Jackson Hole Compass 2014

A comprehensive overview of Teton County facts and figures

JACKSON HOLE

2014 EDITION

Layof the

land Jackson Hole navigates a rapidly changing social world.

INVEST ENRICH INVEST: devoting time, talent and treasure to positively impact the community

ENRICH: improving lives through philanthropic leadership

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$ 48 million IN ASSETS

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$667,600

$207 million .

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INSPIRE INSPIRE: serving as a leader, catalyst and resource to ensure sustainability

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4

Introduction The people here before us left a beautiful valley — will we do the same?

6 Overview

Is Jackson Hole a community of haves and have-nots?

10

Quick Facts The highs, the lows, the firsts, the lasts.

36 Tourism

How to prosper against growing global tourism.

39 Demographics

Since 2000 the county’s population is more Hispanic and younger.

42

Housing

It’s a nice place to live but you can’t afford it.

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12 Wyoming

Jackson Hole is in Wyoming but not at home here.

16 Politics

You can’t appeal just to Republicans if you want votes.

24 Taxes

Wyoming doesn’t tax many things that raise big cash elsewhere.

30 Economy

Tourism is big, but not as big as you probably think.

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47 Region

One county, but with a much bigger community.

51 54

Peers Jackson Hole, and those who are like us around the Rockies.

Directory Who’s who and how to get ahold of them.

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Introduction

PRICE CHAMBERS

A view from the bank beneath the Snake River overlook in Grand Teton National Park.

When this edition of the Compass is published, Jackson Hole will be about five months away from the November elections.

Jonathan Schechter

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Given the enfeebled state of Wyoming’s Democratic party there’s no question how any of Wyoming’s federal or statewide races will turn out.

There is only slightly more suspense about our local state legislative contests, where all five seats are up for grabs, but firmly entrenched incumbents hold four of them.

Where things might get interesting is at the local level. Three of the five seats on the Teton County Board of County Commissioners are up for election, and all will be contested in both the primary and general elections. Fewer people have declared to run for mayor and Town Council, but we know for certain there will be a new mayor. As a result, come January 2015 both bodies could have new majorities. And because the lodging tax and specific purpose excise tax are up for reauthorization, voters will have the chance to opine not just on the policy direction of the community, but also on how much tax money they want government to receive.

Making things even more interesting is that the community seems to be at a turning point. After being beaten up by the recession, the economy has clearly recovered, with taxable sales on track to reach an all-time high by the end of 2014. Skier days are up, national park visitor numbers remain strong and even construction is lifting itself up out of the doldrums.

And yet there are signs that things might not be what they appear. In particular, since the recession hit one fast-growing phenomenon has changed Jackson Hole in a clear but hard-to-measure fashion. This phenomenon is the rapid rise of people working in the professional ser-

vices. Jackson Hole has always had its share of folks working in finance, health care and the like. What’s new to the mix are information services and businesses conducted over the Internet. Over the past 10 years it’s not only become easier to do many jobs from anywhere, it’s become more acceptable. As a result Jackson Hole is experiencing a sharp growth in these types of businesses, as well in the types of people who found, run and work for them.

Why does that matter? Because these sorts of jobs pay better than traditional Jackson Hole jobs in construction, tourism, government and the like. This has tremendous implications for the community, ranging from who can afford to live here to how we fund our government.

My hope is that this edition of Compass sparks a vigorous discussion among candidates for office about what the Jackson Hole of the future might look like and what qualities about the place future generations of residents and visitors might enjoy. At its core this is the “legacy question.�

The legacy our forebears left to us is arguably the healthiest ecosystem in the Lower 48, and we’ve been able to leverage and exploit that into becoming one of the wealthiest counties in America.

What is the legacy we will leave for future generations? Something comparable to what our forebears were able to achieve? Or something more pedestrian? The debates leading up to this November’s elections offer a tremendous opportunity to explore this question. My hope is that this edition of Compass will provide some fodder for that effort.

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Overview

PRICE CHAMBERS

Mark Neal casts his fly to the cutthroat trout gathered in a pool on Flat Creek one Saturday. The stream is open to fly fishing through the end of October. “This is a great place,� Neal said. “It’s so technical.

They don’t like what I’m throwing out there, but they will.�

South African journalist Arthur Kemp once observed that demographics are destiny. Economics is not quite as powerful as demographics, but barring some major shift in the global economy it’s likely that Jackson Hole’s destiny is to increasingly become a community of haves and have-nots. The pattern is already underway and will likely accelerate. As it does the community will look much as it does now on the surface, but it will be home to a different mix of people than those who have lived here since the town of Jackson incorporated 100 years ago.

Describing this phenomenon is the purpose of this essay. Considering how it might affect Jackson Hole’s character and what the community might do about these changes is a topic worthy of discussion during the coming election campaign.

Let’s start by looking at Teton County employment data. In 2001 the federal government began reporting comprehensive data about employment, employers and wages for hundreds of industries and sub-industries.

While that information is useful, it has a major shortcoming: The data

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include only “covered� employment, i.e., jobs for which an employer pays an employee. Missing from the figures are the self-employed, which in Teton County’s case means we have no data on an estimated one-quarter of the workforce.

Working with what we have, I divided Teton County’s hundreds of employer categories into three groups.

Tourism consists of businesses in the retail, lodging and restaurant industries. Professional Services includes industries such as engineering, health care, finance, information services and the like. The two largest components of All Other are longtime staples of Jackson Hole’s middle class: construction and government.

As Graph 1 (see page 8) shows, tourism not only employs the most people but is the only group that employed substantially more people in 2012 than a decade earlier. The other Continued on 7

Continued from 6

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Only the top 20 percent of Teton County households can afford to buy a median priced single-family home.

Continued on 8

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%

Covered employment: Total employees and employees / firm in Teton County

Continued from 7

US Bureau of Labor Statistics

10,000

25

8,000

20

6,000

15

4,000

10

2,000

5

2001

2003

Tourism employees (left) Employees/firm (right)

2005

2007

2009

All other employees (left) Employees/firm (right)

2011

Prof. services employees (left) Employees/firm (right)

Covered employment average annual wages by sector US Bureau of Labor Statistics

$80,000 $70,000 $60,000 $50,000 $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $10,000 2001

2003

Professional services

2005 All other

2007

2009

County average wage

2011 Tourism

Per capita income by type in Teton County Internal Revenue Service

$150,000

$120,000

$90,000

$60,000

$30,000

2001

2003

2005 Wages

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2007 Investments

every year. Looking at home sales, tax return data and census figures, a reasonable estimate seems to be that Jackson Hole turns over around 5 percent of its population every year. Even if many of those who leave are people who have come only for a short, postcollege stint, it still suggests that a decade from now perhaps a third of the community will have turned over.

Who will those new residents be?

What will they do for work? Given housing prices, it seems likely that the vast majority of the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new residents will be people whose income comes from Professional Services jobs, investments (especially retired people) or some combination of the two.

2009

2011

Already our typical Hispanic household ... is living on half the average household income of our typical Anglo family.

Far less visible, but still likely to represent a growing chunk of the community, will be those at the other end of the economic scale, especially Hispanics. Hispanics already represent the fastest-growing portion of our population: Between 2000 and 2010, Hispanics accounted for twothirds of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population growth. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no reason to think that trend will change.

What will change is the nature of the community. As basic supply and demand kick in, housing prices rise beyond not just what Tourism jobs can pay but increasingly beyond what construction, government and even professional services workers can pay. Because of that the community will see a hollowing out of its middle and upper-middle classes (again, as Graph 5 shows, only those in the top 20 percent of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s income heap can afford the median Jackson Hole single family home).

Thanks to a combination of two factors â&#x20AC;&#x201D; an incredibly attractive community and region, and everContinued on 9

Continued from 8

improving technologies that makes it easy to live where one wants to â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Jackson Hole has become a thriving, bustling community, successful far beyond anything our forebears imagined.

But if this generation has thrived by taking advantage of the conservation legacy left by our forebears, it seems reasonable to ask what legacy this generation will leave.

Will we find a way to continue to attract the odd, wildly heterogeneous mixture of adventurers, misfits, nature lovers and proudly independent types who settled in this valley during its first hundred years? Or will we move toward more of a Third World model of haves and have-nots, with wealth attracting wealth and leaving little room for anyone else except the poor? Already our typical Hispanic household â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one in six of us â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is living on half the average household income of our typical Anglo family, and all economic indicators suggest this trend will only accelerate.

As technology homogenizes the planet, only three qualities will continue to make Jackson Hole distinctive. Two of them relate to the natural world: our terrain and our flora and fauna. Thanks in large part to our forebears, these are in pretty good shape today.

And because Jackson Holeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic health is a direct reflection of its environmental health, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no coincidence that arguably the wealthiest county in the United States lies in the heart of arguably the healthiest ecosystem in the Lower 48. As a result, as we think about the legacy we will leave to future generations, we must take great care to resist pressure to develop in ways that will hurt views, wetlands and wildlife habitat.

The third quality that makes Jackson Hole distinctive is our community character. This quality may well be at much greater risk than our landscapes, flora and fauna. Why? Because supply and demand suggest that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s becoming harder for anyone but the rich and poor to live in Jackson Hole. And as that occurs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; as the middle class is squeezed out â&#x20AC;&#x201D; we become increasingly like a country club, or any other gathering place of the well-to-do.

For good or ill, this generationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legacy is going to be defined by how well we do two things. One of those is how we protect our Holy Trinity of irreplaceable qualities: landscape, flora and fauna, and character. The other is the balance we strike in doing that.

In the run-up to Novemberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s elections, this â&#x20AC;&#x153;legacy questionâ&#x20AC;? isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the only issue worthy of discussion. It is, however, the issue undergirding all of the others.

Household income quintiles as percent of total income earned US Census Bureau

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

2007

2008 Lowest quintile 4th quintile

2009

2010

2nd quintile Highest quintile

2011

2012

3rd quintile

Income quintiles and the amount needed to buy a home US Census Bureau, Jackson Hole Report, Freddie Mac

$400,000

$300,000

$200,000

$100,000

2007 Highest quintile Condo

2008

2009

Single family home 2nd quintile

2010

2011

4th quintile Lowest quintile

2012 3rd quintile

Average annual wage and income needed to for median condo US Census Bureau, Jackson Hole Report, Freddie Mac

$150,000

$120,000

$90,000

$60,000

$30,000

2001

2003

Professional services County average wage

2005

2007

2009

Income needed for condo Tourism

2011 All other

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Distance from the nearest improved road to the Thorofare valley, located in northeast Teton County, the most remote spot in the Lower 48 states: BQQSPYJNBUFMZ NJMFT

Firsts Members of the 1920 Jackson Town Council, the first all-woman city government in America: (SBDF .JMMFS .BZPS .BF %FMPOFZ 3PTF $SBCUSFF 'BVTUJOB )BJHIU BOE (FOFWJFWF 7BO 7MFDL First recorded party to ascend the Grand Teton: 8JMMJBN 0XFO 'SBOLMJO 4QBMEJOH 'SBOL 1FUFSTFO +PIO 4IJWF PO "VH First party to complete the Cathedral Traverse (Teewinot, Mount Owen and Grand Teton): 8JMMJ 6OTPFME 3JDIBSE 1PXOBMM 1FUF 4DIPFOJOH JO UIF TVNNFS PG First person to descend the Grand Teton on alpine skis: #JMM #SJHHT PO +VOF Continued on 11

snowfall: UI Ranking of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Ski Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2014 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Ski Resorts of the Westâ&#x20AC;?

Years that Snow King, aka the Town Hill, has been in existence: The first inductees into the Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hall of fame: #FUUZ 8PPMTFZ #JMM "TIMFZ )BSSZ #BYUFS #JMM #SJHHT .BSUJO )BHFO &SJDI 8JMCSFDIU +PIO $VSUJT 1FQJ 4UJFHMFS 1FUF ,BSOT 5PNNZ .PF 5SBWJT 3JDF BOE 3FTJ 4UJFHMFS

Parks

First person to descend the Grand Teton on a snowboard: 4UFQIFO ,PDI PO +VOF First year of the Jackson Town Square Shoot-out Gang, the longest continuously running gunfight reenactment: Year of construction of Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s American Legion Post #43 building, the Legion building with the longest continuous use in the nation:

Skiing Vertical rise of the aerial tram at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, which has the longest continual vertical rise of any ski lift in North America: GFFU Rank of the 2013/2014 ski season at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort out of the 48 seasons in recorded

Homes Median value of owner-occupied housing units in 2012: Price of home that the median income in Teton County could afford according to a Housing Study Report:

The last year in which the median home could be purchased by someone earning the median income:

Year that Yellowstone National Park, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest national park, was established:

Rank among all US counties in median home value: UI CFIJOE /BOUVDLFU /FX :PSL .BSJO 4BO 'SBODJTDP BOE 4BO .BUFP

Elevation of Yellowstone Lake, the largest high-altitude lake (higher than 7,000 feet) in the country: GFFU

First person to descend the Grand Teton on telemark skis: 3JDL 8ZBUU PO +VOF

In 2010, the states that received more federal aid per capita: "MBTLB

Number of recreational visits in 2013 to Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks: (5/1

:/1

Location of the largest concentration of geysers in the world: 6QQFS (FZTFS #BTJO BU 0ME 'BJUIGVM JO :FMMPXTUPOF /BUJPOBM 1BSL

Continued from 10

Amount, on average, from 1990-2009 that Wyoming received from the federal governement per dollar paid in taxes:

Site of the largest log structure in the world: 0ME 'BJUIGVM *OO JO :FMMPXTUPOF /BUJPOBM 1BSL Estimated number of elk and bison that wintered on the elk refuge this winter: FML CJTPO

Number of people who took a sleigh ride on the elk refuge in the week following Christmas 2013:

Money Per capita personal income for Teton County residents in 2012: Percent of that income that came from dividends, interest and rent (not wages and salary): Rank of Teton County in per capita income from dividends income and rent: TU JO OBUJPO

Median home value in Sublette County, the 2nd most expensive in Wyoming:

People Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2013 population: 64 $FOTVT #VSFBV

Rank among Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 23 counties of our 2.9% growth rate from 2012 to 2013: Number of babies that were born in Teton County in 2013 for every death: Birth to death ratio for Wyoming: Teton County 2012 mean exemptions per tax return: Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2012 population rank among Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 23 counties: Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2012 rank out of all 3,140 US counties: Estimated effective population in Teton County during summer season 2012:

Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rank in the 2014 Tax Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Business Tax Climate Index: TU

Number of those people who are visitors or seasonal residents:

Average percent of income paid by Wyoming residents on their 2011 tax returns (lowest in nation):

Estimated effective population in Teton County during spring offseason 2012:

" 3RWbW]\ 8OQYa]\ 6]ZS 1][^Oaa

Wyoming

BRADLY J. BONER

In Teton County, 85 percent of the value of all privately owned property is found in its residential land and improvements.

