I visited 2 of America's wealth hubs: Scottsdale and Jackson Hole. One was ideal for vacation, while the other seemed better for living.
The rich are moving from urban metropolises to suburban areas in the American West.
Scottsdale, Arizona , and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, are two of America's wealthy hot spots known for their natural landscapes, luxury lifestyles, and lower taxes.
The southwestern hub of Scottsdale is one of the fastest-growing cities in the US in terms of millionaire residents, according to the USA Wealth Report by Henley & Partners. Meanwhile, the ultra-rich have been hiding out in Jackson Hole for decades.
Affluent Americans move to these two places for similar reasons, from the mountainous scenery to the remote luxury estates . But after visiting both, I found that they offer completely different lifestyles. One felt like a place to vacation, and the other seemed like a better place to live.
Scottsdale, Arizona, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, are some of the most affluent places in the American West.Scottsdale, Arizona, is east of Phoenix in central Arizona, and Jackson Hole is on the western edge of Wyoming, bordering the Teton Mountain Range.
Scottsdale and a nearby town called Paradise Valley make up Arizona's wealth enclave.When it comes to millionaire hot spots, I see Scottsdale and Paradise Valley as one and the same.
"Paradise Valley is really a separate place, but it blends so close into Scottsdale," local real-estate agent Shawn Shackelton told Business Insider.
Between Phoenix and Scottsdale, Paradise Valley sits on 15.4 miles of land. It was established as a town in 1961 as a residential haven, while Scottsdale developed into an urban area.
Scottsdale has 243,000 residents, and about 14,600 of them are millionaires, AZ Central reported in March . Meanwhile, Paradise Valley has 14,000 residents who make an average of more than $220,000 a year, BI previously reported.
Paradise Valley is more expensive than Scottsdale. It's the richest town in the state, often called the " Beverly Hills of Arizona ."
Jackson Hole comprises multiple towns in Teton County.Jackson Hole refers to the towns in Teton County, Wyoming , including Jackson, Moose, Wilson, and Teton Village, among others.
According to the Economic Policy Institute , the top 1% of locals across Teton County make an average of over $22 million, 142.2 times more than the bottom 99%.
Jackson, with fewer than 11,000 residents, is the most developed town in the group. Its bustling downtown area has plenty of restaurants, hotels, and retail stores.
Sam Haack , a local real-estate agent, told BI that the more remote towns tend to have more expensive real estate because they're more secluded.
CEOs, entrepreneurs, and retirees tend to move to Scottsdale and Paradise Valley for full-time residency.Scottsdale and Paradise Valley have been known for their luxury housing market since at least 2001, when Shackleton began selling homes in the area, she told BI.
Shackleton's clientele includes entrepreneurs, medical professionals, C-suite executives , and wealthy retirees.
Shackleton said many of her clients come from California, Colorado, and the East Coast. However, she's recently seen an increase in new residents moving from a wider range of cities around the US, from Chicago and Minneapolis to Seattle and Portland.
Jackson Hole has similar demographics, but more often than not, buyers purchase vacation homes and are not full-time residents."There's a saying in Jackson: 'You either have two houses or two jobs,''' Haack told BI.
Roughly 60% of Haack's clients, who range from DINKs (dual-income, no kids) to boomers, purchase vacation homes in Jackson and only live in them for part of the year.
"The baby boomers have largely gained their wealth through their appreciation of assets over the years like their equity portfolios, other homes, and businesses," he said. "Some of these clients may still work W2 jobs in finance, consulting, or real estate but are usually business owners and entrepreneurs."
Meanwhile, the DINKs he works with typically make a combined $250,000 to $350,000 a year working corporate jobs.
Laurie Huff , a real-estate agent at Sotheby's Jackson Hole who was born and raised in the area, told BI that about 50% of her clients become full-time residents, while the others spend half the year in warmer places.
"Our clients in the past few years have ranged in age from 30 to 60 years and come from high-net-worth backgrounds," she said. "A finance/business background seems to account for a large percentage."
Tourism in Jackson Hole may make life harder for locals.Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park visitors often lodge in Jackson Hole. In 2023, the two parks had a combined 7.9 million visitors .
"Summers are the busiest season with millions of tourist visits," Haack told BI. "We have traffic in downtown Jackson with locals and tourists honking at each other."
He added that winter is another popular visiting time, while spring and fall, when I visited, are considered shoulder seasons .
