The virus and America’s resort towns

SUN VALLEY, the remote and idyllic swathe of land sandwiched among the mountains of central Idaho, is one of the better places to see out a pandemic. America’s first ski resort, as the place styles itself, has drawn those seeking an alpine retreat since Ernest Hemingway, an author and outdoorsman, first decamped to the town of Ketchum in the 1930s. Now that office work is increasingly remote and cramped city living looks less appealing, the Elysian country life beckons. “We’re seeing almost a fourfold increase in vacant land sales over the last two to three months,” says Harry Griffith, the executive director of Sun Valley Economic Development. The high-end property market boomed throughout lockdown. A 14,000-square-foot mansion was recently sold for $18m—the most expensive residential-property transaction in the region’s history. Local developers have booked enough renovation and construction gigs to last for months.