Rural Communities

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

Anaconda keeping up with business and population boom

“Today there’s a lot of success that you can see in all of the retail shops and restaurants and bars and businesses that are opening up in the downtown area.” said Adam Vauthier, executive director of Discover Anaconda.

Tribal communities are about to get a $2B broadband funding boost

The $42.5 billion BEAD program alone accounts for the majority of the $65 billion in broadband funding the IIJA allocated to fuel broadband projects across the country. But tribal communities are set to get their own dedicated influx of broadband funding, with money expected to flow in the coming months.

JP Morgan/Chase CEO Jamie Dimon says ‘brace yourself’ for an economic hurricane caused by the Fed and Ukraine war

“You’d better brace yourself,” Dimon told the roomful of analysts and investors. “JPMorgan is bracing ourselves and we’re going to be very conservative with our balance sheet.”

Montana West Economic Development June Business Bulletin

Last week Montana West’s staff was in Anaconda for the Spring Montana Economic Developers Association Conference. We joined our colleagues from around the state to talk about broadband, workforce, value-added agriculture and hear program updates from our state and national partners. Thanks to the Anaconda community for hosting us and sharing some of the new projects happening in downtown.

Business-Pitch Competitions: A New Economic Development Strategy for Rural America 

Proponents of the events say they can attract young people interested in entrepreneurial endeavors and open up a possibility for broader community building. 

Zoning Stands in the Way of Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is cheap as ever, but zoning isn’t keeping up with the market.

USDA Seeks Applications for Grants to Help Repair Affordable Rental Housing in Montana’s Rural Communities

Eligible applicants include town or county governments, public agencies, federally recognized Indian tribes, and nonprofit and faith-based organizations.

New movie ‘Montana Story’ captures the state’s landscape of loneliness

Choosing to shoot in Ringling feels integral to the idea of what “Montana Story” is trying to do. Ringling isn’t the soaring mountains of Glacier or the crystalline waters of the Blackfoot. It’s a small, middle-of-nowhere town. Ringling is one of those places people like to point to as the “real Montana,” a tiny speck of civilization dominated by the enormity of the landscape all around.

The Colstrip calamity: They got the gold, we get the shaft

Once again Montanans get to re-experience the all too well-known disaster of a major corporation operating an industrial facility, producing prodigious amounts of toxic and hazardous waste, and then declaring bankruptcy. After hundreds of millions of dollars in publicly funded cleanups at abandoned mines and industrial sites, one might wonder “When will our politicians learn their lesson and stop sticking Montanans with the outrageous cleanup costs?”

Montana Working Lands Internship Program gives students an insight into ranch life

This summer, 4 college students will be working at multiple ranches throughout Montana to attain a better understanding of what ranch life is all about and possible credit toward their degree.

MATR Sponsor (view all)


"For small to medium to national organizations, for events and fundraisers of any size, in any format – live, virtual or hybrid – the platform is built for scale."

MATR Supporters (view all)


Montana Technology Innovation Partnership (MTIP)- Promoting Technology Commercialization in the State of Montana.

The Kalispell Chamber of Commerce is the longest-standing and leading advocate for the Flathead Valley community and business climate.

For over 25 years, Zoot Enterprises has been a global provider of advanced origination, acquisition, and decision management solutions.