andy Kiersz in Business Insider, Great Falls is listed right in the middle of the pack of the 20 Western state towns that folks are “leaving in droves”.
From the article:
“Using data from the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates program, we found the metropolitan areas located in the Western states with the most negative net migration between 2010 and 2018, adjusted by the size of the 2010 metro area population.
Net migration measures the number of people who moved into the metro area from some other part of the US or another country, minus the number of people who left the metro area over that period. That means the cities on our list saw many more people move out since 2010 than move in.”
And specifically concerning the Great Falls metro area:
“10. Great Falls, Montana, had a net population loss from migration of 2,252 between 2010 and 2018 — 2.8% of the metro’s 2010 population of 81,327.”
This is consistent with the data as well as the anecdotal evidence we’ve been seeing and experiencing here in Great Falls for a number of years now.
This should be another wake-up call for all of us.
We Great Fallsians live in an awesome and amazing place and it should be unacceptable to all of us that we have the reputation for being ‘Ghetto Falls’, ‘G Funk’ or the poverty capital of Montana.
The exodus from our city, of mostly younger folks I suspect, is made all the more troubling by the fact that all of the other major towns/cities in Montana are enjoying some measure of growth and development. People are moving to Helena, Bozeman, Missoula, Kalispell, Billings, and even Butte at the same time they’re leaving Great Falls.
We’re not going to reverse this disturbing trend by closing our eyes, covering our ears and singing “lala lala, I can’t hear you”. Continued denial will only make things worse.
We’re going to have to come together, form a common vision, and agree to work together to CHANGE the status quo. Doing the same things we’ve been doing for the past 30 years is no longer an option.
We need new ideas and innovations and a commitment to making Great Falls the most business friendly, jobs friendly, family friendly community in Montana. We can do it. We have to do it.
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One problem. The article is wrong. Go to the census website, query the data, and you will see the 2010-2018 change is +0.4%
Your failure to understand the difference between net migration and population doesn’t make the article wrong. The article is correct, you are the one that is mistaken.
Are you saying we increased population according to the website!
Let me tell you where the bear romps in the buckwheat–it is NOT acceptable– especially around me to utter “Ghetto Falls or”G Funk” nor “Poverty Capital” relating to my home community of Great Falls —and it is especially offending coming from a soon to be City Commissioner — What or how in the world will repeating such trash help our community? “The sky is falling ” attitude and promise making ( that can’t be kept) is not the way to gain favor neither from those outside the community nor the those who live.work and play here. Stop trashing and rehashing yesterday–look for and work for a brighter tomorrow. Stop believing all these phony stats on the web. stop believing all the phony research poles telling us how poorly we are doing. Start believing in us–the Community of GREAT FALLS and our potential –I bet you will not print this one because It doesn’t agree with you –If I catch flack on my stand !! Then have it — I am up for it–when you run down Great Falls you are stomping on my fighting side.
Let me tell you where the bear romps in the buckwheat–it is NOT acceptable– especially around me to utter “Ghetto Falls or”G Funk” nor “Poverty Capital” relating to my home community of Great Falls —and it is especially offending coming from a soon to be City Commissioner — What or how in the world will repeating such trash help our community? “The sky is falling ” attitude and promise making ( that can’t be kept) is not the way to gain favor neither from those outside the community nor the those who live.work and play here. Stop trashing and rehashing yesterday–look for and work for a brighter tomorrow. Stop believing all these phony stats on the web. stop believing all the phony research poles telling us how poorly we are doing. Start believing in us–the Community of GREAT FALLS and our potential –I bet you will not print this one because It doesn’t agree with you –If I catch flack on my stand !! Then have it — I am up for it–when you run down Great Falls you are stomping on my fighting side. Didn’t think you would print !
Not sure what you mean when you say “Didn’t think you would print!” Both of your comments on this blog piece are posted in full with the other comments.
I’ve lived in Great Falls my whole life and I’ve never heard it described in those terms. I think it’s from the voices only Mr. Tryon hears.
I believe in the E –trust Jenn and Phil–and at a day gone by had believed Rick could dispense a great positive attitude toward our potential as a community. I also believe Rick had a potential to be an outstanding public servant as a commissioner. I don’t enjoy any poor mouthing our home so be it as is ! I will continue to believe in the reporting of the E as true and to the point. SAsd a matter I would even enjoy writing for the E fro time to time !! On the positive side of course !
I was asked to verify my earlier comment. The census website shows this information for Cascade County for 2010: 81327 2018:81643.
https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk
From the voices only Mr. Tryon hears….Rick isn’t the only one hearing negative talk about Great Falls and the surrounding area. There are good things happening here, but sustained population growth isn’t one of them. A local majority elected Rick Tryon as our next Great Falls City Commissioner; let’s stop criticizing him and give him a chance to improve our city. To cure a problem, it must first be identified as one. Past Mayor Michael Winters wants us to “stop believing all these phony stats (on the web),” to “stop believing research polls (that tells us how poorly we’re doing),” but is this the answer? Anyone taking time to chart local population growth sees that we scarcely have any; anyone taking time to notice, sees local student enrollment dropping; anyone paying attention recognizes a comparative lack of local industry and manufacture; everyone who received a property-tax notice notes the increase in their property taxes. Statistically…and this depends on whose statistics we read…one of the Montana places with the most drug-addicted, violent, welfare-receiving populations, is Great Falls. A term used broadly to define a person or group of persons who embody the concepts of ignorance, racism, violence, alcoholism, poverty, yet predominately Anglo-Saxon ancestry, is “trashy.” Another statistic places Great Falls eighth on THIS list of Montana cities and none of the others have populations nearly our size. Instead of arguing statistics, let’s get on the same page recognizing the statistics we need to improve upon. Montana is now ranked the 18th worst state of the 50 to live in; let’s work together to make this place, especially Great Falls, a better place to live.
A local majority at one time elected the three other Commissioners and Mayor. Mr. Tryon been unrelenting in his criticism of them for years and now we need to give him a break?
Bill, no one profits by unrelenting criticism…..yours, mine, Michael Winters’, or Rick Tryon’s. Why not let’s just be civil and try to add something positive to this conversation. Statistics…even slanted ones…show that Great Falls, and much of Montana, has a long ways to go. For the first time in a long time we’ve elected someone who recognizes Great Falls’ need to change, should we choose to become competitive and successful as a Montana city.