How the 'Yellowstone effect' fueled a Montana rent strike

Folger, a former city grants administrator who now works part-time at Whole Foods, has lived in her three-bedroom trailer for 17 years. Her lot rent has nearly doubled, even after inflation. "There are so many people here for whom this is their last stop," she said. "They have no place to go."

The strike highlighted a deeper divide. Downtown Bozeman, once filled with small businesses, now hosts bespoke steakhouses and stores selling custom cowboy hats. The airport, undergoing renovation, sees 80 to 100 private jets on the tarmac on any given day, Corner said. "Every developer in America heard about the exorbitant rental rates in Bozeman," he added.

Morrison sees "a lot of hopelessness out there for the ability to stay in this state." He lives with his fiancée and two roommates. A decade ago, he rented a room in a duplex for $333; that same room now rents for $900.

Some residents have agreed to new terms with management. Others say the fight is not over. Young activists are gaining political ground. Katie Fire Thunder, 25, was appointed to the Montana House of Representatives in December. Sam Forstag, a 31-year-old former smokejumper and union leader, won the Democratic nomination for Montana's 1st congressional district, defeating a more establishment candidate.

"Young people have seen, right in front of our very eyes, the way that our leaders currently are not making decisions that are protecting us," Fire Thunder said. "They are making reactionary, short-term decisions that are benefiting the wealthiest in this state."

The coffee shop where she spoke, near Montana State University's campus, is less than 1.5 miles from JW Heist, a Main Street eatery where a Colorado dad noted that the whiskey list – with pours costing $170 – was priced "a quarter of the price" elsewhere. A medical sales rep and an out-of-state property investor sat nearby.

Bozeman's transformation is not slowing. The question is whether the city can build enough affordable housing – or whether the working class will be pushed out entirely.