JWR:
In today’s post there was a letter about the wisdom of encouraging development in Idaho and Letters Re: Development of Montana and Idaho Economies. The writer commented on how the new arrivals will ruin the area. I watched this exact chain events unfold over the last 35 years in rural Wisconsin where we bought and built our retreat. We purchased 113 acres in the second poorest county in Wisconsin. The area was mostly farming with pockets of recreational lake population. The lake we lived close to was a small (175 acre) “Grampa’s fishing Cabin” type lake. I was able to work outside the area in a very large city and commuted home for weekends. As time went by I was able to telecommute.
As the years pasted more and more big city Yuppies bought up the grampa cabins or inherited them. They redid the cabins into rural palaces. To make matters worse, a real estate man from the big city moved in and actively recruited his big city friends to buy up the local real estate including the smaller farms. The lake itself has gone from pristine and quiet to a dangerous water skiing mecca. The noise from boats that belong on Lake Michigan is unbearable. The traffic is out of control and speed limits are ignored. The newcomers’ children litter on the roads. It has turned into a rural city. In some cases the yuppies unemployed or derelict relatives have moved in permanently and crime has gone way up.
We have since moved to a more suitable small town for health reasons. The Yuppies are waging war with big farms over a myriad of issues. They are demanding Big City services. Taxes have gone up and up and up. Mayor Bloomberg would love this area now.
So in conclusion I would advise current American Redoubt [1] residents to be very vigilant about what is going on around you. Don’t think it cannot happen there. JMHO – Carl in Less Rural Wisconsin