Montana’s unofficial tagline is “the last best place” — which should tell you something about the way the state thinks about itself. It’s a political frankenstein, incredibly beautiful, increasingly filled with tourists, and a twelve-hour drive from one corner of the state to the other. Oh, and just over a million people total live there. Including Chris La Tray, who’s just finishing his tenure as Montana Poet Laureate, and one of my favorite thinkers on what makes Montana so easy to fall in love with — but not always a very easy place to live. In this episode, we talk about our favorite, most contradictory, and most hostile parts of Montana culture, from exorbitant housing prices to what it’s like to live in a place that falls in love with its own area code. If your vision of Montana culture comes from Yellowstone, this is a great corrective… that will also make you want a huckleberry milkshake. Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/culture to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor todayBlissy is offering 60 nights risk-free PLUS an additional 30% off when you shop at Blissy.com/CULTUREPODGet 40% off Beam’s best-selling Dream Powder at shopbeam.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE at checkoutSwitch your cleaning products to Blueland and get 15% off your first order by going to Blueland.com/cultureJoin the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world. If you're already a subscriber-- thank you! Join us in the discussion thread for this episode! Got a question or idea for a future episode? Visit culturestudypod.substack.com To hear more, visit culturestudypod.substack.com