Housing and crime round out top urban concerns and mayors are scrambling to use much-needed federal funding as austerity issues recede, according to the latest State of the Cities report from the National League of Cities.
Governing
By Jake Blumgart
June 15, 2021
Bozeman, Mont., is one of those scenic little cities that saw a rush of beleaguered big city residents during the pandemic. Even as research suggests that the great urban exodus did not take place to any measurable degree nationwide, small changes can make a difference in a municipality of under 50,000 souls. Especially when it comes to housing prices.
“We are finding that because of more liberal remote work policies that people are choosing to move and live in this very desirable location,” said Cyndy Andrus, mayor of Bozeman. “We are experiencing a significant in-migration of people escaping the large cities on the coast and moving into our community,” Andrus told reporters on a recent National League of Cities (NLC) conference call. “Unfortunately, this has significantly increased the cost of housing in Bozeman and created a shortage.”
The median home sale price for a single-family home in Bozeman is now over $700,000, an increase of 30 percent in less than a year. Many municipalities across the country have seen similar price surges in this highly sensitive sector, as the nation’s housing market experiences an unprecedented boom despite larger economic turmoil.
View the full article: Governing.com
Comments