During my September trip, it certainly didn't feel like shoulder season — the downtown area was congested with traffic, crowds strolled through the town square and streets lined with shops, and a hostel I stayed in was packed with guests. Haack said lately, more tourists have been visiting between peak seasons.
"These offseasons used to be much longer," he said, "but now that pricing for summer and winter hotel stays and restaurants have gone up so much, tourists are spilling over into the spring and fall for more affordable visits, cutting into local's recovery time from the peak seasons."
Scottsdale is also a popular destination for luxury travel.Shackleton told BI that Scottsdale and Paradise Valley are luxury travel hot spots from late fall through the winter.
It's when second homeowners and other snowbirds fly in to escape the cold, she added.
"This increases our traffic and makes it harder to get a reservation in many restaurants," Shackleton said.
"I can always tell when the second homeowners are starting to come back because I start to see the car transports dropping cars off all over town," she added.
Despite the inconvenience, Shackleton said tourism season is generally manageable for locals.
"We know it's coming, and we just plan for it," she said. "There are certain times of the year we just know not to drive in certain areas because it's just going to be busy."
Scottsdale has a range of housing, but the luxury market has the largest presence."The reality is that Scottsdale has never been a place where people come looking for affordable housing," Shackelton said.
The Phoenix suburb has a median listing price of $1 million, and the most expensive home on the market is $29.5 million, according to Realtor.com .
Paradise Valley has a median listing price of $4.8 million, and a $50 million mansion is the priciest listing on Realtor.com right now.
During my trip, I noticed that Scottsdale had a more traditional suburban feel. Many homes are placed close together, with less than an acre of land each.
However, the most expensive neighborhoods I visited in Scottsdale had housing similar to Paradise Valley. Mansions were sprawled across multiple acres, giving residents a secluded, luxury lifestyle.
Property in Jackson Hole is harder to snatch because the supply is more scarce.Haack told BI that this is largely because 97% of Teton County is public land, and only 3% can be privately owned and built on.
Homeowners "tend to hang onto these properties for the appreciation and tax advantages, leading to even less inventory and supply," he added.
According to the Viehman Group's third-quarter Jackson Hole real estate report, obtained by BI, the average listing price in Jackson Hole over the last three months was $6.42 million.
The most expensive home on the market is a 9,100-square-foot, six-bedroom home listed for $40 million .
In Jackson Hole, I noticed that most properties were built ranch-style — short and wide. The homes stretched across multiple acres.
Scottsdale was too hot for my comfort in the spring, so I bet summers would be a bummer.When I visited Scottsdale in April, I was sweating through my outfits multiple times a day. It was 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle of spring.
I thought summer must be tough to endure since temperatures often exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
On the flip side, winters are full of breezy days in the high 70s.
"Our summers are hot — there's no question," Shackleton told BI. "But all of my clients that have moved here from the Midwest or East Coast say the same thing: 'I will take this heat over gray clouds, ice, snow, and freezing rain.'"
Jackson Hole was pleasantly cool in the fall, but the winters seem harsh.According to locals Huff and Haack, Jackson Hole experiences all four seasons.
I layered up for my mid-September trip to Jackson Hole, when temperatures ranged from 40 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. During the day, I appreciated the cool breeze in a cardigan and a light jacket. After three months of sweating, I was excited by the fall weather.
Winter would be another story, as temperatures drop below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. As a full-time resident, I'd likely be trudging through the snow with a red, numb face for a quarter of each year.
But Haack told BI that it feels magical. "Imagine living in a snow globe," he added.
For Huff, the winters feel long, but as a Jackson Hole native and former Alpine racer, she loves them.
Huff and Hack said locals refer to spring as "mud season."
"The spring is when all the snow melts, and there is mud everywhere," Haack told BI. "You spend a lot on car washes in the spring."
And in the summer, Huff said temperatures typically range between 40 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the time of day.
Both enclaves have great scenery ...Scottsdale and Paradise Valley are in the desert, surrounded by the Camelback and Mummy Mountains. As a resident, I'd get to see the sunset as the hills change colors every night.
I've never lived in a desert climate or anywhere with a natural view like this. Vibrant succulents dotting the landscape made it even more unique.
... but Jackson Hole's views are unmatched.Jackson Hole is also situated in a valley, but the mountains surrounding it are the Tetons. To me, the views were more dramatic than in Scottsdale. The mountains climbed higher, had sharper edges, and more snow capping the top.
