A Spatial Examination of the 'New West' in Inter-Mountain West Communities

Richelle Winkler, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Bill Buckingham, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Don Field, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Al Luloff, Pennsylvania State University
Rick Krannich, Utah State University

Journalists and academics alike have heralded the coming of a "New West" to western U.S. economics and culture. This New West reflects characteristics of amenity seeking in-migrants, economic shifts away from more traditional extractive industries (forestry, agriculture, mining, fishing, etc.) toward recreation, tourism, and real estate, and associated cultural changes in institutions, attitudes, values, and places of business. Well known communities such as Aspen, CO, Jackson, WY, and Park City, UT exemplify this trend. However, this transformation has not occurred uniformly across space. This poster maps in-migration and other demographic characteristics related to the emergence of ‘New West’ phenomena in Inter-Mountain West communities. Using exploratory spatial data analysis, we demonstrate the uneven nature of New West characteristics. LISA statistics highlight areas where New West (or Old West) communities cluster, as well as contested landscapes where New West and Old West communiities collide.