The small city of Bozeman, Montana has seen a huge populationpopulation/ˌpɒp.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/L2人口the number of people living in a place increase since the pandemic. Many people moved there from other states because they liked the mountains and low taxes. However, this rapidrapid/ˈræp.ɪd/L2迅速的，快速的happening very quickly growthgrowth/ɡroʊθ/L2增长；成长the process of increasing in size or amount has made housing very expensive for local residents. Rents doubled or tripled in just a few years. "We were watching our rent double or triple in the span of a year or two," says Mayor Joey Morrison.
As a result, many local people can no longer affordafford/əˈfɔːrd/L2负担得起to have enough money to pay for something to live in their hometown. Some residentsresidents/ˈrez.ɪ.dənts/L2居民people who live in a particular place work two or three jobs, while others share houses with roommates. In May, people from two mobile home parks started a rent strikestrike/straɪk/L1一群人停止工作或付钱，以抗议某事a time when people stop working or paying to show they are angry about something. It was the first rent strike in Montana in fifty years. They were fighting against big increases in the rent for their park spaces.
Downtown Bozeman has also changed completely. Expensive steakhouses and high-end shops took the place of small local businesses. The airport is full of private jets. They bring wealthy people to the area. On the other hand, young people in the city are fighting for change and want leaders who will protect local residents, not just wealthy newcomers.
