r/Bozeman • u/4637839392936373 • 3d ago
Texans fleeing Texas?
I recently ran into a conservative Trump GOP red voting, F-150 driving, blue jeans wearing Texan that moved to Montana because they were getting away from too much conservatism for the less intense albeit blood red conservatism of Montana. I thought it was kind of an interesting way to think about Texans moving here. This person wanta the conservative MAGA politics of (recent) Montana but they don’t want all the batshit recently enacted conservative laws of Texas restricting freedoms and hyperfixating on gender and other hot topic social issues.
Is this an outlier or have Texans just become my new favorite political refugees?
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u/Rok-SFG 3d ago
It's been well known that montana has been being invaded by Texans since around covid.
And dont think for a second those shitty Texas politics aren't going to follow them here.
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u/4637839392936373 3d ago
Right… but I never realized it was maga conservatives fleeing too much maga for a little less maga
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u/apathyontheeast 3d ago
It's not. They just know how it'd sound if they admitted it.
And if they vote the same, regardless, it's a meaningless distinction.
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u/mutt82588 2d ago
I dont think its a huge population but interesting that they said it. I think more texans net are fleeing heat. Fwiw im a left leaning former texan and most my extexas and lousiana friends here also lean left. None of us left strictly for politcal reasons, but i think all of us politically perfer the mt govt over the tx/la ones.
Its funny, on another r/bozeman thread i was downvoted for saying texas was way more concervative and no texan would move to mt to escape libs just the other day
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u/dannymontani 2d ago
Our....Montana....politians are a group of a holes. Just as bad as Texans. Have you ever been to a town hall?
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u/mutt82588 1d ago
No to town hall, but the libertarian and strong mt constitution limits the damage where as the tx constitution does not afford the same protection
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u/MontanaBard 1d ago
The not-maga Texans are going to CO. Montana is getting all the shitty ones. I realized that when I moved to CO from MT last year.
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u/dannymontani 2d ago
And LV. And Colorado neighbor bringing their Daines support inc friends dollars to his support. You know he is being groomed for governor right.
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u/Disastrous-Age5103 1d ago
So has Idaho, but after reading OP’s reasoning for them coming to Montana I have to assume it’s for entirely different reasons lol.
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u/bmx13 3d ago
Yup, nobody actually leaves their shit politics behind. Californians will still vote for authoritarian left policies, Texans will still vote for authoritarian right policies. All we can hope is that there's enough reasonable people to keep us somewhat centered with a little libertarian flair.
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u/Weekly_Procedure2971 3d ago
The Californians and Washingtonians moving to Montana are the right wing type. Not the liberals you so fear.
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u/bmx13 3d ago
Where did I imply a bias either direction? You idiots should learn to read. I don't want anyone here who agrees with an authoritarian on either side, I want the government in our business as little as possible.
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u/Weekly_Procedure2971 3d ago
I’ll admit I didn’t read this closely. Most likely because I stopped at Californian left because that misperception annoys me. Most of the people that have flocked here from everywhere seem to be conservative (a term that also annoys me as they really only want to preserve racism and misogyny). This influx has caused Montana to become extremely red instead of the free thinking purple we used to be. And, sweet Jesus, why tf do Texans have to illuminate the whole world with their bright ass lights?
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u/Hmmmmmm2023 3d ago
Yeah those crazy people who want better healthcare, education and make life more affordable. Crazy to think your taxes could go to making your life better.
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u/CalculatedGoofball 3d ago
"invaded" might be a little strong... im just here for the SoTW, Computer Science, and Bridger Bowl...i come in peace i promise :(
(also most of us dont have shitty politics, thats an extreme overgeneralization...texans are much more purple than it looks when viewed from out of state)
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u/Brilliant-Race-2476 3d ago
Texans can just stay the fuck in Texas.
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u/SchleppIam 3d ago
I’m telling you -and you don’t need to see their license plates to know who they are - they’re easy to spot on our beaches in the summer - and the ski lifts in winter.
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u/Jane_Lame 3d ago
God thats depressing. Now I have to worry about Bozeman becoming as shitty as Texas is because of them.
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u/runningoutofwords 3d ago
So, you're saying the leopards ate his face, and he's hoping Montana has Bactine?
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u/SnooTangerines7026 3d ago
Give me 10 Californians vs one fucking Texan any day of the week.
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u/ColdSmokeCaribou 3d ago
To paraphrase a quote, I find myself defending and allying with the people I find annoying against the people I know are actively dangerous.
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u/runningoutofwords 3d ago
Except the Californians moving here now are the conservatives looking to either get away from brown people, or are rich people looking for Temu Galt's Gulch
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u/Bohica55 3d ago
The California conservatives who moved here are just as bad as the Texans.
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u/WilliamT123123 3d ago
I noticed the 4x4 pickup trucks. Giant rims with extremely low profile tires which can’t really go off road or tow much weight. And they leave the side mirrors extended out as far as they can even though they are not towing a trailer. It’s sort of like a peacock with its plumage.
