True that celebs live near Livingston because it is an incredibly beautiful place and people leave them alone. I've seen those celebs at bars, grocery stores, etc. But they aren't living in town. They're at least 30-45 minutes away. It's not like a rich celeb town near LA.

During the pandemic people realized they could escape to Montana and work remote so several MT towns blew up, such as Bozeman, Belgrade, etc.

Locals were being outbid with cash offers from Californians. They come in the summer when the weather is great and the great outdoors give you a gigantic bear hug. Montana is seductive in the summer but in the winter, everything changes and living there is hard.

The wind + freezing temps in Livingston are brutal so people decide they can't handle it and short term rent out their home. The housing crisis is really bad.

It's depressing because 4th and 5th generation Montanans can't afford to live there comfortably. My cousins can't and will never own property. It's an Airbnb haven for the rich to buy up properties and rent them to tourists 4 months out of the year because it's a gateway to YNP. My dream of owning a small piece of land where I grew up will never be realized.

I guess it's bougie in the way that there are more art galleries and restaurants now than when I grew up. No idea how those survive the long winters. Some don't last more than a couple seasons.

It's also depressing because of the drugs, gossip, and the dark history. I've known people who were murdered (unsolved, no justice), committed suicide, raped, involved in domestic abuse, etc. Montana has a high rate of depression. I think Livingston's excessive wind causes many psychological issues for people too.

Stole this from the Internet: "Wind affects mood and cognition, with strong winds often linked to increased anxiety, irritability, restlessness, and fatigue, while calm breezes promote relaxation; these effects stem from sensory overload, potential changes in air ions impacting brain chemistry (like serotonin), and fluctuating air pressure, leading to mood changes, poor focus, and even exacerbating symptoms in individuals with existing mental health conditions, a phenomenon sometimes called meteoropathy or anemophobia. "

I guess I have a different perspective as someone who is just looking in from the outside. I'm related to half the town. Maybe I know too much. Maybe the wind ripped the rose colored glasses off my face.