I can't believe the numbers of crowds and cars. It's like it happened over night, not like the usual yeah there is a few more around each year. It's more like all of a sudden. For instance, a 20 min. commute now takes an hour and roads are overwhelmed with traffic.

Is it like that at your place?

The town I live in is growing quite fast, but luckily not by us. My 16 mile commute still takes 20-25 minutes and no traffic on the back roads, but my wife has to go downtown and her 18 miles can take 25-45 minutes. 

Heck yea!!!!!  The Bismarck Mandan area is just outside the Bakken oil region to the east only about 70-80 miles from the closest well sites now around Dickinson but a lot of oil related support companies base out of here now plus just all the extra folks who moved in to work in the oil industry and related jobs and business that came as a result moved in all over the state, things are a lot busier all around the state. Pretty much every major town in the state is growing by leaps and bounds as are the smaller towns in and close to the oil region.

Bis/Man is transitioning into a self supportive metro area the last couple of years now, getting close to the combine population of 150K. Population has been stable with very slow growth for decades but now it is ballooning around itself and more business are popping up all the time, doesn't rely on just a few local industries and old retired farmers to keep it going anymore.

 

My commute hasn't changed but I drive all country roads to and from work daily "I live and work in the country" and tend to stay away from Bismarck Mandan at  key rush busy times of day when I do go to town.

 

Jag1 I know you are close to Portland, I am glad I don't have to deal with your traffic, I was out there about 3 summers ago and it was crazy, I prefer Seattle over Portland but the wife is opposite, the area around Portland is beautiful but the city itself has waaaay too many fruits and nuts for my liking, not that Seattle doesn't have them either but was a different feel, never got that uneasy feeling anywhere in and around Seattle like I did in downtown Portland. Just me I guess can't explain it, take a country boy out of his natural surroundings and drop me off there was a shock to the system.

 

I have a cousin we visited that lives in Clackamas if I remember, just far enough out of the city to be away from the majority of the hustle and bustle.

Yes there are way to many people here, right Bill!

Yes there are way to many people here, right Bill!

Definitely no "Open Range" down there except for the Glades and that lacks variety of scenery.

Only during tourist season. Lots of people driving up the shore of Lake Superior to sight see. Generally doesn't bother me except when they stop in the middle of the highway to take a picture of a tree.

Also a big increase in Canadian traffic lately. No offense to any northerners on here but the speed limit is 55...most like to go 60ish. Seems like every Canadian license plate I see is going 40 or 90. Maybe it's the whole MPH/ KPH thing.

Where I'm at there is so little traffic till summer time then it gets a little busy but still not bad. Hard to get crowded when you have to either live on the benches of the canyon bottom above flood level or find a way to built at the top of the canyon and plow your own roads in and out.

It's a little crowded here. My city size is 24.37 sq mi with 89,387 people. San Diego County is 4526 sq mi with 3.2 million people. The freeways are 3 to 6 lanes in each direction not counting the car pool lanes.The I-5 freeway along the coast is backed up south bound for 20 miles every day.

 

With Sea World, Lego Land, Balboa park, San Diego bay, Tijuana, and a whole bunch of other activities here the tourist problem is nonstop.

The nearest town to me is roughly 5000 people. Very quiet peaceful town from Labor Day to Memorial Day, after that the retard campers pulling giant 5th wheels with undersized tow rigs are out in full force. They come from the big cities (Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Akron/Canton, etc) to camp at the State Park and fish the lake. There is a campground north of town that is literally double the size of Andover at peak times in the summer. Andover is not built to handle such an influx of people yet they come year after year. Traffic is horrible even for such a small town, there is not one traffic light in the entire town and the streets can get very congested. We stay away as much as possible during the summer months and do our shopping early in the morning if we must go.

Aside from that it is a sleepy little town largely surrounded by agriculture. There aren't as many small family farms as there used to be but the successful farms have been able to buy up most of the old farms and keep it agricultural. Our county has remained relatively unchanged in the 35 years I've been alive, which is just fine with me.

Here is a example of how crowded.

 

Went to Council, ID to take care personally stuff. Drove along at 55 MPH and ended up behind a semi and two other vehicles driving slow because it just snowed few hours before. Roads are just wet. But from my house to Council, ID in 1 hour exactly for 52 miles. Then got done there and turned around and went to Grangeville, ID and taken care of more up there. Idaho county is the largest county of Idaho State and it only got 1 traffic light in the entire county. Crowded??? Where? Go to a large city like Boise, ID and you'll see crowded.

Beautiful!

Mike, where did you say that place was? Hermit, Idaho he he

That must have been a real adventure moving there from the megalopolis you were in before.

Colorado is getting overrun, so yes.  Quite crowded.  So many dope smoking hippies, arrogant yuppies, and wannabe yuppies it makes me sick. 

Beautiful!

Mike, where did you say that place was? Hermit, Idaho he he

 

More information

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Meadows,_Idaho

Colorado is getting overrun, so yes.  Quite crowded.  So many dope smoking hippies, arrogant yuppies, and wannabe yuppies it makes me sick.

I'm afraid that is going to be Oregon's plight since they recently legalized that stuff (can't spell it) here too.

Yep Colorado is going up in smoke...Literally....

 

I am working towards my  year plan of moving to Northwest Montana.  I don't do well with people.

Yep Colorado is going up in smoke...Literally....

 

I am working towards my  year plan of moving to Northwest Montana.  I don't do well with people.

Better stay on the east side of Glacier then, once you hit the west side CSM post 13 sums it up around that area, just like Bozeman as well, anywhere the ski slopes are, stay along or east of the I-15 corridor or south of I-90 in the Butte to Missoula area is still good hold out areas with a more normal population from my observations during travels out there to see friends and family.

If people is what you want to avoid pretty much the entire eastern 2/3 of Montana will suit your needs. Flathead lake area and towns like white fish and Kalispell are just what you are trying to escape from in Colorado.  

I was hoping the cold would keep them away lol

That would be Wyoming.  The wind keeps the riff raff out. 

 

Unfortunately, I don't work in WYO.  If only I had gone to UWyo instead of CSM. 

That would be Wyoming. The wind keeps the riff raff out.

Unfortunately, I don't work in WYO. If only I had gone to UWyo instead of CSM.

CSM or CSU?

My aunt works in the Ag dept at CSU in Ft Collins. UWyo is my old stompin grounds, where my mom, brother and sister live (Laramie). 2 of my aunts and my sister all went to the university and my mom works in the Deans office.

Edited March 25, 201510 yr by diesel4life

CSM or CSU?

My aunt works in the Ag dept at CSU in Ft Collins. UWyo is my old stompin grounds, where my mom, brother and sister live (Laramie). 2 of my aunts and my sister all went to the university and my mom works in the Deans office.

I lived there "Laramie" for 6 months while attending Wyotech for the diesel tech program in 92-93, was a fun and fast 6 months, we went down to fort Collins and partied a few times. TD's  "The Draw bridge' was the usual hangout which was a bar right across the street from the "U of Wyo"