10 Reasons People Hate on Billings… and Why They’re Mostly Wrong

Don't shoot the messenger here. I love Billings. I first moved here from the Gallatin Valley in the late 90s (young, full of dreams, and off to "big city Montana"). I left the state for several years and returned to Billings in 2004. Technically, my family lives in Laurel, but I work in the heart of downtown Billings and have minimal complaints about the Magic City.

Does Billings have flaws?

Of course. Every community does, including those attractive mountain towns in the western 1/3rd of our state. You know... the ones that always land on those silly, "Best Places to _________" in Montana lists. Usually, these are the same communities where it costs $900,000 to buy a modest family home.🙄

On YouTube this week, I came across a three-year-old video from a moderately popular travel channel called 601 Travels (32K subscribers). The rage-bait headline for their nearly 9-minute video caught my eye. "TOP 10 Reasons why BILLINGS, MONTANA is the WORST city in the US!"

Read More: Coolest Towns in Montana

Really?! Billings is the WORST city in the entire USA??

As a former President was fond of saying, "Come on, man!" I can think of a dozen towns in Montana I would rather not live in, but I guess if we quantify towns as "cities", there are only a handful in the Treasure State. All of them are under 200,000 population, with Billings being the largest.

Here are 601 Travels' Top 10 Reasons Why Billings is the Worst, and my rebuttal.

10. Isolation

The YouTubers complained about a lack of essential services and slow responses to things like power outages or roadside service. This is laughable. Billings is perhaps the LEAST isolated city in the state.

9. Not Safe

"You can't let your guard down while walking or driving through Billings", warned the channel, making B-town sound like the slums of Chicago.

Yes, Billings does have a higher-than-national average of violent crime. But here's the thing... Law enforcement officials I've spoken with say that nearly all of the violent crime in Billings is amongst people who know each other. Random attacks are extremely rare.

8. Drugs

Every city faces this problem, from tiny Scobey to luxurious Whitefish. Despite fentanyl receiving a lot of recent attention, methamphetamine remains a bigger issue in the state, according to a recent conversation we had with the director of the Montana Meth Project.

The bright spot is that Billings answers with active outreach programs, community resources, and caring people trying to make a difference

7. Low Pay

Hahahahaha! (Let me catch my breath). Low pay is a problem across the entire state of Montana. I would argue that Billings has some of the better-paying jobs in the state. That's why I live here, instead of a quaint mountain town like Monarch. Many people come to Billings for good-paying jobs.

6. Snow

Really? Billings is dry, baby. We get maybe 4 or 5 bad snowstorms each winter, where I might consider taking our 4WD beater to work, instead of my front-wheel-drive sedan. I have a set of snow tires that I haven't bothered installing for the last three winters. Billings' winters are generally mild, with far less snow than any mountain town.

5. Tourism

"Added traffic, longer lines at drive-throughs, and overflowing hotels" is a gripe the channel makes about tourist season in Billings. Hello? Have they been to Bozeman or Missoula? Billings traffic is a breeze compared to nearly every other "city" in the state. I would venture that we have the most affordable summertime room rates, too.

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4. Wildlife

"Things like bears, bocats, moose, mountain lions, and wolves, SURROUND the city!", they proclaim. This is just silly. Billings gets an occasional black bear or mountain lion that wanders into suburbia.

3. Housing

"The housing market in Billings is CRAZY", they said. Adding that you'll have to jump on it quickly if you find a house you like. Granted, their video was filmed during COVID, when housing demand in Billings spiked, just like it did across the state.

Billings is probably the second most affordable city in Montana. I'd guess that it's slightly more affordable in Great Falls, with every other desirable "city" in Montana costing much more than Billings to buy a home.

2. Different

What does that even mean? Every town is "different", lol. They framed this towards people expecting mountain adventures right out their front door, and instead, we have to drive an hour to get to a real mountain.

Ok. I can't really argue that. Breathtaking mountains are not immediately nearby. But the ancient Pryor Mountains aren't far away, and to be honest, the more crowded some parts of Montana are becoming, the more I appreciate the wide open spaces, rolling hills, and grandeur of central Montana.

1. Homeless

Billings has reportedly been a dumping ground for Montana's homeless population for a long time, with other cities supposedly busing them to our town. I've never been able to confirm this rumor.

So, yeah, Billings does have a transient issue. Most larger cities in the US do, along with cities similar in size to Billings. Have you ever been to downtown Rapid City? I was approached by many aggressive panhandlers/transients there, far worse than anything I've encountered in downtown Billings.

Note: The creators of this YouTube video also shared a video of why Billings is a great place, so take their critique on why we suck with a grain of salt. In the end, Billings is far from perfect, but it’s also far from the ‘worst city in America'.