High Country News

A new measure of poverty shifts rankings in the West

When determining who is poor, the Census Bureau takes geography into account in its Supplemental Poverty Measure.

by Jonathan Thompson, Dec 10, 2012
Unfinished zombie housing developments haunt the rural West

Lack of planning rules and the housing bubble led to dead subdivisions plaguing the West, especially in Teton County, Idaho, where locals are trying to deal with the impacts of the real estate bust, yet still arguing if planning even works.

by Allen Best, Mar 12, 2012
Land trusts thrive despite, and because of, the Great Recession

The recession has afforded a unique opportunity for land trusts to protect more of the West’s private open land through direct acquisitions and, increasingly, conservation easements.

by Jon Christensen, Jenny Rempel and Judee Burr , Dec 13, 2011
Have golf's glory days gone by?

Golf – the game that brought grass to the desert – appears to have hit a rough patch in the West

by Tony Davis, Aug 21, 2006
The Southwest's population and housing booms bite the dust

As the West's population and real estate boom stumble to a halt, the once fast-growing Southwest is filled with foreclosed homes and undeveloped lots.

by Jonathan Thompson, Nov 30, 2011
Adapt or collapse

In his book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, Jared Diamond warns about societies that overreach themselves – a warning that southern Arizona, in the midst of its tremendous real estate boom, ought to heed

by Paul Larmer, Jun 12, 2006
The Perpetual Growth Machine

Phoenix, Ariz., is determined to disprove the idea that the West will someday run out of water and that every boom has to come to an end

by Matt Jenkins, Jun 12, 2006
The rural West's pragmatic booster

Economist and demographer Larry Swanson wants to help rural Western communities find a way to survive

by Samuel Western, Sep 04, 2006
A more colorful future awaits Nebraska

As the Latino population of Nebraska grows, some locals worry, while others rejoice in the state's increasing diversity.

by Pete Letheby, Jun 06, 2011
Man Camp

In Western Colorado, where the energy boom is stretching the resources – and social fabric – of local communities, some companies have turned to portable dormitories to ease the housing crunch.

by David Frey, Jan 22, 2007