Add commercial land and improvements and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve accounted for 98 percent of all privately owned value.

Wyoming airports, 2013

Wyoming has 10 commercial airports. In 2001 the Jackson Hole Airport accounted for half of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total commercial enplanements. In 2013 that figure rose to 55 percent. In 2013, 269,369 passengers got on a commercial flight in Jackson Hole. In second place was Casper, with 100,124 enplanements. Codyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s airport had 31,009 enplanements. In last place was Worland, with 2,795.

FAA and Wyoming Airports

2% 2%

5%

3%

6% 19%

2013 535,081

2% 5%

55%

Cody Casper Cheyenne Gillete Jackson

Laramie Riverton Rock Springs Sheridan Worland

8OQYa]\ 6]ZS 1][^Oaa " 3RWbW]\

The jokes abound: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This vacation, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m leaving Jackson Hole to visit Wyoming.â&#x20AC;? Or â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wyoming: 22 counties plus Jackson Hole.â&#x20AC;? Or, best of all, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jackson Hole. Only 30 minutes from Wyoming.â&#x20AC;?

As with all good humor (or, in this case, mediocre humor) these jokes are grounded in a fundamental truth: In a number of ways, Teton County is different from the rest of Wyoming.

Examples include: - Enplanements at the Jackson Hole Airport put it on par with airports serving communities 10 to 20 times larger.

The Casper airport, Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s secondbusiest, serves about the same number of passengers as other airports serving similarly sized populations.

- Roughly 76,000 of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acres are privately owned. But the average Wyoming county has 1.4 million acres of private land, roughly 20 times more than Teton. And even the county with the second-least amount of private land â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Washakie â&#x20AC;&#x201D; has around 475,000 privately owned acres, six times as many privately held acres in a county half of Tetonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s size.

- In Teton County 85 percent of the value of all privately owned property is found in its residential land and the improvements on that land. Throw in commercial land and improvements and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve accounted for 98 percent of all of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s privately owned value. Number two in the category is Sheridan County, where residential and commercial property accounts for 81 percent of all value.

Statewide, the average is 52 percent.

- Teton County accounts for roughly 41 percent of Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total lodging sales. No other county accounts for

more than 9 percent (and number two is Park County, which, like Teton, includes half of Yellowstone).

- Not only are Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s housing prices significantly above those of the rest of the state, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the only county with a significant difference between its mean and median home prices (reflecting a far greater wealth gap than in other Wyoming counties).

- Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s per capita income level is among the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest. In 2012 Teton ranked fifth in the nation; only Sublette was also in the top 100.

- Seventy percent of Teton County residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 2012 income came from a combination of investments and professional services. Statewide the average is 39 percent; no other county has above 49 percent.

The point is that while Jackson Hole may be part of Wyoming, it is a part of Wyoming that, from a socioeconomic perspective, doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look much like the rest of the state. Teton County benefits from this in ways that include receiving revenue from the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great mineral wealth. But the county also suffers in a number of ways, including being subject to state laws and systems that may work well for other parts of Wyoming but are at best a poor fit for Jackson Hole. The challenge for those we send to Cheyenne is to help the rest of the state realize not just where the differences lie, but how those differences make Wyoming a stronger state.

Federal land in Wyoming counties

Just over 97 percent of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2.7 million acres are owned by the federal government, placing us second in the nation behind Esmeralda County, Nevada (97.9 percent). In Wyoming 47.7 percent of the land is owned by the federal government. Trailing Teton County is Park County, with 80.5 percent federal ownership. Laramie County, location of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital and hotbed of anti-Washington sentiment, has the lowest amount: 9,508 acres or 0.6.

US Department of Interior

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Teton Park Sublette Big Horn Lincoln Sweetwater Washakie Fremont Carbon Hot Springs Natrona Uinta Johnson Sheridan Albany Weston Crook Converse Campbell Platte Niobrara Goshen Laramie

Teton County land ownership

In Teton County 50.8 percent of the land is owned by the US Forest Service, ranking us 62nd in the nation (first place is Mineral County, Colorado, with 93.3 percent). The National Park Service owns 45.4 percent of Teton County, placing us second in the nation behind Swain County, North Carolina (62.8 percent). Teton County ranks first in Wyoming in proportion of land owned by the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service combined. If the BLMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s holdings in Sweetwater County was a county in itself, it would be the fourth largest county in the state.

US Department of Interior

52% Teton, WY 45%

4% 15%

52%

Wyoming 28%

1

2

3

Acres of federal lands (bottom x million)

4

5

Percent of federal land (top)

Private and state BLM BuRec

USFS NPS

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" 3RWbW]\ 8OQYa]\ 6]ZS 1][^Oaa

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Market value of taxable property, 2013

Minerals are the primary funding source for Wyoming government; that Teton County has essentially no mineral wealth is a source of friction. Looking at the market value of all private property in each county in Wyoming, Teton County ranks second, at $11.6 billion. Only Campbell County â&#x20AC;&#x201D; awash in hydrocarbons â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is worth more, at $14.1 billion. Trailing Teton â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with 85 percent of its value locked up in residential land â&#x20AC;&#x201D; are mineral-rich counties like Sweetwater, Natrona and Sublette.

WY Board of Equalization

13%

14%

40%

13%

Teton, WY

29%

Wyoming

10%

13%

45% 18% Res. improvements Res. land

Industrial property Comm. land and improvement

Minerals Ag lands Personal and comm. property

Lodging sales, 2013

In Wyoming voters in each city and county can authorize a lodging tax. Sixteen of Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 23 counties do so. In those counties that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a countywide tax, every major city levies its own tax.

The rate levied by each jurisdiction varies between 2 and 4 percent. In 2013 Teton County generated 31 percent of the total lodging tax charged. Correct for different rates, however, and Teton County accounted for 41 percent of all sales subject to a lodging tax (in millions). WY Department of Revenue Platte Big Horn Weston Niobrara Washakie Lincoln Goshen Crook Hot Springs Sublette Johnson Converse Uinta Sheridan Fremont Albany Campbell Carbon Sweetwater Laramie Natrona Park Teton

$50

$100

$150

$200

$250

Median and mean home sale price, 2012

In 2012 the mean price of a single-family home in Teton County was $1.5 million. For the state it was $266,406. Without Teton it was $205,182. Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s median home price in 2012 was 4.2 times greater than the state median and 4.9 times greater than the median without Teton. Teton County is also the only county with a significant difference between mean and median home price, an indicator of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tremendous income disparities.

WY Community Development Authority Niobrara Platte Hot Springs Goshen Weston Big Horn Washakie Crook Carbon Lincoln Uinta Fremont Converse Laramie Natrona Johnson Park Albany Sheridan Sublette Campbell Sweetwater Teton

$300

$600 Mean (x100)

"

8OQYa]\ 6]ZS 1][^Oaa " 3RWbW]\

$900 Median (x100)

$1,200

$1,500

BRADLY J. BONER

Teton County, which includes half of Yellowstone National Park and the historic Lake Hotel on Yellowstone Lake, accounts for roughly 41 percent of Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total lodging sales.

Per capita personal income, 2012

In 2012 Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s per capita income of $93,194 was 55 percent higher than that of Sublette County, the county in second place, and 84 percent higher than that of the state as a whole. Ten counties had per capita incomes that were less than half of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, and Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s per capita investment income alone was greater than the entire per capita incomes in Uinta, Washakie, Johnson, Fremont, Lincoln, Albany, Goshen, and Big Horn counties. US Bureau of Economic Analysis Big Horn Goshen Albany Lincoln Fremont Johnson Washakie Uinta Carbon Platte Hot Springs Niobrara Crook Campbell Park Converse Laramie Sheridan Weston Natrona Sweetwater Sublette Teton

$20,000

$40,000

$60,000

$80,000 $100,000

Investments

Wages

Pensions

Per capita income by source, 2012

In 2012 Teton County derived 48 percent of its total income from investments, roughly twice the statewide average. More tellingly, Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mean per capita wage income was nearly 50 percent higher than the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as a whole,and its per capita investment income was over three times the statewide average. Only in income derived from pensions did Teton County trail the statewide average.

US Bureau of Economic Analysis

13% 48%

62%

Teton, WY $93,194

Wyoming $50,566

26%

48%

Investments

Wages

Pensions

Jobs by industry, 2012

In 2012, 45 percent of Teton County jobs were in professional services and 24 percent were in lodging and restaurants, meaning roughly seven of every 10 jobs were in professional or tourism-related services. In contrast, barely four in 10 of all Wyoming jobs were in those sectors. Government is the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second biggest employer, employing roughly 20 percent of all Wyoming workers. Only 12 percent of Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jobs are in agriculture and mining combined. US Bureau of Economic Analysis

5%

8%

9%

10%

12%

8%

7% 19%

24%

Teton, WY 27,111

Wyoming 392,348

10%

9% 45% Ag and mining Construction

33% Retail Prof. services

Lodging and restaurants Government

Other

" 3RWbW]\ 8OQYa]\ 6]ZS 1][^Oaa

#

Politics

PRICE CHAMBERS

As he presents his recommendations for the state budget, Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead smiles at members of the joint appropriations commitee in response to their comments about his hometown of Jackson.

When considering partisan politics in Jackson Hole, two realities are notable.

First, Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electorate is distinguished by two seemingly contradictory realities: On the one hand registered Republicans have always accounted for at least a plurality, if not the majority, of voters. Yet Teton County tends to vote far more Democratic than its registration numbers suggest. For example, in 2012 Barack Obama received 54 percent of Tetonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s votes. In 2010 Jackson resident Leslie Petersen, the Democratic candidate for governor, received 45 percent of her hometown votes. Teton County has supported the Democratic candidate for president in four of the last five elections, 2000 being the exception.

Given this, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s useful to divide Teton voters into two camps: Republicans (plus the few members of minor parties) and â&#x20AC;&#x153;not Republicans,â&#x20AC;? i.e., people registered as Democrats or unaffiliated.

Fifty-five percent of all Teton County voters are not Republican, compared with 35 percent for the state as a whole. In Teton County, 31 percent of all registered voters are Democrats, versus 21 percent statewide. And 24 percent are unaffiliated, versus 14 percent statewide, choosing to identify as neither Democrat nor Republican.

Combine those numbers with Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support for Democratic can-

$

8OQYa]\ 6]ZS 1][^Oaa " 3RWbW]\

didates and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fair to assume that the views of most of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unaffiliated voters are more closely aligned with Democratic positions than Republican ones. And because Republicans account for fewer than half of registered voters, any local candidate must attract a sizeable number of votes from those who say â&#x20AC;&#x153;a pox on both your housesâ&#x20AC;? to the major political parties.

The second notable reality is how sclerotic Teton County politics are.

In 2012 Democrats didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t field a candidate for either of the Wyoming House districts located fully within Teton County, and there has not been a serious race for mayor of Jackson in more than a decade.

Looking ahead to the fall, almost half of the local races will go uncontested: both of the state Senate seats, one of the three state House seats, and county clerk, sheriff and treasurer.

More strikingly, many candidates are incumbents or have held elected office. Despite the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fascination with the new and different, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s little turnover among our political set.

While thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no simple explanation for why so few run for office, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a clear disconnect between the vitality of the community and citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; willingness to do more than kvetch about politics.

NUMBER PRECINCT

1-1

South of Jackson

1-2

Mid-East Jackson

1-3

Skyline

1-4

North Jackson

1-5

Mid-West Jackson

1-6

Cottonwood

1-7

Rafter J

1-8

East Jackson

1-9

West Jackson

1-10

South Hoback

1-11

Indian Trails

2-1

Kelly / Moose / Airport

3-1

Moran

4-1

Wilson South

4-2

Moose-Wilson Road West

4-3

Wilson North

4-4

Teton Village

5-1

Alta

County 3-1 5-1

2-1

4-4 4-3

4-2

4-1

1-3 1-1

7 Years $680,000 Awarded 63 Great Projects Funded

1-4 1-10

Town Area 1-11

1-9

1-5

1-2

1-8

1-6

1-7

! !

