Part Two
Moving from New York, we were very concerned about being able to get "good" food. Where would we shop, how were the restaurants, could we get a decent bagel and a good cup of coffee? We found several coffee shops that would put Starbucks to shame. While we lived there, they built the largest Albertson's grocery store in the country in Jackson Hole...with a Starbucks, and a wine and cigar shop attached. We also found excellent restaurants including The Snake River Grill, which I would compare to any of the top restaurants in the country.
The schools were good, the nightlife was adequate, and the liquor stores were in competition with each other - not state run.
The town had a beautiful library that was built with local donations. In fact, on several occasions, people came around with a "pledge sheet" to raise money for a public building or a local public event. I was always impressed how quickly they raised all the money they needed and NEVER went to the government for the money (maybe this is why they are one of the only states in the country with NO deficit). They also raised $2,000,000 in donations to buy off a proposed nuclear waste contract and send them packing. When a proposal was up for charter helicopter permits, the paper ran a negative story and people in the town signed a petition to end the discussion. When someone lost a pet, they called the radio station, which promptly mentioned the loss every 10 minutes until the pet was recovered. If you had anything to sell, you called the shopper show and sold it within a few minutes. If you wanted a place to live, you put a sign on the door of the general store.
Many of the locals smoked pot, but I never once heard of an arrest. I heard several stories of people getting stopped with open containers only to receive a warning. If you had too much to drink in one of the many local bars, the bars would pay for a cab to take you home. During ski season, there were dozens of backcountry skiers "hitching" a ride to the top of the mountain. They never had to wait for more than a few cars to pass before someone picked them up.
I have to say that while the cost of living in Jackson was pretty close to the same as Manhattan, that the quality of life was far superior. In Jackson, I lived life and enjoyed every minute. I never felt like a rat on a wheel. The people seemed to all share the same love of nature, and excitement that I did. They seemed to cherish their privacy and seemed to all be familiar with the "code of the west" which Vin and JJ have previously mentioned.
While Jackson may not be the best or most affordable place for many of the free staters to live, it is nice to know that such a paradise is within a relatively short drive.
Another town we loved was 60 miles south of Jackson called Afton. This is home of our Olympic gold medal wrestler, Rulon Gardner. While Wyoming schools are in the top ten in the country, Afton's school is ranked in the top in the state. Afton is in peaceful Star Valley. In addition to being a very affordable alternative to Jackson, Star Valley offers excellent golf, snow mobiling, and other outdoor activities. I am still kicking myself for not buying a 3-bedroom log cabin there with 7 acres, a well, and access to BLM land for $150,000.
Another spot that I liked was Hoback Ranches. The properties were excellent, but there was no winter access. The locals would leave their trucks at the highway and take their snowmobiles to their homes. This was just a little too rough for my wife, but there were some great deals on 20 acres that backed up to 1000 acres of BLM land.
Wherever the Free State Project ends up, we need to be happy. While I admit that Wyoming can be a hard place to start over, I think that the FSP has a bunch of stubborn individuals with huge hearts who have resolved to make it anywhere and do whatever it takes. Wyoming is not just a state with 400,000 freedom lovers, that time forgot; it is a state where we can enjoy a fantastic way of life in a pristine environment. I honestly believe that if one is an outdoor person, they will not find a better place to live. I admit that my wife and I occasionally miss the ocean, but LA is only a two-hour flight away.
I hope that you get a chance to visit Wyoming before you vote. If not, visit some of the web sites and read the other reports on Wyoming. In my opinion, Wyoming will offer the least resistance to our efforts and with all those days of sunshine, it will be easy to stay happy and focused.
Fran Tully
State Chair
LP Utah