It's been 37 years since the last time the Montana State Bobcats played for a National Championship in football. On January the 8th, the Cats will have a chance to take down the North Dakota State Bison in Frisco, Texas.

That got me thinking.  I mean 37 years is a long time, a whole lot of the Bobcat faithful weren't even born yet.  So, I thought "well, what are the big differences between 1984 and 2021?"

Lots of things have changed around Bozeman since then, including the look and growth of the city.

First, let's talk about the population.  Bozeman has more than doubled in size since 1984. Back then there was a population of around 22 thousand folks, today it is over 50 thousand and there doesn't seem to be an end to the growth. The population increase of course is only part of it.

What about the cost of living?  How was it in 1984 compared to today?

Let's take a look at a few different things and compare the 1984 prices to the 2021 prices so we can get a guestimate of just how different things are now compared to back then.

We'll start with housing.

The average price of a new home in 1984 was 86,730 dollars.  Today the average price of a single-family home in Bozeman is just under 800 thousand dollars.  How about renting?  Back in 1984, the average rent was 350 dollars a month.  Today the average rent for a 2 bedroom apartment in Bozeman is 2100 dollars a month.

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How about other items?

Back in 1984, a new Chevy Silverado would run you just under 10,000 dollars.  Today, a new Chevy Silverado will cost you about 50K on average. Gas was 1.10 per gallon back in 1984.  Today the average cost of a gallon of gas in Bozeman is 3.34 for regular unleaded. A Movie Ticket back in 1984 was right around 3 dollars a ticket.  Today, to see a Movie here in Bozeman that will cost you right around 12 bucks a ticket.

Of course, some of this is to be expected with the cost of living increases, and some of it is just outrageously high. However, it seems that there is no turning back. It looks like Bozeman has been discovered by the rest of the world and I'm not sure we can put the lid back on the box.

Credit: Prezi.com, Zumper.com,

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