1PercentTetons.org

Help Make It Happen s INFO 0ERCENT4ETONS ORG 1% for the Tetons is a project of the Charture Institute

"#)0-, -*% /%"1%/ !%**-301-,% (0(1-/ %,1%/ -, "#'% /"(& '-+"0 (0#-2%/4 (0(1-/ %,1%/ *-#"1%$ (, --0% -HQQ\ /DNH 9LVLWRU &HQWHU Ĺ? &ROWHU %D\ 9LVLWRU &HQWHU "#)0-, -*% (/.-/1 "/) 1-/%

Please proof and call Karen at 739-9541 or return via Fax at 733-2138. Thanks!

PDF Proof?

" 3RWbW]\ 8OQYa]\ 6]ZS 1][^Oaa

%

Teton County voter registration, April 2014

Forty-four percent of all Teton County residents were registered Republicans as of April 2014. Thirty-one percent are Democrats, 24 percent are independents and 1 percent are other (Libertarian, Constitutional Party, etc.). Teton County has 18 precincts, seven of which are in the town of Jackson. The town is home to 39 percent of the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s registered voters but has nearly as many Democrats as Republicans. Of the seven precincts that have a lower proportion of Republicans than the county as a whole, two are in Wilson and five are in Jackson.

Teton County Clerk

1-2 Mid-East Jackson 1-9 West Jackson 4-3 Wilson North 1-5 Mid-West Jackson 1-8 East Jackson 4-1 Wilson South 1-6 Cottonwood Park 1-11 Indian Trails 4-4 Teton Village 1-7 Rafter J 4-2 Moose-Wilson Road West 3-1 Moran 1-4 North Jackson 1-1 South of Jackson 1-3 Skyline 2-1 Kelly / Moose / Airport 5-1 Alta 1-10 South Hoback Town of Jackson County total Unincorporated county 20%

40% Republican

Democrat

60% Independent

80%

100%

Other

House District 16: Petroff, registration April 2014

All or part of three Wyoming House of Representative districts lie within Teton County. House District 16 is composed of the five largest town of Jackson precincts (out of the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seven total precincts). Although represented by the Republican Ruth Ann Petroff the district is far less Republican than the county as a whole: 36 percent of registered voters are Republican, 33 percent are Democrats and 29 percent are Independent.

Teton County Clerk

1-2 Mid-East Jackson

1-9 West Jackson

1-5 Mid-West Jackson

1-8 East Jackson

1-6 Cottonwood

House District 16 total 20%

40% Republican

&

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Democrat

60% Independent

80% Other

100%

House District 23: Gingery, registration April 2014

All 10 of the precincts within House District 23 are within Teton County. It is represented by Republican Keith Gingery. HD23 contains a small part of the town of Jackson and most of the unincorporated county except Wilson and the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hoback Nation.â&#x20AC;? The district is more Republican than the county as a whole: 50 percent of voters are registered Republicans, 28 percent Democrats and 21 percent are independents.

Teton County Clerk

1-7 Rafter J 1-11 Indian Trails 4-4 Teton Village 3-1 Moran 4-2 Moose-Wilson Road West 1-4 North Jackson 1-1 South of Jackson 1-3 Skyline 2-1 Kelly / Moose / Airport 5-1 Alta

House District 23 total 20%

40% Republican

60% Democrat

Independent

80%

100%

Other

House District 22: Halverson, registration April 2014

Only three of House District 22â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s precincts are within Teton County: the two Wilson precincts and South Hoback Junction. Three additional HD22 precincts are in northern Lincoln County, and two more are in western Sublette County. Marti Halverson, a Republican from Etna, represents HD22. While the district contains the two heavily Democratic precincts in Wilson, at least 60 percent of the voters in every other precinct in the district are Republican. As a result, this is an extremely safe Republican district.

Lincoln, Sublette, and Teton County Clerks

4-3 Wilson North 4-1 Wilson South 1-10 South Hoback Lincoln 2-3 Alpine Lincoln 2-10 Star Valley Ranch Sublette 5-1 Bondurant Lincoln 2-5 Etna / Freedom Sublette 4-2 Daniel

House District 22 total 20%

40% Republican

60% Democrat

Independent

80%

100%

Other

" 3RWbW]\ 8OQYa]\ 6]ZS 1][^Oaa

'

T.R. Pierce

W

hen it comes to following party lines in Jackson Hole, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Teton County first, nation second, says the chairman of the local Republican Party.

T.R. Pierce, who heads the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s branch of the GOP, said diversity and competence are the watchwords for the way he likes to do business. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The party, the affiliation, is important because we do want people who are fiscally responsible and believe in personal responsibility, but most of all we want people who will do whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best for Teton County,â&#x20AC;?

Pierce said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now, we do happen to believe those people by and large will hold Republican values, but we also wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make a big effort to unseat a Democrat whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doing a good job.â&#x20AC;?

In 2014, an election year, there are at least two county-level positions that Pierce said he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t intend to make a big push to fill with Republicans because highly qualified Democrats are either running for or currently holding them.

Keeping Teton County central to the local political agenda, rather than some of the more abstract extremes of national platforms, helps get things done, he said.

At their most recent caucus, he said, local Republicans removed certain platform points that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have much impact locally, including positions on abortion and gay marriage.

What remains important to Republicans in Jackson Hole is keeping a balance between private property rights and â&#x20AC;&#x153;smartâ&#x20AC;? conservation values, and keeping government from overreaching into private lives, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But of course, what we really want more than anything else is people who care about Teton County and want to do whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best locally,â&#x20AC;?

Pierce said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definitely something we try to make a priority in our politics.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Emma Breysse

8OQYa]\ 6]ZS 1][^Oaa " 3RWbW]\

PRICE CHAMBERS

Top: Rep. Ruth Ann Petroff, of Jackson, looks up from her desk in the Wyoming House of Representatives during her freshman session of the Legislature in 2011.

Right: Teton County voters will go to the polls for the Aug. 19 primary election to determine candidates in many county- and statewide races. The general election will be Nov. 4.

2012 Teton County votes

Presidential votes for Barack Obama (D) and Mitt Romney (R), and votes for Teton County Board of Commissioners candidates Claire Fuller (D), Melissa Turley (D), Barbara Allen (R) and Paul Perry (R).

Teton County PRECINCT

OBAMA

ROMNEY

FULLER

TURLEY

ALLEN

PERRY

1-1

515

513

374

413

522

499

1-2

578

261

408

422

294

286

1-3

244

268

179

195

275

252

1-4

86

97

56

74

84

75

1-5

581

323

383

450

349

294

1-6

401

308

270

355

306

286

1-7

419

273

298

371

294

287

1-8

509

273

321

379

333

284

1-9

479

225

312

360

269

236

1-10

295

430

218

257

383

403

1-11

86

59

58

76

64

61

2-1

355

506

275

311

487

475

3-1

146

152

104

115

134

139

4-1

392

248

308

301

285

238

4-2

524

463

377

431

471

417

4-3

353

159

291

259

196

149

4-4

144

142

102

115

143

132

5-1

104

158

68

99

147

159

6,211

4,858

4,402

4,983

5,036

4,672

Total

Jordan Schreiber

P

Voter registration, post 2012 election 14% 40%

21%

33%

US

Wyo.

65%

26%

24% 31% Teton County

45%

Democrat

Republican

Teton County

Other

olitical parties are playing a much different role in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s landscape. And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important for the valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s liberal leaders to adapt to those changes, said Jordan Schreiber, chairwoman of the Teton County Democratic Party. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I see parties playing a more behind-the-scenes role in local politics by focusing on helping prepare candidates for political office,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The role of the Teton County Democratic Party is to get progressive candidates elected to office. We aim to ensure that candidates have the tools they need to run successful campaigns and elected officials have the skills necessary to implement policy changes on the town, county and state levels.â&#x20AC;?

Schreiber has tried to strategically plan more and to plot out the actions necessary to achieve the partyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goals. At a meeting in March, county Democrats crafted a platform, called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sustainability Opportunity Integrity Freedom,â&#x20AC;? that covers everything from affordable housing and solid waste management on the county level to support for Medicaid expansion and equal pay initiatives on the state level. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our best chance of getting progressive policies enacted is to get the right people in power,â&#x20AC;? Schreiber said.

Schreiber sees the Latino population playing a substantial role in the future of the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s politics. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The party aims to bring this demographic into the political fold through more extensive outreach and engagement,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Talking to leaders in the Latino community helps us better understand what issues are important to them and how we can better ensure that they feel represented in local politics.â&#x20AC;?

The party also needs to better engage and invest in younger people who will be the next generation of Teton County leaders, she said. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Brielle Schaeffer

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Senate District 17: Christensen, registration April 2014

All or part of two Wyoming Senate districts lie within Teton County. Senate District 17 is represented by the Republican Leland Christensen and is composed of House Districts 16 and 23. As a result all but three of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 18 precincts lie within SD17. The districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s registration percentages are similar to that of the county as a whole: 44 percent Republican (the same as the whole county), 30 percent Democratic (versus 31 percent for the county) and 25 percent independent (compared with 24 percent).

Teton County Clerk

1-2 Mid-East Jackson 1-5 Mid-West Jackson 1-9 West Jackson 1-8 East Jackson 1-6 Cottonwood 1-11 Indian Trails 4-4 Teton Village 1-7 Rafter J 4-2 Moose-Wilson Road West 3-1 Moran 1-4 North Jackson 1-1 South of Jackson 1-3 Skyline 2-1 Kelly / Moose / Airport 5-1 Alta House District 16 total Senate District 17 total House District 23 total 20%

40% Republican

60% Democrat

Independent

80%

100%

Other

Senate District 16: Dockstader, registration April 2014

Dan Dockstader, a Republican, occupies the Senate District 16 seat. Three of the District 16 precincts lie within Teton County; these are the three leastRepublican precincts in the district. It is ironic, and perhaps not coincidental, that the two Wilson precincts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; two of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most Democratic-leaning precincts, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 42 percent to 38 percent â&#x20AC;&#x201D; form the northwestern most corner of this highly Republican district, where the overall registration favors Republicans 72 percent to 14 percent. As a rule of thumb, the closer an SD 16 precinct is to the town of Jackson, the lower its percentage of Republican voters.

Lincoln, Sublette, and Teton County Clerks

4-3 Wilson North 4-1 Wilson South 1-10 South Hoback Lincoln 2-3 Alpine Lincoln 2-10 Star Valley Ranch Sublette 5-1 Bondurant Lincoln 2-5 Etna / Freedom Lincoln 1-8 LaBarge Lincoln 2-4 Bedford Lincoln 2-8 Thayne Lincoln 2-6 Grover / Auburn Sublette 4-2 Daniel Lincoln 2-7 Osmond / Fairview Lincoln 2-1 Afton Lincoln 2-2 Afton Lincoln 2-9 Cokeville House District 22 total Senate District 16 total House District 21 total 20%

40% Republican

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60% Democrat

Independent

80% Other

100%

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Taxes

PRICE CHAMBERS

The $13 million START bus barn, scheduled for completion later this year, is one of several projects funded by the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s specific purpose excise tax.

Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s system of funding its government was set up in the mid-20th century. Wyoming chose not to tax income and instead opted to tax the basic economic activities of the time: extraction and going to the mercantile. Throw in property taxes, and the primary sources of revenue for Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s state and local governments are hydrocarbon-related taxes and sales taxes.

In funding local government Teton County faces two significant challenges. Because the county lacks mineral resources it receives little money from excise taxes. Additionally, because 97 percent of Teton County is owned by the federal government and because the federal government exempts itself from paying local property taxes, local government receives relatively little property tax. That leaves sales taxes, which each year account for roughly half of the combined town and county operating revenue (the proportion is higher for the town, which decades ago stopped levying its own property tax).

In Wyoming sales tax is levied on lodging and most tangible goods. Some items, such as groceries, are exempt.

Services are not taxed. As Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy becomes increasingly service oriented, the responsibility for funding local government falls on an increasingly smaller sector of the economy.

"

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The state of Wyoming imposes a 4 percent sales tax. Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voters have authorized two additional 1 percent sales taxes: 1 percent for local governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s general operating revenue and 1 percent for capital projects approved by the electorate (the specific purpose excise tax, or SPET).

In 2010 voters authorized a 2 percent lodging tax. As a result people staying in one of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hotels or short-term rental units pay a total of 8 percent sales tax: the baseline 6 percent plus an additional 2 percent for their hotel room.

Since the summer of 2004 the Teton Village Resort District, a special taxing district, has levied a separate 2 percent sales tax, the proceeds of which fund improvements in Teton Village. As a result, in Teton Village consumers pay 8 percent sales tax on items that in the town of Jackson are subject to 6 percent sales tax. By extension, consumers pay 10 percent on their lodging bill in Teton Village: 4 percent Wyoming sales tax plus 1 percent Teton County optional tax plus 1 percent SPET tax plus 2 percent lodging tax plus 2 percent Teton Village Resort District tax.

Jeff Golightly

J

Total taxable sales

Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total annual taxable sales reached a historic peak of $1.11 billion in the fall of 2008.

By summer 2010 that figure had fallen to $872 million, a 21 percent drop in 20 months. As of April 2014, sales had climbed back to $1.09 billion, and they are on pace to eclipse the old record sometime in the summer of 2014 (in millions).

