Our Viewpoint

I met someone recently and after striking up a conversation, quickly found out that she had moved to the area about a year ago. Being the curious person that I am, I asked about her background. I always like hearing people’s stories of how they found themselves in a certain place. When I asked this person where she moved from, she whispered, “California,” and I wondered, “Why the whisper? Was she nervous? Worried?” Whatever the reason, I assured her that it was wonderful and welcomed her to Montana.

I like to joke that I was born in a barn in Whitepine. Actually I was born at Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains. It seemed to me when I was a child that everyone in the area was from here (or at least from Montana) – born and raised. But as I got older, moved away, and returned, I realized that that probably wasn’t true. However, more and more people have moved here from across the country. Truly, the pandemic brought a lot of new people to our area. The masses left urban areas for rural areas, and a lot of people discovered they could work remotely. Aside from the pandemic, people who are simply visiting or vacationing have fallen in love with our state and decide to move or retire here.

Having lived in six other states and in much larger cities and counties, I can say without reservation that diversity is a plus. An array of ages, races, religions and backgrounds made those places interesting and beautiful – from the food to the arts to the businesses. While it’s true that the population Sanders County – and even Montana in general – has been fairly constant, our demographics have been changing in recent years.

People moving to Montana or Sanders County from somewhere else isn’t a negative, but a positive. We get new trades people, new ideas, new volunteers for our organizations, new friends and new neighbors.

If you’re reading this and are not “from” Montana, never feel like you need to whisper your answer when asked your background. We’re all from somewhere. But whether you were born and raised here or you moved here from somewhere else, you are home, and you are welcome.

­— Annie Wooden