– Pyramid Mountain Lumber, the largest employer in Seeley Lake, Montana, is closing due to a lack of housing and rising costs.
– Montana is facing housing shortages and increased costs due to an influx of people moving from cities to smaller towns.
– Communities throughout the West, such as Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and Driggs, Idaho, are also experiencing similar issues, with locals being priced out of their own neighborhoods.
The largest employer in Seeley Lake, Montana, Pyramid Mountain Lumber, is closing due to housing issues and rising costs, making it difficult to operate. Similar issues are being faced in communities throughout the West, with some locals being priced out due to an influx of people moving to smaller towns, driven by remote work opportunities.
The town of Seeley Lake is losing a significant part of its economy with the closure of Pyramid Mountain Lumber, which has been in operation for 75 years. The company cited various challenges, including labor shortages, lack of housing, rising costs, plummeting lumber prices, and the overall cost of living in Western Montana as reasons for its closure.
Montana, along with other western states like Idaho, is experiencing rising costs and a shortage of housing due to an increase in remote work, prompting a migration of people from cities to smaller towns. This trend has led to a 60% increase in home prices throughout Montana from 2020 to 2023. The closure of Pyramid Mountain Lumber highlights the impact of these challenges on local communities.
The closure of Pyramid Mountain Lumber has devastated the Seeley Lake community and attracted the attention of Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester. Communities across the West, like Steamboat Springs in Colorado and Driggs in Idaho, are also grappling with the effects of rising costs and housing shortages as more people move to smaller towns. Residents are feeling the financial strain, with some unable to afford to continue living in these communities.