PPL releases findings from Montana quality-of-life poll – Longtime, transplant Montanans agree on issues

Longtime Montanans and newcomers are similar in their views about many aspects of life in the state, according to a poll commissioned by the energy company PPL Montana.

Pollsters found that established residents and those new to the state agree that drug abuse, particularly use of methamphetamine, is Montana’s most serious issue. A shortage of good-paying jobs and rising energy costs also are on the list of the top three concerns.

Regardless of how long they have lived here, people agree that much of Montana’s appeal comes from scenery, a sense of community, low crime, a clean environment and outdoor recreation, the poll found.

By SUSAN GALLAGHER of the Associated Press

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/articles/2006/03/14/breaker/doc4417277eca31b048567955.txt

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Poll: Longtime, transplant Montanans agree on issues

People and Places By CHARLES S. JOHNSON
Lee State Bureau

Although some tension exists between people raised in Montana and newcomers to the state, they agree on the quality of life and natural beauty that Montana offers, a poll done for PPL Montana shows.

PPL Montana made public portions of what it called its quality-of-life study for Montana at a press conference Tuesday. "In fact, newcomers’ attitudes toward Montana and its way of life are so similar to those of their counterparts that, in a sense, they either ‘become Montanans’ upon moving here or they already are ‘Montanans in spirit’ before they even arrive," the poll summary said.

As Montana addresses various challenges, "it’s important to realize that most of us share the same concerns and hopes for the future," the summary said.
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PPL Montana is a relative newcomer to the state and is no stranger to controversy. It is a subsidiary of PPL Inc., formerly Pennsylvania Power and Light, which in 1999 bought Montana Power Co.’s hydroelectric dams and power plants. The company has been locked in a $35 million, five-year appeal over its property taxes in Montana.

Full Story: http://www.montanaforum.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=4860

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Immigration level swells in Colorado
Number triples out-of-state transplants

Six hundred immigrants from 90 countries became U.S. citizens at a naturalization ceremony Sept. 14 at Civic Center in Denver. The Census Bureau estimates that Colorado had a net influx of 18,800 foreign-born immigrants from July 2004 to July 2005, compared with a net of 5,500 people moving here from other states.

By John Aguilar, Rocky Mountain News

Nearly 19,000 people immigrated to Colorado from other countries in 2005, triple the number moving here from other states, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Wednesday.

The lopsided immigration trend continues a pattern that goes back several years and signals an economy that still hasn’t regained the high-skill jobs it lost in the tech bust a few years ago.

"Nationally, there has not been a lot to drive people to Colorado," said state demographer Elizabeth Garner. "We haven’t had the job growth. We’re just getting back to our peak number of jobs we had in 2001."

Full Story: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4545929,00.html