But if you're not a nature lover, Haack has a message: "Don't move here."
"We have so much public land right out our back doors, and the goal is to spend as little time indoors as possible," he said. "I think this is why people are willing to live in such small and expensive living situations in Jackson."
Both enclaves offer golfing and hiking, but Jackson Hole also has winter sports like skiing and snowboarding.Residents of both wealth hubs spend their free time hiking and mountain biking in beautiful, natural places with varying elevations. Jackson Hole and Scottsdale are also known for their pristine public and private golf courses.
I visited private golf clubs in both towns and gazed in awe at the courses before me. In Scottsdale, succulents added visual interest to the course, and contrasting red pebble paths made it feel vibrant.
The courses in Jackson Hole had a different look. The greens were darker and richer, pine trees replaced succulents, and mountains stood taller in the background.
Scottsdale's warm weather allows golfers to play year-round. But in Jackson Hole, the colder months transform the landscape into a winter wonderland, and residents trade in their golf clubs for skis .
Flights in and out of Jackson Hole have incredible views, but the airport is tiny.As a travel reporter, I have to think about proximity to a major airport whenever I consider moving.
Jackson Hole is just minutes from Grand Teton National Park, where one of the smallest airports in the country, Jackson Hole Airport , is located.
If I lived there, I imagine I'd have to take a lot of connecting flights, which isn't ideal for a frequent traveler.
Arizona's wealthy enclave is more conveniently located for travel.Scottsdale and Paradise Valley residents can reach the well-connected Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in as little as 15 minutes, depending on where they're coming from.
If I lived in one of these suburbs, getting out of town would be a breeze compared to Jackson Hole.
Scottsdale appeared to be a more convenient place for daily life.From Fashion Square to Scottsdale Quarter, there was endless shopping in Arizona's wealth enclave . Scottsdale alone has about 2,500 stores, many of which make up high-end outdoor malls in North and South Scottsdale.
"Something people love when they come here is that even if they enjoy the outdoor lifestyle, they can still go to fine-dining restaurants and high-end boutique shops," Shackelton said.
The area has chains like Fry's, Safeway, Sprouts, Trader Joe's, Albertsons, and Costco.
For those who don't live near the city center, residential communities like DC Ranch , located 40 minutes from downtown, have their own shopping centers with groceries, healthcare, and dining within the neighborhood.
According to Payscale's cost-of-living calculator, groceries are 5% more expensive than in the average US town, and healthcare costs 4% more. Scottsdale is also the 19th best city in the US for healthcare, according to WalletHub's ranking , which considers cost, quality, and accessibility.
Jackson Hole seemed to have less to offer for locals.Jackson Hole has a few big stores, including Target, Whole Foods, Albertsons, and Smith's. However, the area's Chamber of Commerce website lists fewer than 100 stores.
Most of the stores I saw were in downtown Jackson, far from the mansions spaced out in the remote areas of Teton County. From Western boutiques and art shops to home furniture and decor stores, it seemed like a great place to buy gifts, but I wondered where locals get everyday items. You'd have to cross over into Idaho to find the nearest Costco .
According to Smart Asset's cost-of-living calculator , groceries in Jackson Hole cost 2% more than in Scottsdale.
Meanwhile, healthcare in Teton County is 102% higher than Wyoming's average, according to the finance company SoFi .
Jackson Hole residents may find themselves saying goodbye to their neighbors.Haack told BI that the most challenging part of living in Jackson Hole is the cost.
"The kind of sacrifices you have to make to stick around in the valley can wear you down, and a lot of people end up leaving and giving up on their mountain town dreams," Haack said. "When you see your friends dropping like flies while simultaneously seeing people thriving in Jackson because they came from money, it can break your spirit."
But Haack says if you hang on, "it will all be worth it in the end."
After visiting these two Western enclaves, I could only see myself living in Arizona. Scottsdale may not have the most awe-inspiring landscapes compared to Jackson Hole, but I think the warmer weather, larger housing supply, and ease of travel make it a more reasonable place to live. But Jackson Hole is undoubtedly a better place to vacation.After my trip to Jackson Hole, it was easy to see why so many homeowners only live there part-time. From brutal winters to connecting flights, spending 12 months a year there seems to be more challenging than relaxing.
As a vacation spot, though, Jackson Hole reigns supreme with some of the best natural views in the US and a range of activities for different climates.
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