WY Department of Revenue

Total taxable sales by location

For nearly three years the state of Wyoming has reported taxable sales by location of sale. Over that time 10 percent of the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taxable sales have occurred in Teton Village, 37 percent in the town of Jackson and 53 percent in the rest of the county. During that period sales in Teton Village have grown 21 percent, those in the town 10 percent and those in the rest of the county 8 percent (in millions).

WY Department of Revenue

Unincorporated county

Jackson

Teton Village

eff Golightly loves his job.

The CEO of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce said he is surrounded by great staff, works for great people and is performing a public good. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have a very healthy and respectful board and a fantastic staff to work with,â&#x20AC;? Golightly said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I probably wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have [taken the job] if the organization was broken, but past leadership was strong and left it in a good place.â&#x20AC;?

While the chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission may appear to serve businesses alone, â&#x20AC;&#x153;people in town need a paycheck to sustain their lives here,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re advocates for business first and foremost, but I do see it as a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;public goodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; organization.â&#x20AC;?

Golightly took the job less than two years ago after managing Togwotee Mountain Lodge for many years. He has a warm personality. In that respect, he said, he is not unlike most Jackson Hole business leaders. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more of the model here,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People find a way to this community who fit the values of this community. ... People donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t move here for a job.â&#x20AC;?

Another quality of people attracted to the valley can be seen in the businesses that succeed here, he said. Those who can make it work are typically good at what they do. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very fortunate to have a lot of local amenities created through our business community that you wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect to find in a community this small,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Find me another city with the number of people we have in Teton County that has the depth and breadth of culinary offerings this community has. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just one example.â&#x20AC;?

Golightly attributes the high quality of business offerings to the high cost of running a business. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It takes a hardy individualâ&#x20AC;? to make it in Jackson Hole, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard for an average business to be successful in Jackson.â&#x20AC;?

Expectations are high, he said, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s difficult to have strong margins when fixed costs are so high. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think that breeds excellence.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Mike Polhamus

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#

Total taxable sales by category

BRADLY J. BONER

As of April 2014, Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tax was generating about $4.6 million a year, an increase of 8 percent over the previous yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collections.

Retail sales have always accounted for the largest percentage of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taxable sales.

Interestingly, local retail sales went into decline well before the recession began in the fall of 2008 and were on pace to be eclipsed by lodging-related sales until the meltdown occurred. Since then both retail and restaurant sales have reached all-time highs while lodging is only just recovering from its spring 2013 nadir. After falling more than 50 percent from their all-time high, construction-related taxable sales have begun to recover, but remain 38 percent below their peak (in millions).

WY Department of Revenue

Retail Lodging

$

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All others Restaurants

Construction Autos

Lodging tax collections by month

5IF DVSSFOU MPEHJOH UBY XBT Ă STU MFWJFE JO "QSJM BOE CFHBO UP SFBDI JUT GVMM SFWFOVF HFOFSBUJOH QPUFOUJBM JO UIF TVNNFS PG "T PG "QSJM UIF UBY XBT HFOFSBUJOH BCPVU NJMMJPO B ZFBS BO JODSFBTF PG QFSDFOU PWFS UIF QSFWJPVT ZFBS T DPMMFDUJPOT 5IF MBX TBZT QFSDFOU PG UIFTF DPMMFDUJPOT Â&#x2021; NJMMJPO Â&#x2021; NVTU CF TQFOU PO UPVSJTN QSPNPUJPO BOE QFSDFOU UP iPGGTFU WJTJUPS JNQBDUTu NJMMJPO XJUI UIF SFNBJOJOH QFSDFOU HPJOH UP MPDBM HPWFSONFOU T DPGGFST

WY Department of Revenue

% &

Lodging tax by month, three-year average 8ZPNJOH T %FQBSUNFOU PG 3FWFOVF SFQPSUT TBMFT UBY DPMMFDUJPOT JO UIF NPOUI JU SFDFJWFT UIFN OPU XIFO UIFZ SF DPMMFDUFE "T B SFTVMU JU JT IBSE UP HFU BO BDDVSBUF FTUJNBUF PG TFBTPOBMJUZ 5IF $IBNCFS PG $PNNFSDF PCUBJOT MPEHJOH UBY EBUB CZ NPOUI DPMMFDUJPO 5IFTF EBUB TIPX UIBU TVN NFS +VOF 4FQUFNCFS BDDPVOUT GPS QFSDFOU PG BMM MPEHJOH SFMBUFE TBMFT XJOUFS %FDFNCFS .BSDI GPS QFSDFOU BOE UIF DPNCJOFE TIPVM EFS NPOUIT PG "QSJM .BZ 0DUPCFS BOE /PWFNCFS GPS QFSDFOU JO UIPVTBOET

WY Department of Revenue

# % $ &

% &

$ &

% &

$ &

Teton Village Resort tax collections by month

"T B TQFDJBM QVSQPTF EJTUSJDU UIF 5FUPO 7JMMBHF 3FTPSU "TTPDJBUJPO JT BCMF UP MFWZ B QFSDFOU TBMFT UBY PO BMM UBYBCMF QVSDIBTFT NBEF JO 5FUPO 7JMMBHF "T B SFTVMU B UBYBCMF JUFN QVSDIBTFE JO 5FUPO 7JMMBHF DPTUT QFSDFOU NPSF UIBO UIF TBNF JUFN QVSDIBTFE FMTFXIFSF JO 5FUPO $PVOUZ UIJT UBY XBT SBJTFE GSPN QFSDFOU UP QFSDFOU JO UIF TVNNFS PG 0WFS UIF MBTU GPVS ZFBST SPVHIMZ QFSDFOU PG BMM UBYBCMF TBMFT NBEF JO 5FUPO 7JMMBHF IBWF PDDVSSFE JO UIF XJOUFS QFSDFOU JO UIF TVNNFS BOE QFSDFOU JO UIF TIPVMEFS TFBTPOT WY Department of Revenue

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Life

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%

SPET tax projects approved and amount of money approved

In 1985, Teton County levied its first capital facilities tax, adding 1 percent to the basic sales tax rate.

That year one project was approved: $1.3 million to pay off bonds issued to fund the new county jail.

The tax is now known as the specific purpose excise tax, or SPET. In 2012, $18.8 million of SPET money was authorized to construct a new pathway along Highway 22 and Broadway and to fund phase one of the closing of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s landfill. Given that Teton County sells roughly $1.1 billion of taxable goods each year, it will take less than two years to raise those funds. (Graphs below in millions.)

WY Department of Revenue

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$40

8

$30

6

$20

4

$10

2

1985

1995

2005

1985

1995

2005

SPET tax projects approved by amount

Since 1985, under the capital facilities and SPET taxes, a total of $203.6 million has been authorized for 43 projects. The single biggest beneficiary has been the Teton County School District, which has received $42 million, roughly 20 percent of the total, and St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Medical Center, which has received $29 million (14 percent). The remaining $132 million has been split in a variety of ways, with sundry transportation projects receiving $37 million, and $35 million to projects involving trash and wastewater. (Graph below in millions.)

WY Department of Revenue

$50

Miscellaneous

Wastewater

Trash

County Buildings

Housing

Library

Schools

Hospital

$10

Transportation - Roads

$20

Transportation - START

$30

Transportation - Pathways

$40

Recreation

SPET tax projects approved by category

Of the 43 projects funded under the capital facilities and SPET taxes, the largest number have been to improve Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transportation system: five pathways projects, five roadways and sidewalks projects and two START bus projects. Another six have been for parks and recreation infrastructure. Other projects funded have ranged from new schools and a new library to improving the airport and hospital.

WY Department of Revenue

6

Miscellaneous

Wastewater

Trash

County Buildings

Housing

Library

1

Schools

2

Hospital

3

Transportation - Roads

4

Transportation - START

5 Transportation - Pathways

N

o matter how you slice it, Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2 percent lodging tax is doing what it was intended to do.

So says Ponteir Sackrey, president of the joint town and county Travel and Tourism Board. And she has numbers to back it up.

From July 2013 through April 2014 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the first 10 months of the fiscal year â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the tax brought in $4.14 million. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nearly as much as it brought in the entire 2012-13 fiscal year ($4.17 million).

Teton County sales and use tax collections are up 6.81 percent, occupancy rates are up more than 8 percent, airplane enplanements are up 12.5 percent and skier visits at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort were up 12 percent, Sackrey reported. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So does it work, is it effective?â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s working from any angle from which you might want to view it.â&#x20AC;?

Still, there are those who claim the tax, which is up for voter reapproval this fall, is essentially a subsidy to a small segment of the economy.

Sackrey says otherwise.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort might appear to be the main beneficiary of winter promotions, but of every $1 mountain resort customers spend only 25 percent goes to the ski area. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The rest of it goes to all the other businesses â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the restaurants, lodging, massage therapists,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It all supports everything we do.â&#x20AC;?

Also, 40 percent of lodging tax revenues go to the town and county governments. So far this fiscal year the town of Jackson has received $819,497, and Teton County has received $1,242,454. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So if someone feels tourism is not something they care to support, look at the other 40 percent,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do you ride the pathways, use the restrooms downtown, take the START bus?â&#x20AC;?

All of those services have been bolstered by the lodging tax, she said. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Richard Anderson

10

Recreation

Ponteir Sackrey

$50

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Economy

BRADLY J. BONER

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Conventional wisdom holds that Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy is driven by tourism. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not. Tourism is important to our economy and it helps shape the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s character. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also vital to the finances of our local government: Roughly half of the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s general revenues come from sales taxes, and roughly half of sales taxes are paid by tourists (estimates range from 40 to 60 percent).

But the data simply donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t support the claim that tourism is the engine driving Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic growth.

Graph 3 on page 31 (per capita personal income by type) and Graph 9 on page 33 (mean annual wage per covered job) give a clear sense of whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really going on. As graph 3 shows, through the early 1990s more than half of Teton County residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; personal income came from wages. Over the last 15 years or so, though, investment income â&#x20AC;&#x201D; little of which has to do with tourism â&#x20AC;&#x201D; has come to equal that from wages. Given the stock marketâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance over the last couple of years itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s likely residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; total investment income today exceeds total wage and salary income.

Looking at wage income (Graph 9), wages in tourism-related industries â&#x20AC;&#x201D; retail, lodging and restaurants â&#x20AC;&#x201D; have been essentially flat since the recession hit. In contrast the wages in white-collar

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jobs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; information, finance, professional services and, to a lesser extent, health care â&#x20AC;&#x201D; have been growing rapidly. Today these white-collar jobs are paying two or three times more than tourism jobs. In 2001 the gap was much smaller.

For two reasons nothing is going to change these trends. First, the wage structure of these professions is embedded in their business models: Tourism businesses need a lot of employees and canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay them much; white-collar businesses need fewer employees and pay much better. Second, due to infrastructure constraints, local tourism â&#x20AC;&#x201D; whether summer or winter â&#x20AC;&#x201D; has little room for growth.

In contrast establishing a professional services firm requires little more than a computer, Internet connection and smart phone. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clear that as long as Jackson Hole enjoys good air service and a high quality of life, the number of such firms will keep growing rapidly. As they do the challenge for local leaders will be to emphasize both the common interests of the two areas and the richness resulting from our increasing economic diversity.

Teton County total personal income

Since the Bureau of Economic Analysis first began tracking the figure, the total annual personal income of all Teton County residents has grown from $27 million in 1969 to $2.1 billion in 2012, a compounded annual growth rate of 10.6 percent. Back out inflation and the annual growth rate falls to 6.2 percent. On a per capita basis, incomes have gone from $3,836 in 1969 to $43,735 in 2012, a compounded annual growth rate of 5.8 percent (1.4 percent without inflation).

US Bureau of Economic Analysis

$3

$60,000

$2.5

$50,000

$2

$40,000

$1.5

$30,000

$1

$20,000

$.5

$10,000 1969

1979

1989

1999

Total personal income (left in billions)

2009

Per capita personal income (right)

Total personal income by type

In 1969 wages accounted for 50 percent of residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; income, with self-employment income and investments each accounting for about a quarter. In 2012 wages and investments each accounted for 42 percent of residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; income, with self-employment income accounting for one-eighth. During the peak year of 2007 investments accounted for 58 percent of residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; income, with wages accounting for only one-third.

US Bureau of Economic Analysis

$2,000,000

$1,500,000

$1,000,000

$500,000

1969 Investments

1979

1989

Wages

1999

Self-employment income

2009 Pensions

Per capita personal income by type, 2012

On a per capita income basis Teton County regularly ranks as one of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wealthiest counties. This was not always so, but by 1980 the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wealth was becoming obvious. In 2012 Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s per capita income of $93,194 was more than twice that of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and nearly twice that of Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. In 2012, on a per capita basis, Teton County residents earned roughly the same amount in investments as the typical U.S. resident did from all forms of income. Compared with the state as a whole, Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s per capita investment income was 88 percent that of the typical Wyoming residentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total income.