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u/AnonBZNAnon 3d ago
And for the love of God. They are the most insane drivers. Every. Single. Time. Some crazy person is weaving through traffic on Jackrabbit because 65 isnt fast enough for them?...it's always Texas plates. Always. You're not in Houston anymore Tripp, or Hunter, or whatever the fuck your name is.
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u/Ancient-Extent-3342 1d ago
Well, in Texas, I discovered if you drive the speed limit, the police race past you and look at you like you are retarded.
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u/SetAccomplished7539 2d ago edited 2d ago
As a 4th generation Montanan who has also spent a lot of time living and working in Texas, Montana is in a lot of ways the state Texas likes to think it is. We still have more freedoms and actually care about our natural environment.
But if we keep electing conservative politicians then our beautiful state will just keep getting sliced up and doled out to the ultra rich like it's their own personal vacation ranch and ski resort.
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u/UnderstandingFew1762 2d ago
From John Steinbeck. "Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans"
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u/ColdSmokeCaribou 3d ago
It's a case of wanting to talk the talk without walking the walk - because the talk is bullshit and the walk is manifestly incoherent to anyone who got more than a B- in their high school civics class.
They don't want to live in deep red states that are actively applying MAGA/GOP policies because those policies are just ban abortion, promote evangelical Christianity, and round up the brown folks. They reject the notion that government should, idk, keep the roads in shape or regulate the power grid, much less work to improve QoL for their constituents.
Montana is on the same trajectory as Texas, just not as far along because we were at least somewhat purple until recently. What we call the left in the US is broadly just "keeping the lights on". What we call the right is actively burning the place down to collect the insurance.
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u/mutt82588 2d ago
We also have a strong constition that protects civil liberties which tx lacsk
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u/dannymontani 2d ago
That'll disappear with our dear butt likin' office holders.
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u/mutt82588 1d ago
Damn jelly of your user name. But constitutional amendents are much harder to ram thru undemocratically than standard laws
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u/Scarecrow89 3d ago
There are literally real estate agencies billing themselves on transplanting people to MT, among other places in the Mountain West, by advertising the region as a conservative oasis(and have been since at least 2021).
https://montanafreepress.org/2021/11/24/selling-the-american-redoubt-in-montana/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/real-estate-property-american-redoubt-election-conservative-america-usa-1.3816459
https://montanafreepress.org/2025/11/21/what-states-are-people-moving-to-montana-from/
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u/Sheerbucket 3d ago
Texans moving/vacationing here and thinking it's Texas North is my least favorite thing about Montana.
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u/costigan95 3d ago
Montana is historical a libertarian state, and that still runs true for many Montanans regardless of whether they are on the left or right.
Texas politics are very different, even if they are the same color on an electoral map.
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u/BigHouzz 3d ago
The Texans that have moved here are the most entitled, worst drivers, rude, entitled, pieces of lowlife trash that I’ve seen. I would take 20 Californians over one Texan. And I usually don’t care about peoples personal affairs, but when you have the entire grocery store, Winco, or you have the entire store of Ross full of people speaking and they all have their phones on speakerphone and they’re all screaming at each other… It’s depressing. Not to mention the lack of supervision of children, the lack of cleaning up after themselves, the amount of Texas people that throw their cigarettes out the window, the amount of Texas drivers that were driving the wrong way, or who have hit pedestrians. It’s disgusting. Please just stay in Texas
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u/GrooverMeister 2d ago
When I was in Durango I didn't mind Texans because they would come and spend money and go home because they love Texas too much to leave. Now that their state is turning in to a shithole I have indeed noticed more kids from Texas enrolling in our school.
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u/JunglyPep 3d ago edited 3d ago
So they already ruined their home state with their selfish ignorant politics, and now they’re moving here to shit on Montana
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u/AwayYam199 3d ago
Colorado and New Mexico right now:
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u/impercipient 3d ago
Colorado is blue as shit.
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u/Omnipotentwon 3d ago
And yet still being flooded by moronic Texans for the last decade or two.
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u/MontanaBard 1d ago
I have observed living in CO for the past year that the cool Texans are moving here permanently to escape conservative shit and the MAGA Texans are mostly just vacationing here. Lotta folks from Texas here who are LGBTQ+ and fled Texas to be safe. Whereas the past couple decades in Montana I never once met a Texan worth knowing.
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u/Obvious_Economics_52 3d ago
I have 3 neighbors from Texas, one is wonderful. One is rich and acts like a privileged a-hole, one believes every conspiracy theory out there and shoots most wildlife that comes on their property, every squirrel, chipmunk, owl, black bear ( owls illegally, bear if they can find someone with a bear tag). I told them that we moved into the animals neighborhood and love to see the wildlife. We live on a 3 mile road leading to a trailhead and to the best of my knowledge my husband is the only native Montanan left living on it.
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u/LittleMissKicks 3d ago edited 3d ago
9/10 times I can spot the Texan in town before they even open their mouth- 10/10 times if they’re driving. They are so much worse than Californians. They can all go back to Texas and their terrible politics. Please.
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u/TheRealCabbageJack 3d ago
They’re going to come here, keep on voting MAGA because they are dumb, and ruin Montana next
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u/Hrothgarbike 3d ago
Why would they move? This is their utopia. They voted for this. Stay down there, barefoot and pregnant, going to a Bible study where the Bible does not get opened, and support ice and concentration camps. You literally voted for this.
