Booklet: Gallatin County's Code of the West

I obtained a copy of Code of the West after it appeared on ABC World News Tonight in a story about growth here and in the West in general. Gallatin County created the free booklet (also available online here) to give newcomers plainspoken information about "the realities of living in rural Montana." Included are facts about the road system ("Don't expect neighbors to join a petition asking for improved service from the County."), utilities ("Power outages are a fact of rural living."), property laws ("Open fields and pastures will probably not remain so indefinitely... The view from your property may change."), the weather ("Don't be surprised if the Fourth of July parade gets snowed out."), agriculture ("Animal manure can, and often does, cause 'objectionable' odors. What else can we say? No whining!"), and public lands. Code of the West makes no apologies for the fact that its tone and content are flat out discouraging in places. Instead, it makes it clear that the only new citizens Gallatin County wants are those will be environmentally conscious and involved in local issues.