US Bureau of Economic Analysis

18%

17%

65%

25%

US $43,735

62%

Wyoming $50,566

47%

48%

Teton County $93,194

13% 5% Wages and self-employment

Pensions

Investments

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Annual covered employment by sector

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Covered employmentâ&#x20AC;? refers to jobs where an employer hires an employee and therefore is obliged to pay unemployment insurance and the like. In Teton County the lodging sector is far and away the largest employer, hiring more employees than the second- and third-largest sectors combined (restaurants and retail). In 2001 lodging and construction employed similar numbers of people; since 2008 the two industries have gone in different directions.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics

5,000

4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000

2001 Lodging Prof. services

2003

2005

2007

All other Restaurants Information and finance

2009 Retail Government

2011 Construction Health care

Number of employers by sector

Lodging, restaurants and retail employ the most people, but the nature of those industries is that they need large numbers of people to operate (in Teton County in 2012 the average lodging business employed 47 people, the average restaurant 19, and the average retail store 8). As a result, the largest number of businesses are found in industries that require the fewest employees and least overhead: professional services, an average of three employees; construction, an average of five employees; and information and finance, even including banks, an average of three employees.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics

600 500 400 300 200 100 2001 Lodging Prof. services

!

2003

2005

2007

All other Restaurants Information and finance

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2009 Retail Government

2011 Construction Health care

tion are

BRADLY J. BONER

Wages at tourism-related jobs such as restaurants and retail stores have been essentially flat since 2008, while those in white-collar jobs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; information, finance and professional services â&#x20AC;&#x201D; have been growing rapidly.

Mean annual wage by sector

In 2012 the average Teton County job â&#x20AC;&#x201D; full-time or part-time â&#x20AC;&#x201D; paid in $40,068. The average disguised a range in wages, however, with a high of $73,536 paid by the typical job in the information and finance sector to a low of $20,797 paid by the typical job in the restaurant sector. Generally speaking, Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jobs fall into three wage categories: higher than average (found in the information and finance, health care and professional services sectors) average (government, construction and all others) and lower than average (retail, lodging and restaurants). The latter three employ the most people, pay the lowest wages, and since 2001 have seen their average wage rapidly lose ground to the higher-than-average sectors.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics

$80,000 $60,000 $40,000 $20,000 2001

2003

2003

Lodging Prof. services

2005

2005

2007

All other Restaurants Information and finance

2007 Retail Government

2009

2009

2011

Construction Health care

Median and mean household incomes by ethnicity

In 2009, Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s estimated mean household income was 39 percent higher than its median household income. By 2012, the figure had risen to 54 percent, suggesting a growing concentration of wealth in the county. (In comparison, the figures for the U.S. as a whole were 36 percent in 2009 and 38 percent in 2012.) In 2010, the median white household in Teton County made 2.4 times more than the median Hispanic household (versus 1.36 times more for the nation as a whole). In 2012, that figure had tightened a bit to 1.96 times more (versus 1.38).

US Census Bureau

$120,000 $100,000 $80,000 $60,000 $40,000 $20,000 2010 Median income - Hispanic

2011 Median income - All

2012 Median income - White

Mean income - All

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Number of jobs in Teton County

In 1969 four out of five Teton County jobs were held by people working for someone else (a figure that included all of the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s self-employed ranchers). Today fully one-third of all Teton County jobs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; full- and part-time â&#x20AC;&#x201D; are held by those who are self-employed.

US Bureau of Economic Analysis

30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000

Bob McLaurin

B

ob McLaurin would admit he is neither an economist nor a fortune-teller, but his position as Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s town manager gives him a unique view of how the valley is faring.

By all accounts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; from sales tax to real estate to construction â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the economy seems to be continuing its upward climb from the lows of five or six years ago, the longtime municipal leader said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My sense is that from what I see and what I hear weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re largely out of the recession,â&#x20AC;? McLaurin said.

Sales tax revenue, which pays for two-thirds of the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operating budget, is nearly at pre-Great Recession levels.

Annual collections have increased drastically in recent years from their low in 2009. The increase from year to year is higher than the average annual jump even before the economy went south in 2008. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sales tax is back to where we were before we fell off the cliff,â&#x20AC;?

McLaurin said.

Other economic indicators in Jackson Hole are the number of open jobs and the availability of places to rent. When the economy is buzzing, affordable rentals dry up quickly and employers often canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find enough workers.

That appears to be the case now, McLaurin said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hear all over town itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to get employees,â&#x20AC;? he said.

McLaurin also pointed to the construction industry, which appears to be regaining its prerecession form. â&#x20AC;&#x153;How long does it take for a sub [contractor] to call you back?â&#x20AC;?

McLaurin said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an indicator, anecdotally.â&#x20AC;?

In busy times itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s difficult to get a subcontractor to return a call. When the economy bottomed out, everyone was looking for work and there was little. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s changing, McLaurin said.

When asked about the future, McLaurin is fond of saying he left his crystal ball in the dishwasher. But when prodded he said he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see any signs of things slowing down for the valley in the near future. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Ben Graham

!"

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10,000 5,000

1969

1979 Total jobs

1989

1999

Wage and salary jobs

2009

Self-employed jobs

Number of jobs per capita

Teton County has historically had a high ratio of jobs to residents. In 1990 the ratio exceeded one job for every full-time resident, a figure that includes children and those who are retired. This â&#x20AC;&#x153;more than one job per residentâ&#x20AC;? statistic puts Teton County in rarefied company among American counties. In 2012 Teton County had 1.25 full- and part-time jobs for every permanent resident.

US Bureau of Economic Analysis

1.5 1.2 0.9 0.6 0.3

1969

1979

1989 Teton County

1999

Wyoming

2009

US

Number of self-employed

Particularly since the 2008 recession, an increasing proportion of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s workforce has become self-employed: In 2002, 17 percent of all American jobs were held by the self-employed; in 2012 the figure was 22 percent. Perhaps due to its dependence on the mineral industry, Wyoming has not seen as big a shift, although its 2012 figure of 24 percent was slightly above the national average.

US Bureau of Economic Analysis

100% 80% 60% 40% 20%

US

Wyoming

Teton County

1972 1992 2012 1982 2002

1972 1992 2012 1982 2002

1972 1992 2012 1982 2002

Wage and salary jobs

Self-employed jobs

Full- and part-time jobs by sector

In 2012, fully one-third of all jobs in Teton County were held by self-employed people. This marked an increase of 50 percent from 2001. More strikingly, 98 percent of all of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s employment gains between 2001-2012 were among self-employed people. Not surprisingly, the largest proportion of self-employed people is found in professions not requiring a storefront presence.

US Bureau of Economic Analysis, US Bureau of Labor Statistics

Real estate Finance and insurance Professional services Construction Other services Administrative services Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Retail Health and social services Lodging and dining Transportation Manufacturing Information Education Government 1,000

2,000

3,000 Self-employed

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

Covered employment

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Tourism

PRICE CHAMBERS

Barker-Ewing Float Trips guide Nick Huckin points out some interesting features of the Snake River as guests enjoy the relaxing float.

The greatest challenge facing Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tourism industry is figuring out how to succeed in an era of slow growth.

Oversimplified, there are two ways Jackson Holeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tourism businesses can make more money: bring in more tourists or charge each tourist more.

Because of the infrastructure in Yellowstone and Grand Teton â&#x20AC;&#x201D; roads, visitor services, trails and the like â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Teton County is about maxed out in how many tourists can visit during the summer.

That means the only way to increase revenue is to charge more.

The problem with that concept is that the infrastructure of global tourism is growing faster than the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population. As a result, supply is outstripping demand, and that limits what can be charged. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the case locally, where the number of hotel rooms has grown faster than summer visitors.

In the winter the slow growth problem is not as immediate. Assuming Jackson Hole Mountain Resort will always remain the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary winter draw, the critical number is the ski resortâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goal of limiting the number of skiers at one time to 7,500. Do the math, and 7,500 skiers a day times 130 days each season equals a maximum of 975,000 skiers in a season. That is a huge number â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 75 percent greater than this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s record number of skiers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but,

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given current growth rates, the resort will hit it soon. Based on this past yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth Jackson Hole resort will hit 975,000 skier days four years from now.

Use the more modest rate of 7 percent seen in the last 14 years and 975,000 skier days will be reached in eight years.

Such high growth rates will be hard to sustain, so it may be well over a decade before the mountain maxes out.

That day will come, though. And once it does there will be only two ways for winter growth to continue at a rapid rate: The community will have to agree to a much larger Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, or local businesses will have to begin cannibalizing one another.

Jackson Holeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s geography and huge proportion of public land have made it an attractive place to live and visit.

The flip side of those qualities is that they create constraints, natural and legal, on how many people the valley can house permanently or as guests. Even if we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t acknowledge the fact, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve already begun to run up against those growth limits in the summer. Given Jackson Hole Mountain Resortâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll soon be doing so in the winter. Thoughtful businesses will plan accordingly.

Y

ellowstone and Grand Teton Fueled by the steady stream of tourists national parks will likely always that reaches peak numbers in the core reliably draw vacationing families months of July and August, the rafting on sightseeing road trips through business is steady year to year. Remarkably, the West. itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not even dependent on the whims of Look around in summer: There are weather, snowpack and runoff. hundreds and thousands of them. One worry â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ever draw a direct line of Lewis&Clark River Expeditions owner between a good business year on the river James Peck is that Jackson Hole will one day and what the river flows are,â&#x20AC;? Peck said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The two are not really break the budgets of strongly related.â&#x20AC;? the average American Because of a regulated, family. There are other, steady number of permits for less costly gateways to floats that course through Yellowstone. the Bridger-Teton National â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to Forest, new competitors are become such an few and far between. exclusive market that Visitation numbers we walk away from to Grand Teton and our original tourist Yellowstone have held steady economy, which is for decades. And the breed of family national-parkperson coming through the based vacations,â&#x20AC;? Peck national parks also tends to said.

James Peck like getting soaked on the He said he feels Snake River. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a healthy thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a difference between Jackson and Aspen, Colorado â&#x20AC;&#x201D; at relationship for Lewis&Clark and other least people in Jackson like to tell themselves rafting companies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope that the average tourist to Jackson thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a difference.

Peckâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concern aside, in his two decades Hole continues to embrace a bona fide running Lewis&Clark he hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t noticed outdoor ethic,â&#x20AC;? Peck said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the much of a change in the demographic of the reason theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re coming here. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My fearful side is that somehow there average rafter. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still mostly families, ones is less interest in kids being outdoors and seeking new, pulse-raising experiences. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The average rafting customer in Jackson families doing outdoor vacations,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Mike Koshmrl really hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been rafting before,â&#x20AC;? Peck said.

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National Park recreational visits, 12-month running totals

During the fiscal year ending in April 2014, 3,194,204 people paid a recreational visit to Yellowstone National Park, and 2,666,100 visited Grand Teton. The visitor figures for both parks exclude commercial traffic, such as delivery trucks, and people who happen to drive through the park on their way to other destinations, such as those traveling from Jackson to Dubois.

During the past year, visitor numbers for both parks were hurt by Octoberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s federal government shutdown. The Yellowstone figures were also affected by that park changing its counting method in June 2013 and not being able to afford to correct earlier figures to allow for an apples-to-apples comparison. Despite annual variations, Grand Tetonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recreational visitation numbers today are about what they were at the turn of the century.

National Park Service

Will Bradof

R

estaurateur Will Bradof sees the rise in new and better places to eat in Jackson Hole as a positive trend in the tourism economy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For a lot of people, a great dinner is part of the whole vacation experience,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Jackson food scene has changed in the last 10 years in a great way.â&#x20AC;?

Thanks to the Internet and social media, people outside Jackson Hole are aware that opportunities to dine well in the Tetons abound. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big part of driving another type of vacationer to Jackson Hole who wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have come here otherwise,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Bradof is co-owner of the downtown Jackson eateries Trio, An American Bistro, which opened in 2005, and Local Restaurant and Bar, which opened in 2012.

In summer and ski season about 40 percent of the people at his tables are out-of-towners. Even in shoulder seasons about 20 to 30 percent of customers are visitors.

Though Bradof has contributed to the creation of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;restaurant sceneâ&#x20AC;? in Jackson, he tips his hat to Joe Riceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blue Collar Restaurant Group â&#x20AC;&#x201D; among whose operations are Merry Piglets, Sidewinders, Ignight and Liberty Burger â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and Gavin Fineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fine Dining Restaurant Group, which includes Rendezvous Bistro, the Kitchen and Bin 22.

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re his rivals, sure, but â&#x20AC;&#x153;the competition adds to the value Jackson has as a destination,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jackson didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have so much to offer 15 years ago.â&#x20AC;?

Bradof would like to see more high-end hotels in the heart of Jackson like Teton Villageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s swanky Hotel Terra, Four Seasons Resort and Snake River Lodge and Spa. With the increase in fine dining options in Teton Village, wellheeled travelers staying at luxury properties there donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to drive into town for a good meal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think Jackson needs all kinds of hotel options,â&#x20AC;? Bradof said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to see more hotel operations on the upper-end level.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Jennifer Dorsey

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Grand Teton National Park

Yellowstone National Park

Annual skier days

During the 2013-14 ski season Jackson Hole Mountain Resort recorded a record number of skier days: 563,631, a whopping 12 percent higher than 2013â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total, the previous high. Less wellknown is that Grand Targhee Resort also set a record in 2013-14, registering 168,166 skier days, 5 percent higher than the previous record, which was set in 2008. In contrast, the uncertainty surrounding Snow Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future was reflected in its skier day count of 37,200 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 5,000 more than in 2013, but less than half the all-time high enjoyed in 1998. This past year Jackson Hole Mountain Resort accounted for 73 percent of all skier days in Teton County. Grand Targhee accounted for 22 percent, and Snow King accounted for the remaining 5 percent.

