Idaho is the fastest-growing state in the union.

Half of its neighbors are in the top five. All but one are in the top 13.

The “but one” is Wyoming. It’s dead last. 51st out of a possible 51 (our ranking is adjusted for population and includes Washington, D.C.). Wyoming lost 1.0 percent of its population in 2017 even as Idaho was gaining 2.2 percent.

On the surface, the two states appear to have much in common. They share a border, a birth month (July 1890) and even — for a few brief heady months in 1863 — membership in the “Idaho Territory.”

So why are so many people leaving Wyoming while Idaho booms?

For clues, look at the full ranking. The Pacific Northwest and Mountain West are extremely well represented at the top of the chart but Wyoming and West Virginia are stuck to the bottom. Those two, and others in the lower echelon, have something in common: resource dependence. In their case, it’s primarily coal mining.

Wyoming has long been the nation’s coal king. The vast operations of the Powder River Basin produce more coal than all but a handful of states put together. But cheap natural gas has reduced power plants’ dependence on the mineral and, with it, its price and production. Wyoming’s mines are shipping out fewer tons of coal and getting paid less for each of them.

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In 1936, deep in south-central Idaho’s jagged Sawtooth Mountains, Sun Valley Resort spun the world’s very first chairlift. For 81 years, the resort has been offering up some of the best skiing in the western United States on Bald and Dollar mountains, the two peaks that make up the resort.

Obviously, the sunny, snowy resort town is steeped in history. Ernest Hemingway completed his famous novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls, while staying at the Sun Valley Lodge in 1939. Pale Rider (1985) starring Clint Eastwood was filmed in Sun Valley. Warren Miller began his illustrious ski film career while camping in the Bald Mountain parking lot. Ski movie-maker Dick Barrymore called Sun Valley home for many years. Smith Optics, which invented the first dual lens, anti-fogging goggle, was founded there. Gretchen Fraser, the first woman to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics, grew up in town. In fact, 39 living Olympians reside in Sun Valley. Freeskiing icons Reggie and Zach Crist, Lynsey Dyer, Lexi Dupont, Karl Fostvedt, Banks Gilberti and Collin Collins all hail from the area.

For the 2017-18 ski season, Sun Valley will give a nod to its wonderful history while making key updates and renovations. The Sun Valley Inn has welcomed weary skiers into its beds since 1937 and its rooms will receive a remodel, while maintaining the same traditional European Alps-inspired décor it’s always had. The Ram, one of the resort’s original dining establishments, will also receive a facelift in the form of a new kitchen, updated furniture and new floors, but that original look and feel will remain the same.

On the mountain, the Cold Springs lift, the resort’s oldest operating chairlift, will be replaced with a detachable quad that will rise 1,525 vertical feet in six minutes.

Sun Valley will also be expanding its terrain offerings with a new zone off of Seattle Ridge, on the far skier’s right of the mountain. Eager skiers will be able to drop into Turkey Bowl and access a whole new world of steep tree skiing, bumping the resort’s skiable acreage up to 2,434 acres. While the terrain won’t be open to the public until 2018-19, Sun Valley is offering guided tours for expert skiers in the new Cold Springs area beginning in January.

The results of our reader-ranked survey ranking the top 15 resorts in Western North America. SKI Magazine Editors September 22, 2017

“Tradition, ambiance, great customer service, efficient lifts, beautiful location, amazing grooming… there is, quite simply, no place like it.” -SKI Magazine

Other rankings included in the 2017-2018 SKI Magazine Readers Poll include:
Lifts: #1
Grooming: #2
Service: #2
Character: #2
Lodging: #3
Après-Ski & Nightlife: #4

Catch the full article in the print issue of SKI Magazine. Online articles can be found here: https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/sun-valley

Photo Courtesy of Jay Dash / Sun Valley Resort.

