Attitudes Toward Land-Use Planning and Controlled Population Growth in Jackson Hole

Abstract

This paper examines the attitudes of Wyoming’s Jackson Hole toward controlled growth. Faced with population growth, a severe limitation on the availability of private lands, and a community concern about protecting the scenic beauty of the area, land-use planning and controls have become one of the most significant public issues in Teton County. A survey of attitudes toward land use disclosed that newer residents generally supported local government control in contrast to older residents and large landowners who favored control by the individual landowner. The older residents and large landowners are a numerical minority whose views no longer dominate the political strength of the county. Such strength now resides in the newcomer group. The newcomers are attempting to limit and to control the change which they themselves have brought to the county. This study implies that future population growth and economic development will continue within a framework of local government control over the use of private land.