Ski resorts and US Forest Service

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

Grand Targhee

Snow King

Jackson Hole Airport enplanements, 12-month running totals

During the fiscal year ending in April 2014, 311,436 people boarded a commercial flight at Jackson Hole Airport. While that is slightly lower than the airportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all-time high enplanement count (318,550 in August 2008), March and April 2014 have seen the highest enplanement count since the recession, and trends suggest that new all-time records should be set during the summer of 2014.

Jackson Hole Airport

Demographics

PRICE CHAMBERS

Amanda Lawson and Michael Crispe celebrate the new year at Town Square Tavern. Teton County is home to about 1,100 more males than females. Roughly 60 percent of the gap is in the 25-39 age group, i.e., the most active dating years.

In 2013 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s year-round population was 22,288. That is a compounded annual growth rate of 1.5 percent, essentially the same as the county experienced during the previous decade and twice the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rate of growth since 2010. Roughly 60 percent of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population growth since 2010 is due to â&#x20AC;&#x153;vital events,â&#x20AC;? i.e., more births than deaths.

Of the people moving in from outside the county, most have come from other states in America.

A striking element of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population growth between 1990 and 2010 was how the two decades mirrored each another. During that 20-year stretch the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population doubled, with 70 percent of that growth coming during the 1990s and the vast majority of those new residents being white.

During the 2000s, roughly three-quarters of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approximately 3,000 new residents were nonwhite, with the vast majority â&#x20AC;&#x201D; two-thirds â&#x20AC;&#x201D; being Hispanic.

Similarly striking has been how the the growth of the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hispanic community has changed two aspects of the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demographics: median age and ethnic composition of the town of Jackson.

The median age of a white resident of Teton County is 37.7 years. The median age of a Hispanic resident is 28.3 years, more than nine years younger.

Combine that with the growth in the

Decennial population and growth of Teton County

Teton County was created on Feb. 15, 1921, carved from the northern half of Lincoln County. The first census to measure its population, in 1930, found 2,003 residents. Eighty years later the 2010 census found the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population was more than 10 times greater, 21,294. Nearly half the growth has occurred since 1990.

US Census Bureau

25,000

100%

20,000

80%

15,000

60%

10,000

40%

5,000

20%

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Population (left)

number of Hispanic residents since 2000 and the result is that the median age of the county has stayed flat during the last decade or so. But just as the community is drifting toward an economic divide of haves and have-nots, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also drifting toward a demographic divide of younger, poorer Hispanic residents and older, wealthier white residents.

In 2000 the census found the town of Jackson had 8,647 full-time residents.

Ten years later the figure had grown to 9,646, an increase of 999. The data reveal that during that same period the number of Hispanics living in Jackson grew by 1,666. That means that during the 2000s the number of non-Hispanic residents living in Jackson shrank by 667, or 8 percent from 2000. In 2010 the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hispanic residents had grown to 28 percent of the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population, a figure likely near one-third today.

County growth from 2010 to 2013 US Census Bureau

2010 population

21,288

Births

793

Deaths

216

Net increase due to vital events International migration

+577 36

Domestic migration

337

Net increase due to migration

+373

Not identified

+30

Total increase

980

2013 population

22,268

Growth since previous Census (right)

" 3RWbW]\ 8OQYa]\ 6]ZS 1][^Oaa

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Ethnicity by population area, 2012

The town of Jackson is home to about 45 percent of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residents and 84 percent of its nonwhite residents: Eighty-seven percent of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hispanic residents and 74 percent of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other nonwhite residents live within the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s borders. As a result the population of the town is 67 percent white; the rest of the county is 95 percent white.

US Census Bureau

25,000 20,000 15,000

Yves Desgouttes

A

lthough Jackson Hole was settled about 120 years ago mostly by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the demographics began to change in the 1960s. Climbers, skiers, outdoor lovers and selfdescribed hippies began flooding here.

The first wave of Latino immigrants arrived in the 1980s, and more quickly followed as the real estate boom took off, boosting growth and providing jobs that many college kids didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want: dish washing, housekeeping, food prep.

After France-born Yves Desgouttes bought a home in Jackson in 1990, he hired a dozen Latinos to work in two motels he ran. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some of the Anglos said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Why are they taking our jobs?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think they ever took jobs people wanted,â&#x20AC;? Desgouttes said. Within the next couple of decades, the Latino population increased to about 16 percent of Teton County, according to the most recent U.S. census figures. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think they flourished,â&#x20AC;?

Desgouttes said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A full generation has been here.â&#x20AC;?

The newest wave of immigrants here seems to be Eastern European young adults here on work visas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re mostly Moldavian and Romanian,â&#x20AC;? Desgouttes said.

The valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tourist economy needs young people who want to work, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know a guy who works about 68 hours a week,â&#x20AC;? he said.

As the immigrants to Jackson Hole are becoming more firmly rooted, Desgouttes said, they have risen from the jobs that nobody else wants. As more of their children graduate from college, because â&#x20AC;&#x153;most of them have more family loyalty than we have,â&#x20AC;? he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;those kids will come back.â&#x20AC;?

In 20 years, Desgouttes said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think you will have more and more Latino professionals, doctors and lawyers.â&#x20AC;?

Integration into the community, buoyed by nonprofits like the Latino Resource Center and Community Resource Center, is only a matter of time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I remember the first time I saw a Latino snowboard on Snow King,â&#x20AC;?

Desgouttes said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and I went â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Yes!â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Johanna Love

"

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10,000 5,000 Teton, WY

MooseHoback Wilson Teton Wilson Road Village Jackson South Park Rafter J Alta Rest of county Hispanic

White

Other

Ethnicity of Teton County

Ninety-eight percent of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residents were white in 1990. Between 1990 and 2010, onethird of the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new residents were either Hispanic (3,033 of the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10,122 new residents) or were other people who did not identify themselves as white (448 new residents). As a result, Teton County is one of Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most ethnically diverse and, by nearly two-fold, has Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest proportion of foreign-born residents.

6%

1990 11,172

15%

2000 18,251

97%

2010 21,294

91%

White

82%

Hispanic

Other

Age pyramid for Teton County, 2010

Teton County is home to about 1,100 more males than females. Roughly 60 percent of the gap lies in the three categories spanning the ages 25-39, the most active dating years. That gap is known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the ratio.â&#x20AC;?

US Census Bureau

>=85 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39 30-34 25-29 20-24 15-19 10-14 5-9 <5 1,500 1,200 900

600

300 Males

0

300 Females

600

900 1,200 1,500

Median Age by ethnicity and sex, 2012

Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall median age is slightly lower than that of the nation or state; the town of Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is markedly lower. The younger ages hold true both for Jackson Holeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s white and nonwhite populations. The town of Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s median age is much lower than the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, a reflection of the large number of nonwhite people living in the town. As is the case for the nation and state, the median age of Jackson Holeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s male population is younger than that of Jackson Holeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s females.

US Census Bureau

50

40 30 20 10

All US

Wyoming

Men

Teton

US

Jackson

Wyoming

Women

Teton

Total

White

US

Jackson

Wyoming

Teton

Jackson

Hispanic

Marital status by gender, 2012

There are not only many more men than women in Teton County, there are many more unmarried men. Of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never-married adults, 60 percent are male. Hence Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall ratio is 1.5 single men for every single woman.

US Census Bureau

10%

12% 36%

12% 30%

9%

US Female

US Male 52%

Wyoming Male

49%

56% Never married

22%

9%

Teton Female

Teton Male

51%

45%

Widowed

34%

45%

Wyoming Female 56%

Married

9%

8%

13% 30%

Divorced

value

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Housing

PRICE CHAMBERS

Katie Healy with AmeriCorp helps Jim Wolfgang work on his Habitat for Humanity home in Teton Village. Home prices in the valley have been out of reach for workers for many years.

When Teton County was 19 years old the 1940 census counted 2,543 residents and 801 homes, an average of 3.2 people in each home. Even then there was a small number of second homes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 11 percent.

The average household size that year was 3.6 people.

Seventy years later the census counted 21,294 year-round residents, an 8.4fold increase. The number of homes was 12,813, a 16-fold increase, and there was one home for every 1.7 permanent residents. Because in 2010 only 70 percent of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s housing stock was occupied year-round, the average household size had shrunk by a third, to 2.4.

According to a study by the Teton County Housing Authority, 1986 was the last year someone earning a median Jackson Hole income could afford to buy the median-priced Jackson Hole

Occupancy percentage for Teton County Year

Percent occupied

1940

89%

1950

81%

1960

63%

1970

78%

1980

77%

1990

65%

2000

75%

2010

70%

home. Consistent data on real estate sales date back to 1992. That year the mean price of a single-family home sold in Teton County was $290,000; in 2013 it was $1.6 million, a compounded annual growth rate of 8.4 percent.

For condominiums the mean sale price has increased from $142,000 in 1992 to $623,669 in 2013, a compounded annual growth rate of 7.3 percent. For residential lots the mean price in 1992 was $181,000.

By 2013 it was $1.3 million, a compounded annual growth rate of 9.9 percent.

As a whole the mean sales price of all Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residential properties rose from $212,514 in 1992 to $1.3

million in 2013, a compounded annual average of 8.8 percent. By comparison, during this same period Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s per capita income rose at a compounded rate of 4.7 percent; inflation rose at a compound annual rate of 2.4 percent.

The growth in housing prices puts Teton County in lofty company, ranking the county sixth in America for median home value. To oversimplify, the 20 counties in America with the highest median home values fall into two categories: commerce and play. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;commerce countiesâ&#x20AC;? can be divided into finance, e.g., New York and Westchester counties, and technology, e.g. six counties in the San Francisco area.

The â&#x20AC;&#x153;play countiesâ&#x20AC;? can also be divided in two: actual islands (Nantucket, Marthaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vineyard, three Hawaiian islands and Washingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s San Juan islands) and landlocked islands (Jackson Hole and Aspen, Colorado).

Total housing units by occupancy in Teton County

Teton County had 801 housing units in 1940. By 2010 that number had increased 15-fold to 12,813.

During that same period the number of permanent residents increased half as quickly. Today only 70 percent of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s housing stock is occupied full time. Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current housing stock is an estimated 13,150 units.

US Census Bureau

15,000

12,000

9,000

6,000

3,000

1940

1950

1960 Occupied

"

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1970

1980 Vacant

1990

2000

2010

Total housing units by location

Proportion of residents by home-ownership status

In 2010, 37 percent of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s housing units were in the town of Jackson. No other area had more than 11 percent. During the decade of the 2000s, 875 of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2,186 new housing units â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 40 percent â&#x20AC;&#x201D; were built in the town of Jackson. The West Bank area stretching from Wilson to Teton Village accounted for an additional 26 percent of the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s housing growth.

US Census Bureau

Fifty-one percent of the people in the U.S. live in homes with a mortgage, 16 percent in homes free of a mortgage and 33 percent in rental housing. The ratios are similar in Wyoming but much different in Teton County, where 43 percent of people are renters. In the town of Jackson, more than three-fifths of all people live in rental housing. In the unincorporated areas of the county, barely a quarter do.

US Census Bureau

41%

16%

61%

31%

21%

28%

Town of Jackson

Own with mortgage

49%

Unincorporated county 8%

18%

Hoback and South Park

23%

Own without mortgage

Rent

Residents per housing unit

Wilson

The number of occupants in the average Teton County residence is 2.3, slightly below the national and state averages. Throughout the county, the average ranges from 1.9 in Teton Village to 2.6 in Alta and South Park. Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hispanic residents live in households two-thirds larger than those of white residents, an average of 3.7 people in each household compared with 2.2.

US Census Bureau

Teton Village Rafter J

US

Alta

Wyoming

Rest of county

Teton County Jackson 1

2010 x1,000

Wyoming

Teton County (all)

Moose-Wilson Road

50%

29%

US 43%

Jackson

51%

33%

2

3

4

5

2000 x1,000

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0.5

1.0 Hispanic

1.5

2.0

Total

2.5 White

3.0

3.5

4.0

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Total residential property sales

In 2013 the total number of residential properties sold in Teton County grew for the fourth consecutive year, reaching a post-recession high of 696. That is still well below the 1.032 properties sold in the peak year of 2005, but it does mark a six-year high. Total dollar volume was also at a six-year high, but mean prices continued to fall.

Jackson Hole Report; David Viehman

Brett McPeak

I

f real estate agent Brett McPeak had to describe the Jackson Hole housing market with one word only, that word would be â&#x20AC;&#x153;hype.â&#x20AC;?

McPeak, a licensed Realtor since 1994 who is now with Re/Max Obsidian, said many of the challenges facing the market now are the same ones he saw when he got his start in real estate. The problem, he said, is that the Jackson Hole area is such a coveted place to live, more people are moving here than it can support.

While the problem isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t new, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s getting worse, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As far as inventory levels ... weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at an almost 20-year low,â&#x20AC;? McPeak said â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just not a lot out there.â&#x20AC;?

Still, demand continues to grow for the same reason it has for decades. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What keeps people coming out here? The mountains havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t changed.

The scenery hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t changed. The culture hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t changed,â&#x20AC;? McPeak said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even through the economic downturn, people still came here.â&#x20AC;?

McPeak wanted to live in valley for many of the same reasons he sees others wanting to live here: plenty of gorgeous scenery, outdoor activities and the opportunity to work in a close-knit community.