Wednesday, Oct 18, 2017 to Sunday, Oct 22, 2017

Sun Valley Jazz and Music Festival
Five days. Forty Bands. One Million Smiles

Attendees from all fifty states, every Canadian province, and several foreign countries gather each October to celebrate live performances of America’s music. The Sun Valley Jazz & Music Festival was birthed out of a love and appreciation for jazz music by Tom & Barbara Hazzard and is held mid-October each year in Sun Valley, ID.

Become One of the Thousands of Jazz Fans Who Have Been Delighted Since 1990!

This experience of telling the story of “American” music is our passion. Amazing isn’t it? We all get to be part of this history while it’s still in the making. The names that ring through eternity—Armstrong, Ellington, Fitzgerald, Beiderbecke, Goodman, Holliday, Basie, Shaw, Miller, and so many more—have created a legacy of delight that lives on through those of us who participate in this jazz festival. The history of this music echoes the history of twentieth century America.

This jazz event is held this year because of your continued support and encouragement. You tell people how much fun it is and that they need to come to Sun Valley. It continues because people have a heart to support the event and because we have incredible volunteers. It will continue as long as we all do our part to provide a place for these dedicated artists to express themselves and expose us to the art form called Jazz.

Photo credit: Nic Roggeman

Wednesday, October 4^th through Sunday, October 8^th 2017

The Trailing of the Sheep Festival was started in 1996 in response to the rapid loss of farms and ranches and the rapid growth in the Wood River Valley. The Festival preserves the stories and colorful history of sheep ranchers and herders, celebrates the rich cultures of the past and present and entertains and educates children, adults and families about the production of local food and fiber that sustain local economies and generations of hard-working families.

Our mission is: To gather, present and preserve the history and culture of the families and individual men and women involved in Idaho sheep ranching and to honor their contributions to the development of Idaho and the West.

Trailing of the Sheep has been named in the Top Ten Fall Festivals in the World, Top 200 Best U.S. Festivals and the Top 100 Festivals in N. America. In 2013, USA Today named it One of the Top Ten Fall Festivals in America.  It is also the recipient of the Governor’s Award for Cultural Heritage.

JACKSON, Wyo. — Sometimes no news is the big news. That seems to be the case with the eclipse of 2017. Crowds from Ketchum, Idaho, to Jackson, Wyoming, were exceptional for late August.

But gas stations still had gas, grocery stores still had food and if roads were clogged after the darkness ended, nobody was complaining.

Giddiness, not grouchiness prevailed. There was elation, not emergencies.

“People have been literally jumping for joy when they get here,” said Janine Jolley, whose family hosted 280 reservations at the Fox Creek Campground near Victor, Idaho.

On the other side of the Teton Range in Jackson Hole, traffic surpassed all records for those days in August. Still, it was something less than might have been expected. “Quiet weekend” is how the Jackson Hole News&Guide described the Sunday preceding the big day.

Join us for Wagon Days‘ 60th Anniversary, August 31-September 4, 2017

Welcome to yesteryear. Please join us Labor Day weekend as Ketchum celebrates the days before railroads or automobiles reached the town with its 60th year celebration of Wagon Days.

Come to Main Street and watch the largest parade in the country without motorized vehicles (on Saturday). Basque dancers, marching bands and western cowboys travel by horse, mule or foot – anything goes as long as there is no motor. Children’s activities take place all day on Saturday and a free, family-friendly concert (Lukas Nelson!) follows the parade.

Enjoy a pancake breakfast in Town Square, a bareback riding demonstration, an arts and crafts festival and antique fair, and listen to cowboy poets and meandering musicians wandering our streets. Go for a walk or a bike ride in the Idaho fall.

Whatever you do, you’ll have a chance to experience Idaho history and a wonderful weekend. Please join us.

• See thefull schedule here!
• Reserve seats here!
• Wagon Days posters available at Ketchum City Hall
• The Ore Wagon Museum will be open starting August 18th
• Click herefor the Parade Entry Form

On August 21, 2017, Ketchum and Sun Valley, Idaho residents and visitors will experience a Total Solar Eclipse as the moon moves fully in front of the sun. This extraordinary moment marks the first total eclipse of the sun visible from all 48 contiguous United States since 1979 and the first visible from coast to coast in the US since 1918.

