Study of the New Rockies Finds Old West Is Old Hat
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The myths and paradoxes of the new American West were explored Tuesday as experts here released a comprehensive report highlighting sweeping changes in population, growth and the environment across the Rocky Mountain region.
Most Westerners don't live off the land, aren't especially rugged and like big-box stores and lattes as much as anyone else, the statistics show.
They are, however, better educated than most Americans, younger and living in a beautiful region that's become the fastest growing in the country.
"We continue to believe this Marlboro man, cowboy myth about the West," said Walter Hecox, a professor of economics at Colorado College. He pointed out that 1.7% of Westerners earn a living from agriculture, mining or other natural resource-based occupations.
Hecox helped organize the first State of the Rockies Conference, held this week at Colorado College. A collection of scholars examined census data and trends in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho and Montana to present a social and economic portrait of the region.
Each of the 280 counties in the West received a letter grade based on poverty levels, education, employment, per capita income and income distribution. The highest-scoring were often the richest places, like Teton County, Wyo. -- while the worst were the most impoverished places, like McKinley County, N.M.
Skyrocketing population was identified as the single biggest challenge facing the West. In the last 30 years, the Rocky Mountain region has seen a 119% growth rate, compared to a national rate of 39%. Most has been in Arizona and Colorado.
"We are booming," Hecox said.
And that has brought change to the West's racial makeup. Latinos now account for 20% of the population, and are a near majority in Denver.
People here are younger than those in the rest of the country, with a median age of 33, compared with 35 nationwide. They are better educated -- 84% have high school diplomas, as opposed to 80% for the rest of the nation.
The report found that many retirees were bypassing the sunny Southwest to spend their golden years in the mountains. Wyoming has become a major retirement haven.
With the population growth has come sprawl. Huge ranches are being carved into ranchettes and housing tracts -- especially around Denver, Phoenix and Salt Lake City.
