If there is a thing that saddens me about the West, it’s that every beautiful, desirable spot to live in (including the Paradise Valley), is chopped up by hobbyists. Some with multi-million dollar homes but many with run-down homes-to-shacks with near junk-yard appeal.
Indeed.
However, it's not that the rest of the country isn't the same, just that in the wide open, sparsely treed West you can see everything!
Gallatin County has tried to control growth, and in some parts of the county has limited breaking up large parcels of ground into "ranchettes." Park County has historically been less concerned about growth. Truth of the matter is the more large landowners that put their parcels into conservation easements, the better.
