Wyoming's Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

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Terrain varies from rugged mountains to high prairie, but the majority of the available land is in mountain valleys. Much of the Greater Yellowstone is held by the Forest Service, the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Teton County, for instance, is 97% publicly owned.

One effect of the large public holding is that, despite the low population, private property is in high enough demand to keep prices up. Expect to pay premium-resort rates: perhaps as low as a few thousand dollars per acre in remote areas of Sublette County or over toward Dubois, but $10,000 per acre and up as you near the national parks. In Teton County, it's easy (if unpleasant) to locate a $50,000 lot, and asking prices at posh, upper-crust developments go as high as $150,000 for a house-size parcel.

Fortunately, water isn't usually a problem.

Ground water fed by mountain snows typically can be found at 50 to 250 feet, and springs may even preclude the need for drilling. However, with less than 20 inches of precipitation per year (mostly snow), irrigation is widely practiced, even on the grasslands of the National Elk Refuge. The roughly 90-day growing season allows gardening of hearty varieties, but the soils are generally marginal, having been stripped by glaciation. The best soils in Jackson Hole are at the western side of the valley, where loess carried on the wind from Idaho is deposited.
Though mostly rural and wild, northwest Wyoming has plenty of sophistication: Nearly 5,000 of the 20,000 humans in the ecosystem live in Jackson, home to an active community of artists and photographers and—for seven weeks in the summer—100 of the nation's finest classical musicians. The town also supports a dance company and three live theaters. Before taking in such entertainment, you can dine at one of 53 restaurants. (From Cajun to sushi, Jackson must have one of the highest eatery-per-capita ratios in the world.) Looking for intellectual enrichment? Each summer the Teton Science School in nearby Kelly hosts classes by noted science experts—including Wyoming's state treasure, geologist David Love.

Needless to say, 20,000 people don't provide all the support for this sort of cultural center. Tourism does. At the peak in August, 93% of the nearly 4,000 rooms in Teton County are occupied. Almost 100,000 float trips were made down the Snake River in 1986. Jackson in August is termed "crowded" by its more polite residents.

Get a Job?

With few exceptions, employment in northwest Wyoming means tourism. Unless you're well enough off to retire, you'd probably have to either commute to civilization electronically or carve out a niche to cater to vacationers.

With few exceptions, employment in Teton country means tourism.

What are some likely niches? People aren't inclined to give away their secrets of success, but any area can always use more capable, honest auto mechanics. There are jobs in Jackson, but unemployment statistics don't tell the whole story. There are jobs, and then there are good jobs. Most of the available work is at minimum wage, and even there you'll find competition. As one resident put it, "You have to be a damned good dishwasher to get a job in Jackson." On the plus side, conversations with fast-food help are among the nation's most stimulating.

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