Bozeman named best small town in the country

http://www.bizjournals.com/edit_special/41.html

If small-town life holds special appeal for you, look out West.

Seven of the 10 highest-ranked cities that offer the best quality of life are in Western states, according to a new study by Bizjournals.

Topping the list is Bozeman, Mont., where it can get awfully cold –- even dropping below freezing on the occasional summer night -- but there are plenty of compensations.

Like the stunning view of the Rocky Mountains. And the strong local economy. And the intellectual and cultural activity at Montana State University.

The Bizjournals study compares the performances of America's 577 micropolitan areas in 12 statistical categories. The 10 communities with the highest scores have been designated as "dreamtowns," indicating that they offer an outstanding quality of life.

Bozeman tops the list because of its strong showings in several categories:

* Its number of small businesses grew by almost 28 percent during the past five years, topping all but two of the 577 communities in the study group.

* Bozeman's population increased by 15.3 percent in half a decade, ranking 11th in micropolitan America.

* The local share of adults with bachelor's degrees, 41 percent, is sixth among all of the nation's small communities.

Yay us!!! Greatest place in America to live!!! I have good taste.

HEAVY SNOW WARNING ISSUED FOR BOZEMAN

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
248 PM MDT FRI SEP 28 2007

MTZ008-015-055-290500-
/O.UPG.KTFX.WS.A.0010.070929T0600Z-070929T1800Z/
/O.NEW.KTFX.SN.Y.0018.070929T0600Z-070930T0000Z/
/O.NEW.KTFX.HS.W.0008.070929T0600Z-070930T0000Z/
BEAVERHEAD-MADISON-GALLATIN-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...DILLON...ENNIS...BOZEMAN..
WEST YELLOWSTONE
248 PM MDT FRI SEP 28 2007

...HEAVY SNOW WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM MDT
SATURDAY ABOVE 6000 FEET..
...SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM MDT
SATURDAY BELOW 6000 FEET..
...WINTER STORM WATCH NO LONGER IN EFFECT..

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A HEAVY
SNOW WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM
MDT SATURDAY ABOVE 6000 FEET. A SNOW ADVISORY HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED.
THIS SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM MDT
SATURDAY BELOW 6000 FEET. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN
EFFECT.

EXPECT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO 2 INCHES BELOW 5000 FEET...2 TO 6
INCHES BETWEEN 5000 FEET AND 7000 FEET...AND 6 TO 12 INCHES ABOVE 7000 FEET.

A COLD AND MOIST PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH WESTERN
MONTANA SATURDAY MORNING. AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM PRECIPITATION WILL
BEGIN AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH SNOW LEVELS BETWEEN 8000 FEET AND 9000
FEET. SNOW LEVELS WILL DROP TO THE VALLEY FLOORS BY MORNING. SNOW
WILL END SATURDAY EVENING.

A HEAVY SNOW WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST
THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF
YOU MUST...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR
VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

A SNOW ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY
TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND
LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

$$

Wooooooooohooooooooooooo! OK, back to work >_>

Why it is worth it to fork out $700 to fly to Montana:

Driving into Bozeman from the airport during a Friday Rush hour:



View from my front yard and the Spanish Peaks:



Intersection of Main and 19th with Bridger Mountains in the background:






Main Street Bozeman:



Banff, Alberta:





Lake Louise, said to be the most beautiful spot on earth:



Glacier National Park along the Going-to-the-Sun Highway, 10,000 feet, Northwestern Montana:





Mission Valley and Flathead Lake, where I lived for two years, Montana:







The pressure is on :P

Meerkat Manor

...is the greatest television show ever. My aunt got me hooked on this program last weekend and now I can't wait for the next episode.

<3 meerkats

First snow of the season

With sleet mixing in, if you cannot tell.

FUN WEEKEND AHEAD

I've been REALLLLLLLY wanting to do this since I got back to Montana. That is, I'm hauling my ass to Banff National Park in Alberta. While in Europe I realized that even the Alps could not compete with the Canadian Rockies, so I have to go back.

Also heading to Glacier and Waterton National Parks on the way. These three parks are some of the most beautiful areas in the world. TOTALLY WORTH FLYING ALL THE WAY FROM JERSEY TO SEE!!! hint hint

Pics coming after I get back.

THE BLOLG IS BACK LOL!!!!111eleventyone1

I am in Montana once again. Since obviously there is nothing else to do in Bozeman (except for skiing, hiking, fishing, snowboarding, golfing, going on some of the world's most scenic drives, taking day trips to Yellowstone, Glacier, and Grand Teton Parks, going to concerts at the local university, shopping on Bozeman's historic Main Street, and otherwise having a great lifestyle) I will be updating this log once again.

As for Europe, I took over 200 pics while there but I need to resize them for my dad to view with his dial-up before I post them here.

Anyway, I thought I'd make a list of commercials on both TV and Radio that piss me off:

1) The Wal-Mart commercial referencing gas prices. "You can't control the price of gas but you CAN control the price of everything else! Shop at Wal-Mart." No, actually I can't control the prices of everything else - Wal-mart controls those. Assholes.

2) The 2.5 minute Celebrex commercials. You know, the ones with the blue background and lines consising of streams of words. Such an albatross right in the middle of a television program.

3) Nasonex commercials. Flonase is better. I'd know since I have severe allergies and have tried both. Screw you Mister Nasonex Bumblebee with an arbitrary French accent.

4) Any commercial for a restaurant chain that doesn't exist in Montana. Examples: TGI Fridays, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesdays, etc. No Red Lobster, although I'm fond of you I'm not driving all the way to Seattle to enjoy your delicious seafood to the music of lobsters squealing for their lives as they die in a pit of boiling water.

5) McDonalds commercials. No, I'm not loving it. For some reason I don't love the idea of clogged arteries by age 30; just doesn't jive with me. Sorry.

6) Wendy's commercials. If I did what tastes right, I'd leave your establishment and never come back.

7) Best Buy commercials. I do not need to be reminded that the nearest Best Buy is 150 miles away in Billings. Once again, stop teasing me.

8) Nebraska tourism commercials. WTF?

Which brings me to the number one reason why Nebraska sucks: Montana - mountain scenery = Nebraska. Nebraska blows.

7)