Hot Take: Montanans and Californians are the Same

Heyyyyyy... I know you're probably already mad but please read the article before coming at me with your pitchforks and torches. Enjoy :)

Every state has a certain other state they love to hate (excuse the rhyme). Texas hates Oklahoma, California hates Texas and Montana hates California, this map from mattsurelee on Instagram has them all. I think the "hate" states have for each other is mostly based on a silly rivalry or a feeling of social superiority— but Montanans have a legitimate grievance against some Californians, the ones who buy a great lake-view property only to spend half a summer actually living here, contributing little to the local economy. It's impossible to know how often that actually happens but the scenario seems to have stained the rep of Californians who move to Montana. That aside, I actually think Montanans and Californians are pretty much the same.

Sure, a Montanan likely has very little in common with a tech bro from San Francisco (ew, another rhyme), so let's ignore that city and look at the similarities Montana has with the rest of the state:

They both love weed, man

I figured I'd start here because it's undeniable. California legalized it back in 2016, but Montana has proven its admiration for the herb since it joined the party in January of this year. The two states' mutual love of cannabis reminds me of another similarity:

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They're both laaaaaaaid back

Neither Californians nor Montanans are high-strung people. You don't have to be wearing formal, designer clothes to be accepted in a social setting in Montana, the same is true for California. No disrespect to New Yorkers but they're more picky about appearances, they're also more impatient and focused on their careers than Montanans or Californians. People in the west are generally less interested in work politics and prefer recreation, which brings me to my final point:

They're both nature babies

Montanans and Californians have the same outdoorsy hobbies, like snowboarding, rafting and even surfing if you count what people do at Brennan's Wave in Missoula. I won't tell Montana to become best friends with California, after all it's fun to have a state to pick on. But for supposed worst enemies, the two states bear a striking resemblance.