He says that despite having decades of experience watching the housing market, he has no crystal ball about what the future might look like. There are more questions than answers in his mind, he said, and they are looming questions about whether Jackson Holeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current level of growth can be maintained. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At what point do you close the gate?â&#x20AC;? he asked. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Who deserves to live here? How much is too much development? Where do you draw the line?â&#x20AC;? Another question, he said, is how to address that rift thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing between jobs and wages on the one hand and the reality of rental rates in town on the other. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got questions,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got zero answers. ... My crystal ball is busted.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Josh Cooper

""

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1,200

$2,000

900

$1,500

600

$1,000

300

$500

1992

1995

1998

2001

2004

Number of sales (left)

2007

2010

2013

Mean price (right x1,000)

Single family home sales

In 2013 single-family-home sales mirrored the overall pattern of property sales, with the number of sales and total dollar volume reaching six-year highs. Median single-family-home prices continued a general pattern of decline, but at $835,000 the median single-family home is still well beyond the reach of the typical Teton County wage earner.

Jackson Hole Report; David Viehman

400

$2,000

300

$1,500

200

$1,000

100

$500

1992

1995

1998

2001

2004

Number of sales (left)

2007

2010

2013

Mean price (right x1,000)

Condominium sales

2013â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s condominium sales stayed active, with greater sales, stable mean prices and higher median prices.

Jackson Hole Report; David Viehman

500

$1,250

400

$1,000

300

$750

200

$500

100

$250

1992

1995

1998

2001

Number of sales (left)

2004

2007

2010

2013

Mean price (right x1,000)

Total value of residential housing sales

In 2013 single-family home sales mirrored the pattern of overall property sales, with the number of sales and total dollar volume reaching six-year highs. Median single-family home prices continued a pattern of decline, but at $835,000 the median single-family home is still well beyond the reach of the typical Teton County wage earner. Condominium sales stayed active, with greater sales, stable mean prices and higher median prices.

Jackson Hole Report; David Viehman

$15,000

Occupancy status of housing units by area

In 2010 70 percent of Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s housing stock was occupied by full-time residents. An estimated 26 percent was second homes or was being used for short-term rentals. The remaining 4 percent fell into other categories, including property for sale. Rafter J has the highest proportion of resident-occupied homes, 92 percent; Teton Village has the lowest, 32 percent.

US Census Bureau

$12,000 Jackson Hoback and South Park $9,000

Moose-Wilson Road Wilson

$6,000

Teton Village Rafter J

$3,000

Alta Rest of county 1992

1995

1998

Total residential x100,000

2001

2004

2007

Single family home x100,000

2010

2013

Condominium x100,000

2,000 Occupied

4,000

2nd home & vacation rentals

Other

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Region

BRADLY J. BONER

The afternoon sun strikes cottonwood trees as a pair of anglers take in the fall foliage on a float through Snake River canyon.

From an economic perspective Jackson Hole is a single community that straddles two states and four counties: It encompasses all of Teton County, Wyoming, and Teton County, Idaho (Teton Valley), the northern part of Lincoln County (Star Valley), Wyoming, and the northeastern portion of Sublette County, Wyoming. Close Teton Pass or the Snake River canyon and communities on both sides suffer. Sublette has become more self-sustaining since the gas boom began a decade ago, but Teton County, Wyoming, still provides health care and similar services to the Pinedale area.

Economic links mask meaningful differences in demographics and other metrics. The permanent populations of Teton Valley and Sublette County are about the same, right around 10,000. Star Valley is about 25 percent more populous and is the

only one of the areas surrounding Jackson Hole to have had population growth during the past few years.

Though they are about the same size, Teton Valley is home to about as many Hispanics as Sublette County and Star Valley combined. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no coincidence the median age in the latter two counties is significantly higher than Teton Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a significant difference between Teton County, Wyoming, and its neighbors when we look at marriage and religion. In Teton, Wyoming, 45 percent of adults are married and only 26 percent are regular churchgoers. Star Valley is at the other end: Two-thirds of all

adults are married, and 63 percent of all Lincoln County residents attend church on a regular basis. In fact more Lincoln County residents belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints alone than go to all churches in the two Teton counties combined.

The value of the typical Jackson Hole home is more than twice that of the typical Pinedale-area home and more than three times that of the typical home in Teton Valley or Star Valley. So itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no surprise that Jackson Holeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skyrocketing house prices led to a huge building boom in the adjacent counties. Thirtyfour percent of Teton County Idahoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homes, 23 percent of Star Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homes and 27 percent of the greater Pinedale areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s have been built since 2000. In contrast, only 14 percent of the housing stock in Teton County, Wyoming, was built during that time. Ditto the nation and state of Wyoming.

Total population

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that on July 1, 2013, 51,294 people lived in the Jackson Hole area: 22,268 in Teton County, Wyoming, 12, 855 in Star Valley, 10,275 in Teton County, Idaho, and 6,527 in the Pinedale area. Since 2000 the Jackson Hole areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population has grown 39 percent. During the same time the U.S. population grew 12 percent, Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population grew 18 percent and Idahoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population grew 25 percent. Between 2010 and 2013, the population of Teton County, Wyoming, grew an estimated 4.6 percent, roughly twice the rate of the nation.

US Census Bureau

TETON, WY

25,000 TETON, ID

20,000

SUBLETTE, WY

15,000 10,000

LINCOLN, WY

5,000

Pinedale

Sublette 2000

Teton, ID

Star Valley

2010

2013

Teton, WY

" 3RWbW]\ 8OQYa]\ 6]ZS 1][^Oaa

"%

Place of birth

Thirteen percent of all U.S. residents were born outside the United States. In the greater Jackson Hole area, the range is from 11 percent (Teton County, Idaho) to 2 percent (the Star Valley).

US Census Bureau

US Idaho Wyoming Teton, ID Sublette, WY Teton, WY Star Valley, WY Pinedale, WY 20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Foreign born

Native born

Percent of population speaking Spanish at home

In 13 percent of all U.S. homes Spanish is the primary spoken language. In the greater Jackson Hole region the proportion is a bit higher in Teton County, Idaho, (16 percent) and Teton County, Wyoming, (15 percent) and significantly lower in the Star Valley and greater Pinedale areas (3 percent).

US Census Bureau

US Idaho Wyoming Teton, ID

Median age

Sublette, WY Teton, WY Star Valley, WY Pinedale, WY 5%

10%

15%

20%

In 2012 the estimated median age of residents in the greater Jackson Hole area ranged from a low of 33.9 years (Teton County, Idaho) to a high of 39.6 years (the Pinedale area). The median ages in Teton County, Wyoming, and Star Valley were virtually identical: 36.6 and 36.7 years. The median age in the U.S. was 37.2.

US Census Bureau

50

Ethnicity of population in 2012

In the United States in 2012, 64 percent of the population was white, 16 percent Hispanic and 20 percent some other ethnicity. In the greater Jackson Hole region the figures were: Teton County, Idaho, 82 percent white, 16 percent Hispanic and 2 percent other; Teton County, Wyoming, 83 percent white, 15 percent Hispanic and 3 percent other; greater Pinedale, 84 percent white, 8 percent Hispanic and 8 percent other; and Star Valley, 93 percent white, 4 percent Hispanic and 2 percent other.

US Census Bureau

7%

16% Teton, ID 10,007

15%

86% 4%

30

Teton, WY 21,326

Sublette, WY 10,065

82%

40

83%

20

White

"&

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Hispanic

Other

2000

2012

Pinedale, WY

Star Valley, WY

Teton, WY

Teton, ID

Wyoming

84% US

93%

10 Idaho

Pinedale, WY 6,550

Star Valley, WY 12,639

Sublette, WY

8%

BRADLY J. BONER

The final rays of daylight strike the Grand Teton as seen from Teton Valley, Idaho, at sunset on a summer evening.

Percent of adults who are married

In 2012 an estimated 45 percent of Teton County, Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adults (those age 18 and older) were married. That places Teton County well below the national average of 51 percent. At the high end of the range for the region, two-thirds of all adults in the Star Valley were married.

US Census Bureau

US Idaho Wyoming

Median home value

In 2012 the median value of an American housing unit (single-family home, condo, townhouse, apartment, mobile home) was $181,400. In Star Valley it was $223,500; in Teton Valley, $226,500; in Pinedale, $299,000; and in Teton County, Wyoming, $692,700 (chart in thousands).

US Census Bureau

US

Teton, ID Sublette, WY

Idaho

Teton, WY Star Valley, WY

Wyoming

Pinedale, WY 10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80% Teton, ID

Percent of adults with high school and college degrees

Every portion of the greater Jackson Hole area â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Teton County, Wyoming, Pinedale, Star Valley and Teton County, Idaho â&#x20AC;&#x201D; has a higher proportion of high school graduates than the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s average of 86 percent. The same is not true for those holding bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degrees or better: The national average is 29 percent, higher than the 26 percent among Star Valley residents.

US Census Bureau

US Idaho Wyoming Teton, ID Sublette, WY Teton, WY Star Valley, WY Pinedale, WY

Sublette, WY

Teton, WY

Star Valley, WY

Pinedale, WY 20% High school degree

40% 60% 80% Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree or higher

100%

$100

$200

$300

$400

$500

$600

$700

$800

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Population in workforce

For the nation as a whole in 2012, 58 percent of adults were employed, 6 percent were unemployed and 35 percent were not in the workforce. In every portion of the greater Jackson Hole area a higher proportion of adults was employed and lower proportions were unemployed or not in the workforce. In Teton County, Wyoming, roughly four out of five adults were employed, suggesting a vital economy and also a high cost of living.

US Census Bureau

Religious practices

In 2010 about half of all Americans regularly attended a religious service. In Teton County, Wyoming, 26 percent did (with the Catholic church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints each accounting for about one-quarter of all regular churchgoers). In Lincoln County, 63 percent of residents regularly attend church (with Latter-day Saints accounting for about five-sixths of all churchgoers). US Religious Census

34%

7%

61%

Lincoln, WY

Teton, ID 4%

US

8% 14%

67%

Sublette, WY 8%

7%

9%

74%

7% Teton, WY

53% Non-religious

Idaho

37%

Catholic

Episcopalian

LDS

Other religion

Residents without health insurance

In 2012 (before the Affordable Care Act kicked in) a far higher proportion of residents in both Teton counties were without health insurance than in the nation as a whole. This was true for both adults and children. In the greater Pinedale area a greater proportion of children and a lower proportion of adults were uninsured than the national average. Star Valley had lower uninsured rates for both adults and children.

US Census Bureau

Wyoming Teton, ID Sublette, WY

US Idaho

Teton, WY

Wyoming Teton, ID

Star Valley, WY

Sublette, WY Teton, WY

Pinedale, WY 20%

40%

Star Valley, WY 60%

80% 100%

Unemployed Employed Not in labor force

Pinedale, WY 5% 10% 15% Children Total population

20%

25%

Elevating the culture of Jackson Hole

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#

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Peers BRADLY J. BONER

Skiers load the Bridger Gondola at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The stereotype that ski bums in resort towns are some of the most educated people in the county has a ring of truth to it: 44 percent of the residents of every one of the peer counties has a bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree or better.

Eight counties in the northern Rockies are closely identified with ski areas. Five are in Colorado: Eagle (Vail and Beaver Creek), Pitkin (Aspen), Routt (Steamboat), San Miguel (Telluride) and Summit (Breckenridge and Keystone).

Three other states have one each: Blaine, Idaho (Sun Valley), Summit, Utah (Park City and Deer Valley) and Teton, Wyoming (Jackson Hole).

With the exception of Park City and Deer Valley these ski areas lie on U.S. Forest Service land. As a result, public lands play a prominent role in shaping the economies and cultures of each of the eight counties. This is especially true in Teton County, which has more acreage owned by the National Park Service alone than what lies in five of the other seven counties.

Eagle County is the most populous

and ethnically diverse of the peer counties. As a result it also has the youngest median age. To the extent that any of the peers could be considered â&#x20AC;&#x153;working class,â&#x20AC;? Eagle comes closest, with two-thirds of its income coming from wages. Only Summit, Utah, comes close to matching that percentage, and in many ways it is the most anomalous of its peers: It is essentially a bedroom community of Salt Lake City that just happens to have a world-class ski area in its backyard.

The stereotype of the overeducated ski bum has a strong basis in fact: At least 44 percent of the residents of ev-

ery one of the peer counties has a bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree or better, far higher than the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 28 percent average. From a financial perspective, though, advanced degrees are much less highly valued in the peer communities than in the nation as a whole. With the exception of Park City, while the economies in the peer communities are clearly becoming increasingly oriented toward professional services, the transition lags well behind America overall.

Again excepting Park City, one other thing the peer communities share is that even with a graduate degree the typical peer community salary is not enough on its own to afford the purchase of a median-priced home. In some cases it comes close, but overall even a highly educated family would need at least two incomes or other financial support to afford a home.

Total acreage, broken down by ownership

Teton County is the largest of the peer counties, nearly 50 percent bigger than Coloradoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s San Miguel, Pitkin and Summit counties combined. And, with 97 percent of its 2.7 million acres owned by the federal government, Teton is also the one with the most public land. Only Pitkin comes close, at 91 percent. Perhaps itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no coincidence that the two counties also have the highest home prices.

