by Carol Flaherty MSU Communications Services If you left MSU in the '60s, '70s or '80s and came back this year for a visit, you would certainly recognize the venerable campus landmarks--Montana, Herrick, Hamilton and Linfield halls in the core of campus. And you'd recognize much of Bozeman's Main Street. But you'd be in for some surprises in the new look and feel of MSU and the surrounding area. The newest campus buildings serve students in agricultural biosciences and engineering, while in the community new commercial buildings, homes and subdivisions have taken over much of the farm land since you were here. In fact, low interest rates and incredible scenery have made the Gallatin Valley the fastest growing area in Montana. Though the homes are beginning to climb their way up the mountain sides, you'd still have an incredible view. Sacajawea Peak and "the M" conscribe the valley north and northwest of town. A white jagged cliff to the east still signals the path of the main road to Livingston, which is safer now with two lanes in each direction added in the early '80s. To the south, new homes keep you company until you begin to ascend into the mountains leading toward Hyalite Peak. And west, the valley stretches out, with development trailing off as you go towards open lands in the west of Gallatin County. There's still more openness than you find in most of the country. Montana's population increased between 1990 and 2000 to the tune of about 55,000 people, says MSU economist Doug Young, an expert on Montana's demographics and taxes. We lose many young people to higher paying jobs out of state, says Young, but it seems that as soon as they can afford to, many return. Doug Young "About 60 percent of the people moving to Montana have some sort of tie to the state," he adds. "Either they lived here previously or have relatives here." Montanans numbered about 900,000 in the 2000 Census, meaning that we outnumber some estimates of deer and elk by about two-to-one. On the other hand, there are still many pleasant drives you can take where you are very likely to see more deer or elk than people. Three quarters of the citizenry is in the western mountainous fifth of the state. Eastern and northern Montana have been losing population. Personal incomes in Montana still lag behind the rest of the country. "We don't have, and never did have, an extensive manufacturing economic base," says Young. "We rely somewhat more on capital income and transfer payments than a typical state, and we also remain more dependent on agriculture." Much of the hit to Montana incomes has come from the loss of jobs in the mining and timber industry over the past 20 years. In 1950, Montanans averaged 110 percent of the U.S. average income. Now, even though we have bigger houses and cars than back then, our incomes are about 77 percent of the national average, says Young. "We face declining prices for the commodities that we have traditionally produced, from mining and timber to agriculture," says Young. The changes are making a college education even more important, he adds. In 1980, with good paying jobs in heavy industries, high school graduates could earn about 75 percent of what a person with a bachelor's degree did. Now, Montanans with a high school degree earn less than half of what a college graduate does. People are responding to that economic pressure, so more are coming to MSU. Enrollment was almost 12,000 in fall 2002. Though young people make up most of the students, the "students over traditional age" numbers are also increasing.