Sun Valley, Idaho is the place to be for the 2017 Solar Eclipse!
The most beautiful place on the line of totality!

The Cities of Ketchum and Sun Valley are working together to have the ultimate viewing party on Festival Meadows.
There will be vendors, activities for the kids, a astronomer/speaker and more! Details here!

The Sun Valley Resort also has a lot of eclipse-related activity, including a viewing party on the Pavilion lawn–details here!

Scope our blog for the full low-down on the Solar Eclipse: 

Everything You Need to Know for the Eclipse in Sun Valley & Ketchum, Idaho

More useful links:

• eclipse2017.org
• 2017 Total Eclipse in Idaho: What You Should Know
• Be Prepared! Here’s a great resource for being prepared for the eclipse: http://www.blaineemergency.org/eclipse/
• Seven Things You Must Anticipate For The 2017 Solar Eclipse

By Sunseeker

Every summer adventure conquerers are drawn out of the wood work to Sun Valley, Idaho in search of something special. For some, the lure is the 400+ miles of singletrack mountain biking trails, the endless hiking opportunities or even the rod-torquing trout lurking in the various waters are the sacred quests. For others, Sun Valley’s hybridization of adventure and culture are what truly satiate their cravings. The myriad of events that go down each summer are plentiful enough to please audiences far and wide. This year is no different. Have a look and see what the 2017 summer line-up has in-store.

Summer Events & Festivals

• Sun Valley Brewfest | June 17
• Ride Sun Valley | June 29 – July 2
• Writers’ Conference | June 30 – July 3
• Hailey Days of the Old West Celebration | July 1 – 4
• Ketchum Arts Festival | July 7 – 9
• Sun Valley Center – Wine Auction | July 20 – 23
• Sun Valley Summer Symphony | July 23 – August 17
• Sun Valley Center – Arts & Crafts Festival | August 11 – 13
• Wood River Valley Studio Tour | August 15 – 20
• Total Solar Eclipse | August 19 – 22
• Wagon Days | August 31 – September 4
• Rebecca’s Private Idaho | September 2 – 3
• Ernest Hemingway Festival | September 7 – 9
• Oktoberfest | September 15 – 16
• Wood River Valley Harvestfest | September 16
• Trailing of the Sheep Festival | October 4 – 8
• Sun Valley Jazz & Music Festival | October 18 – 22

Mountain Biking

• Ride Sun Valley | June 29 – July 2
• Galena Grinder | July 29
• Ride Idaho | August 5 – 12
• Rebecca’s Private Idaho | September 2 – 3
• Baldy Hill Climb | September 23

Running

• Backcountry Run | July 29
• Standhope Ultra Challenge | August 5
• Baldy Hill Climb | September 23

Arts

• Company of Fool Theatre | June – October
• Sun Valley Gallery Association – Gallery Walks | July – September
• Ketchum Arts Festival | July 7 – 9
• Sun Valley Writers’ Conference | June 30 – July 3
• Ballet Sun Valley | August 22
• Sun Valley Summer on Ice | July – September
• Sun Valley Center Center – Arts & Crafts Festival | August 11 – 13
• Wood River Valley Studio Tour | August 15 – 20
• Ernest Hemingway Festival | September 7 – 9

Music

• Ketch’em Alive | June – August
• Sun Valley Resort Concert Series
  • Galactic | July 8
  • Eddie Money | August 31
  • Jamestown Revival and Lukas Nelson & the Promise of the Real | September 3
• Sun Valley Opera – Summer Festival | July 5 – 8
• Sun Valley Center – Summer Concert Series
  • Lord Huron | July 17
  • Pink Martini | August 1
• Sun Valley Summer Symphony | July 23 – August 17
• Killebrew-Thompson Benefit Concert – Huey Lewis & the News | August 19
• Sun Valley Jazz & Music Festival | October 18 – 22