US Department of Interior

TETON, WY

BLAINE, ID

Teton, WY Blaine, ID Routt, CO Summit, UT

ROUTT, CO

Eagle, CO

SUMMIT, UT

San Miguel, CO Pitkin, CO Summit, CO 500

1,000

1,500

National Park Service x1,000 US Forest Service x1,000 Bureau of Land Management x1,000 BuRec x1,000

2,000

2,500

3,000

EAGLE, CO PITKIN, CO SUMMIT, CO SAN MIGUEL, CO

Fish & Wildlife x1,000 Non-federal lands x1,000

" 3RWbW]\ 8OQYa]\ 6]ZS 1][^Oaa

#

Population from 2010 to 2013

Since 2010, in contrast to the previous two decades, resort counties in the northern Rockies have grown slowly. Teton County and Coloradoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s San Miguel County, home to Telluride, are two exceptions.

While Utahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Summit County also shows substantial growth, it can be attributed to Park City being close enough to Salt Lake City to make it a bedroom community. Blaine County (Sun Valley), has actually shrunk since 2010, and Teton County is now home to more people than its Idaho counterpart.

US Census Bureau

-4%

-2%

0

20

30

2%

4%

6%

40

50

60

Eagle, CO Summit, UT Summit, CO

Anna Olson

B

eing named the No. 1-ranked resort in North America by Ski Magazine is something Brand Director Anna Olson and the folks at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take for granted.

In her 11 years at the resort, Olson has seen a number of improvements there. From the installation of the Sweetwater Lift to the opening of the Crags to the debut of the new Aerial Tram in 2008, she has witnessed the hard work and changes that have made Jackson Hole Mountain Resort one of the top ski destinations in the world.

But Olson also realizes that skiers and tourists flock to Jackson for reasons beyond the 500 inches of snowfall and 4,139 vertical feet of skiable terrain. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What makes us stand out are some of the unique factors of the resort,â&#x20AC;? Olson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Western character, our location, national parks, the people and the quality and quantity of terrain.â&#x20AC;?

These are all elements that helped the resort claim the top spot in a poll of readers and skiers. Olson is thrilled about the No. 1 ranking, but she knows the product can and will get better. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the second year of an enormous development on the Crags area,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The next two years will see new lifts and new intermediate and expert terrain into previous areas that were only accessed on foot. We anticipate that this will be enormously successful.â&#x20AC;?

But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the character of Jackson Hole that resonates with the guests, she said. The remote location, the people and the Western culture separate it from other ski resorts.

Five hundred inches of snow and the expansion of winter air service to 12 new cities certainly warranted Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s No. 1 ranking, but Olson sees no reason why the resort cannot duplicate its success in the future. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a pretty perfect storm last year,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Can we repeat it all?

Well, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the goal, yes. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no reason why we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel that we can.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Clark Forster

#

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Routt, CO Teton, WY Blaine, ID Pitkin, CO San Miguel, CO 10 2013 (bottom x1,000)

2010 (bottom x1,000)

Percent change (top)

The components of population change

Among Colorado resort counties, only Tellurideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s San Miguel County has not lost population through migration since 2010. Jackson Hole also bucks the trend, having seen in-migration of about 100 people a year over the past few years. Jackson Hole has also had about 200 more births than deaths each year.

US Census Bureau

3,000

6%

2,000

4%

1,000

2%

0

0 -2%

-1,000

-4% -2,000 Blaine, ID Eagle, CO Summit, CO Teton, WY Routt, CO Pitkin, CO San Miguel, CO Summit, UT Births minus deaths (left)

Net migration (left)

Net population gain (right)

Total population broken down by ethnicity

Sixty-four percent of Americans are white, 16 percent are Hispanic, and other groups constitute the remaining 20 percent. In the peer counties, the average is 80 percent white, 17 percent Hispanic and 3 percent all other, making the resort areas considerably whiter than the country as a whole. Teton County is even more extreme: Its population is 83 percent white, 15 percent Hispanic and 3 percent other. But while Teton County is a bit whiter than its peer resort counties, it has more Hispanics than all but Eagle County, Colorado, which is 30 percent Hispanic, and Blaine County, Idaho, which is 20 percent Hispanic.

US Census Bureau

9%

9%

San Miguel, CO 7,432

Pitkin, CO 17,000

88% 7% Routt, CO 23,385

15%

20%

88%

78%

14%

11%

Summit, CO 27,753

Summit, UT 36,598

83%

85%

91% White

Teton, WY 21,326

Blaine, ID 21,323

Hispanic

83%

30% Eagle, CO 51,850 67% Other

Median income versus income needed to buy a home

The cost of housing in the eight peer counties is so high that even people with advanced degrees are hard-pressed to buy a place to live. As in many of the previous comparisons, the exception is Summit County, Utah, location of Park City and where incomes for people with advanced degrees are skewed upward because many commute to high-paying tech industry jobs in Salt Lake City.

US Census Bureau

Median age

Four of the eight peer counties â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Teton, Eagle, and Summit counties in Colorado and Utah â&#x20AC;&#x201D; have a lower median age than the nation as a whole. For all eight the median age of their Hispanic residents is at least 10 years younger than the median age of their white residents.

US Census Bureau

50

40 30

Teton, WY

20 US

Pitkin, CO

Summit, CO Summit, UT Routt, CO Pitkin, CO Eagle, CO Teton, WY San Miguel, CO Blaine, ID White

Eagle, CO

Hispanic

Per capita income by type

San Miguel, CO

Not only was Teton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s per capita income in 2012 far greater than that of any of the other peer counties, its per capita investment income was roughly as much as the total income of some of them.

Teton County is like its peers in one respect: All receive far less money in the form of pensions and far more in investment income than the nation as a whole.

US Census Bureau

Summit, UT Summit, CO

$100

Routt, CO

$80

Blaine, ID

$60

US

$40 $20 $40 $60 $80

Median income w/graduate or professional degree x1,000

Total

$20

Income needed to buy median home x1,000

Teton, WY Summit, UT Routt, CO Blaine, ID US Pitkin, CO Summit, CO Eagle, CO San Miguel, CO Wages x1,000

Pensions x1,000

Investments x1,000

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)+% :# EZVga 6kZ# E#D# 7dm .(, ?VX`hdc! LN -(%%& IZidcLnd#dg\ (%,",(("+)%& e]ciZidc5iZidclnd#dg\ Tyler Sinclair â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Town and County Planning Director ih^cXaV^g5X^#_VX`hdc#ln#jh (%,",(("%))% Christine Walker â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Housing Authority '-% L# 7gdVYlVn E#D# 7dm ,() ?VX`hdc! LN -(%%& IZidcLnd#dg\ (%,",(("%-+, XlVa`Zg5iZidclnd#dg\

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Teton Conservation District Board of Supervisors

Scott Gibson â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Secretary-Treasurer ;^ghi ZaZXiZY/ '%&& 8jggZci iZgb ZcYh/ '%&+ Zach Hall â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Member ;^ghi ZaZXiZY/ '%&' 8jggZci iZgb ZcYh/ '%&+ Dr. Bruce Hayse â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Member ;^ghi ZaZXiZY/ '%%8jggZci iZgb ZcYh/ '%&+ Louis Hochheiser â&#x20AC;&#x201D; CEO a]dX]]Z^hZg5iZidc]dhe^iVa#dg\

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Teton County School District Board of Education

Judiciary

Carlen Carney â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Chairman XXVgcZn5iXhY#dg\ (%,"+.%"(&%& ;^ghi ZaZXiZY/ '%&% 8jggZci iZgb ZcYh/ '%&)

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Michael Tennican â&#x20AC;&#x201D; President ;^ghi ZaZXiZY/ '%&% 8jggZci iZgb ZcYh/ '%&)

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State of Wyoming â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Legislature Leland Christensen (R) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Senator SD17 aX]g^hiZchZc5lndb^c\#Xdb (%,"(*("-'%) ;^ghi ZaZXiZY/ '%&% 8jggZci iZgb ZcYh/ '%&) Dan Dockstader (R) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Senator SD16 YYdX`hiVYZg5lndb^c\#Xdb (%,"--+"&*%% ;^ghi ZaZXiZY/ '%%8jggZci iZgb ZcYh/ '%&) Keith Gingery (R) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Representative H23 `\^c\Zgn5lndb^c\#Xdb (%,",()"*+') ;^ghi ZaZXiZY/ '%%) 8jggZci iZgb ZcYh/ '%&) Marti Halverson (R) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Representative H22 bVgi^#]VakZghdc5lndaZ\#\dk (%,"--("%'*% ;^ghi ZaZXiZY/ '%&' 8jggZci iZgb ZcYh/ '%&) Ruth Ann Petroff (R) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Representative H16 geZigd[[5lndb^c\#Xdb (%,",()".))+ ;^ghi ZaZXiZY/ '%&% 8jggZci iZgb ZcYh/ '%&)

Jackson Hole Airport &'*% :# 6^gedgi GdVY Continued on 56

" 3RWbW]\ 8OQYa]\ 6]ZS 1][^Oaa

##

Continued from 55

P.O. Box 159 Jackson, WY 83001 307-733-7682 JacksonHoleAirport.com Ray Bishop â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Airport Director raybishop@jacksonholeairport.com Jerry Blann â&#x20AC;&#x201D; President Andrea Riniker â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Vice President

Joe Alexander â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Supervisor

Kate Sollitt â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Coordinator 307-201-1774

Wyoming Executive Branch

Grand Teton National Park P.O. Drawer 170 Moose, WY 83012 307-739-3300 NPS.gov/grte

Clay James â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Secretary

David Vela â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Superintendent 307-739-3411 Appointed: 2014

John Eastman â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Treasurer

Bridger-Teton National Forest

Jim Waldrop â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Member

Parks & Recreation 155 E. Gill St. P.O. Box 811 Jackson, WY 83001 307-739-9025 TetonWyo.org Steve Ashworth â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Director sashworth@tetonwyo.org

340 N. Cache St. P.O. Box 1888 Jackson, WY 83001 307-739-5500 FS.usda.gov/btnf/ r4_b-t_info@fs.fed.us Clint Kyhlâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Supervisor 307-739-5500 Appointed: 2013

National Elk Refuge

State Capitol 200 W. 24th St. Cheyenne, WY 82002 Matt Mead (R) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Governor 307-777-7434 Governor.WY.gov First elected: 2010 Current term ends: 2014 Max Maxfield (R) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Secretary of State 307-777-7378 SOSWY.state.wy.us First elected: 2006 Current term ends: 2014 Cynthia Cloud (R) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Auditor 307-777-7831 SAOWY.state.wy.us First elected: 2010 Current term ends: 2014 Mark Gordon (R) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Treasurer 307-777-7408 Treasurer.state.wy.us First appointed: 2012 Current term ends: 2014

320 S. King St. P.O. Box 1687 Jackson, WY 83001 307-732-8573 TetonWyo.org

675 E. Broadway P.O. Box 510 Jackson, WY 83001 307-733-9212 fws.gov/nationalelkrefuge nationalelkrefuge@fws.gov

Brian Schilling â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Director bschilling@ci.jackson.wy.us

Steve Kallin â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Refuge Manager Appointed: June 2007

Cindy Hill (R) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Superintendent of Public Instruction 307-777-7690 Edu.wyoming.gov First elected: 2010 Current term ends: 2014

Travel and Tourism Board

Yellowstone National Park

U.S. Legislators

Pathways

200 S. Willow St. P.O. Box 3594 Jackson, WY 83001 TetonWyo.org info@4jacksonhole.org

P.O. Box 168 Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190 307-344-7381 NPS.gov/yell yell_visitor_service@nps.gov

Ponteir Sackrey â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Chairwoman Appointed: 2011 Current term ends: 2015

Dan Wenk â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Superintendent yell_superintendent@nps.gov Appointed: 2011

Aaron Pruzan â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Vice Chairman Appointed: 2011 Current term ends: 2014

Wyoming Game and Fish Jackson Regional Office

Bruce Grosbety â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Treasurer Appointed: 2011 Current term ends: 2016 Chip Carey â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Secretary Appointed: 2011 Current term ends: 2016 Liz Gibbs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Member Appointed: 2013 Current term ends: 2015 Mike Halpin â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Member Appointed: 2011 Current term ends: 2014 Stephen Price â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Member Appointed: 2011

#$

Current term ends: 2014

8OQYa]\ 6]ZS 1][^Oaa " 3RWbW]\

420 N. Cache St. P.O. Box 67 Jackson, WY 83001 307-733-2321 WGFD.wyo.gov

Caribou-Targhee National Forest 1405 Hollipark Drive Idaho Falls, ID 83401 208-524-7500 FS.usda.gov/ctnf Brent Larson â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Supervisor

Shoshone National Forest 808 Meadowlane Ave. Cody, WY 82414 307-527-6241 FS.usda.gov/shoshone

John Barrasso (R) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; U.S. Senator 307 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Barrasso.senate.gov 202-224-6441 866-235-9553 First appointed: 2007 Current term ends: 2018 Mike Enzi (R) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; U.S. Senator 379A Senate Russell Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 1110 Maple Way, Suite G P.O. Box 12470 Jackson, WY 83002 Enzi.senate.gov 202-224-3424 307-739-9507 888-250-1879 First elected: 1996 Current term ends: 2014 Cynthia Lummis (R) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; U.S. Representative 113 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Lummis.house.gov 202-225-2311 888-879-3599 First elected: 2008 Current term ends: 2014

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Prugh Real Estate Live in Jackson Hole

Prugh Real Estate Live in Jackson Hole

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Prugh Real Estate Live in Jackson Hole

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Immerse yourself in the sanctuary of Jackson Hole.

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Wyoming is the #1 tax-friendly state.

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