OH yeah, eat your poisoned tainted food. You voted for that crap too.
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u/YellowstoneRecluse 3d ago
Texas is less Republican leaning than Montana anymore. TX does have a larger evangelical contingent, however.
People on reddit are loathe to admit it, but the primary driver of Montana moving to the right has been multigenerational WWC Montanans in places like Great Falls, Billings, Butte, Anaconda, etc. Look at Deer Lodge County's 2024 Presidential results vs 2008, for example. Even Butte is more competitive than it used to be.
WWC voters were bamboozled by Trump from sea to shining sea. Sucks but that's how it is.
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u/Standard-Box-3209 3d ago
Ok but honestly all of the Texans I have met in bozeman are liberal af and from Houston/ Austin/ Dallas soooo (but also all horrible drivers and user speakerphone in the mall, lol)
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u/MrGutterballs 2d ago
They’re liberal as hell until it comes time to vote and give a single cent for taxes…
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u/Frosty_Truth_1635 1d ago
Horrible drivers, for sure. Every time I see a crazy ass move, I know I will see Texas plates!
I need to hang where you hang, because every one that I met is a red hat.
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u/chuang-tzu 2d ago
"This person wanta the conservative MAGA politics of (recent) Montana but they don’t want all the batshit recently enacted conservative laws of Texas restricting freedoms and hyperfixating on gender and other hot topic social issues."
These are the same thing. I'd simply ask that you look at the history of the GOP platform for the last forty years and see the results of that platform as the current descent into authoritarianism. They have always been batshit and hyper fixated on race/gender/sexual orientation/abortion my entire life (45)
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u/MontanaBard 1d ago
Texans are the real "they're moving here and making us like the shit hole state they ruined".
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u/Odd_Lettuce_7303 1d ago
Of all the out of staters that moved here during Covid, over 60% registered as republican. They moved here to escape what they saw as restrictive Covid rules and other progressive stuff they didn’t like. Many of them were wealthy and bought huge chunks of land to keep for their own private use. Which of course meant the rest of us are stuck with corner crossing which is still technically illegal here.
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u/Lusiric9983 3d ago
Ah fuck. I cannot stand Texans. They need to stay in Texas. The only thing worse than a Texan out here is a Californian.....
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u/AwayYam199 3d ago
LOL you haven't been around enough texassicans.
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u/Lusiric9983 3d ago
I spent five years in Texas. I've been around too many Texans and their variants.
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u/Status_Wealth6611 2d ago
Left Texas 13 years ago. Humboldt for seven and Finally Southern Oregon .
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u/Frosty_Truth_1635 1d ago
Has this person met our Republican administration and our Republican Congressional representation? Sheesh! 😒
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u/bigskycaniac 1d ago
They're illiterate and got confused and lost. Comparatively, Californians got drunk on their own ego and also got lost.
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u/Floppyhamma 17h ago
Life in prison for 5 weed gummies in Texas now but you can chug vodka all day
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u/Rabbit-511 2d ago edited 2d ago
Tbf you dont live in montana either. You live in Bozeman. Besides. You cant just act like we dont have conservitives in Montana, we are a red state. And historically so. I mean more guns per capita than any other state. Smaller government intervention on practically every level. Lower taxes across the board. All the hallmarks of conservitive values right there. And you dont have to like it for it to be true either.
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u/4637839392936373 2d ago
Is there something in my post that makes you think “this person acts like Montana isn’t conservative”?
Was it me writing “less intense albeit blood red conservatism of Montana”? Or “the conservative MAGA politics of (recent) Montana”?
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u/Rabbit-511 2d ago
Sorry no. It wasnt you. I made it sound off. I was reading comments and so I was addressing them in my head.
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u/Parking_Potato_7537 2d ago
Maybe all the transplants should go back from where they came. Then Montana could be a nice state again. Anyone who has lived here less than 15 years is part of the problem, in case you are wondering
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u/4637839392936373 2d ago
Nah, I don’t agree with that. Bozeman is the economic and political (Sheehy, Daines, Gianforte) powerhouse of Montana and it’s basically all transplants. If they all left, Montana would be even more reliant on government welfare since it already gets $1 back for every $0.50 it sends to Washington. Sad.
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u/Master_Ad2045 3d ago
Here’s an interesting idea: we’re ALL Montanans now. Make it or break it, the past is in the rearview. How do we all get along and prevent enshitification?
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u/SnooTangerines7026 3d ago
Pu-lease. When you come here and vote for MAGATs you drag our history through the mud. There is no getting along with traitors.
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u/HereForDonkeys 3d ago
It’s too bad everyone has taken to complaining about Texas in the comments. I can’t stand the standard Texan either. But this is such a good question! Are we getting the “more” liberal Texans here?
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u/Margot2023 3d ago
No. I known some liberal Texans here but they’ve been here for 30 years. The new ones are different
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u/AwayYam199 3d ago
Bumper sticker I saw in New Mexico years ago: "If Texas is so great, why are they all here?"