Dealing with change is a popular local topic. In the past couple of years, wherever people gather, the topic will inevitably come up.
For better or worse, Idaho and the Sun Valley area have been discovered. The state was one of the fastest growing in the country.
Dealing with new people from other places and the changing situations they bring with them is a “do-it-yourself” project for which there is no evidence, according to Professor Jaap Voss of the University of Idaho, who has a doctorate in regional planning.
Voss investigates how rural places can maintain their unique character in the face of development and external pressures.
His message was not one of the messages that anyone present at the Sun Valley Economic Summit wanted to hear. In lieu of plans, Vos offered words of condolence to let residents know they can’t imagine the frustrations that come with change.
His best advice was that there are no cookie-cutter solutions for overcrowded mountain towns. Using strategies laid out elsewhere will only result in homogenization that can leave Blaine County and its towns pleasant and indistinguishable from other places in the nation.
If small Idaho cities are to retain their unique personalities, Voss said, they must be themselves and find their own paths. He added that the answers do not lie in the data, which is often flawed or outdated.
However, one of Voss’ amazing insights was that the change that Idaho’s cities are now experiencing is the result of population growth that peaked in 2017. The effects were not fully felt until years later.
Ski towns like ours have always been different from the average bears. The difference lies in the fact that it has attracted residents based on shared interests in skiing and outdoor activities.
Back in the ’60s and ’70s, when Baby Boomers were drawn to the mountains, no one moved to ski towns expecting to get rich or get a job that brought in a pension. The residents of the ski town gathered together the income that allowed them to ski and hike.
Residents who did not have to do so lived on trusts or were part-time residents or visitors.
no more. Just as the social landscape in ski towns changed when baby boomers started, it’s changing again with the arrival of retirees, remote workers, and businesses relocated with different attitudes and expectations.
The common interest now seems to be living in a nice place with small town vibes. People have come for jobs, good schools, and cultural experiences. Some of them brought jobs with them. For some, getting to a world-class ski mountain is a big deal. For others, not so much.
The challenge facing Blaine County and its mountain towns lies in the questions that residents have long been asking. “When I go to the store, I don’t recognize anyone anymore. Who are these? Where did they come from? What are they doing here?”
It may be heard in the comment, “You’ll never believe what you saw today” as the last story about outrageous behavior or dangerous driving begins to emerge. When the stories are over, the narrator often wonders aloud, “How can I continue to live here?”
The way in which mountain city dwellers answer this question will determine whether change overwhelms local customs and traditions or whether mountain life changes bearers of change.
For Blaine County and its cities in the 1970s, adapting to change was a do-it-yourself project. Unlike almost any other communities in the country, they embraced zoning that kept commercial development off the highway, development away from hillsides and protection of downtown vitality and livability.
This is why the Sun Valley region is still so unusual. Will you stay that way? It depends on us and the choices we make.
“Our View” represents the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board, which is made up of members of its board of directors. Feedback may be directed to editorialboard@mtexpress.com.
