Growth
GUARDIAN Summer Musings Take 2.
July 12, 2008 
During the recent easterly drive the GUARDIAN visited Victor, Idaho in Teton County.
Talk about a poster child for GROWTHOPHOBIA! That once tiny little ranching and potato farming community is now ground zero for developers making “Stepford Wives” subdivisions around golf courses–there are three courses in Victor. All are the basis for housing developments.
The ghetto for the rich is sort of comical to visit. We drove up to the entrance of a gated community with the original name of “Teton Springs.” No tough rent a cop here. Just a cute little blonde in shorts waving as you drive past the guard shack.
Inside is a golf course lined with little starter homes for the rich and famous. We grabbed the info sheet for one shown here that is listed at just under $3 million–nice view of the mountains and a bargain price for an Idaho weekend “starter home.”
The only problem we could see with all the new places was they appeared to be mostly empty. Ironic that after driving or flying a thousand miles or more from civilization, the folks who were there–either as residents or visitors–tend to ride bicycles and jog before driving their SUV to town for a latte.
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Comments & Discussion
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Jul 13, 2008, 11:57 am
In the early 90’s I worked in Teton County for a year and the growth was just starting to take off then. All of the folks working in Jackson Hole lived in Victor/Driggs/Tetonia and commuted over the pass daily. Now I’m not sure where these folks are livng beacuase the “part time” residents of Teton County have raised the property values so high that the “working man” can’t afford to live there anymore. I spoke to the Sheriff there and he was trying to come up with a housing plan beacuse most of his deputies live in Rexburg or St. Anthony and commute since they can’t afford to live in the valley anymore either. I agree Dave, Teton County is the poster child for out of control growth in Idaho.
Jul 13, 2008, 1:34 pm
Take a peek at Elkhorn in Sun Valley area just about any day of the week, any time of year. Smaller places but absentee owners abound. The place is virtually dead silent most of the time with very few people actually using the places they own in the area.
The tax base must be super for he locals. They get to vote in all sorts of goodies that the absentee people get to pay for in the long run.
Not really a place for the average person to live, work and play.
Jul 13, 2008, 2:57 pm
Is that phot of one overpriced home or 3??
Jul 13, 2008, 3:40 pm
Looks like another Tamarack to me. What a waste of building materials as many of these McMansions sit and rot. There can only be so many millionaires to go around.
Jul 15, 2008, 6:37 pm
Teton County is for the millionaires who can’t afford Jackson Hole, WY. Steve Appleton and his buddies swayed the county commissioners to allow the Driggs airport to expand so he could fly his MIG jet toys over there. No vote by the locals. I about lost my latte one morning when he did a low flyby with his buddy chasing him in another Mig jet. On Sunday no less. Is a COMMUNIST Mig jet screaming overhead in the U.S. the sound of “FREEDOM” or “FREEDUMB”? Should we salute the privileged? Freedumb rings in the peaceful Teton Valley.