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Natural Resources

From Coal to What? Community Resilience and Energy Futures in Colstrip, Montana Greta Asay*, Greta Asay, Elizabeth Long-Meek, Carol Ward, Michael Cope,

In this study, we examine social change in the modern boomtown of Colstrip, MT, where residents of a small, rural energy community now face an uncertain future. Building on a study completed and published in 2019, we employ a mixed-methods design that includes two waves of a community survey (2018 and 2026) and focus groups conducted in 2018–2019 and 2025. We explore themes of sense of community, community experience, and resilience, with particular attention to residents’ perceptions of current challenges and opportunities. This longitudinal case study contributes to scholarship on community change and modern boomtowns by illuminating how perceptions of resilience and adaptation evolve over time in an energy-dependent rural community.