Montana Milestone: Millionth resident coming soon

MISSOULA — Montanans like to call their state "Big Sky Country," or "The last, best place." Nowhere in these descriptions are there hints of crowds.

This photo shows downtown Kalispell,. Montana is set to reach a major milestone later this year when the state tops one million residents for the first time, according to projections by the U.S. Census.

Yet Montana is set to reach a major milestone later this year when the state tops one million residents for the first time, according to projections by the U.S. Census.

The slowest-growing state in one of the nation's fastest-growing regions, Montana will remain a vast and largely empty place. Don't expect to wait in line at fly-fishing streams. And morning commutes will still average 17 minutes, enough to make big city dwellers cry.

Even so, some Montanans are treating the advancing milestone with a sense of dread. Said Mary Craigle, Census director for the state, "They don't want more neighbors."