Thanks to a mixture of geography, climate and natural resources, the rural West became the domain of a particular way of life that has lasted for 100 years. But today its economies are in retreat, and the Western frontier is reopening.
War on the Colorado Plateau
In the 1970s, all that stood between the people of southeastern Utah and their dreams of high paying jobs in the mineral and energy industries, was the federal government and its wilderness study areas. In this first of a four-part series, Ray Wheeler describes how southeastern Utah routed the feds and, for all practical purposes,…
During the boom, Idaho succumbed to good sense
Lest you think that the entire West succumbed to the hypnotic beat of boom, boom, boom, here is an account of how the conservative state of Idaho behaved conservatively — resisting the lure of a coal-fired power plant that was to carry the state to the land of milk and honey. Download entire issue to…
Good fences make good calluses
To an economist, this is a subversive piece because it talks about the meaning of work, rather than about the price of labor and material. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/20.17/download-entire-issue
The reopening of the Western Frontier
Thanks to a mixture of geography, climate and natural resources, the rural West became the domain of a particular way of life that has lasted for 100 years. But today its economies are in retreat, and the Western frontier is reopening. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/20.17/download-entire-issue
The rural West: An artifact of the 19th century
This essay examines the blend of economic and social defenses that has kept the West on its own track for the past century. To read this article, click the “View a PDF from the original” link below, or download the entire issue: http://www.hcn.org/issues/20.17/download-entire-issue This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the…
The rural West is actually very urban
The West is empty, but it’s not rural. In fact, it is the most urban of all regions, with most of its population living in a few large metropolitan areas. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/20.17/download-entire-issue