I live in a very rural area next to a huge reservoir. We're surrounded by mountains, and its quite pretty. Unfortunately, there are those who are willing to exploit the natural beauty of the area. These folks are starting the first destination ski resort development to be built in the United States since sometime in the 1970's. I could puke.
I have to admit, I am the daughter of a real estate developer. My dad and his partners bought a 1200-acre ranch 2 years before I was born, and at first we raised cattle and peas and such until the property values in the area skyrocketed. And then we sold the land. Now when I go back to my home-town it looks nothing like the picture in my memory. Its a miserable feeling, but it put bread on the table.
This resort, though...its different. Quarter-acre lots are selling for $350k, which is rougly 4 times what my husband and I paid for our house and 1.6 acres. They're putting in not just one, but two "world class" golf courses, which are going right over the top of beautiful meadows. Every spring the meadows would fill with so many different kinds of wildflowers, and along with the flowers would come nesting sandhill cranes, raptors raising their young, porcupines ambling along, and people like us who just liked to be there and look around. Next spring, it will be 18 holes of mono-culture--the native grasses were plowed under last fall. I suspect the developers will receive complaints from golfers who do not want to share the links with the Canada geese and their goslings.
Property values will skyrocket in the county, driving out many people who have lived here their whole lives, but who will not be able to afford paying their property taxes. Optimists say the development will bring jobs, but the jobs will predominantly consist of low-paying service positions: wait staff, housekeeping, landscapers. The Average Joe won't be making much above minimum wage while he's trimming the grass of the house that cost more money than he'll earn in his entire life.
There are children living in this town who literally don't have any shoes that fit them. There are single mothers trying to support themselves and their babies without going on public support. And soon there will be multi-million dollar vacation homes that are visited by people who don't think there's anything better to do with their money than build these ridiculous places.
I once heard it said that a truly good person never becomes rich because they're giving away their excess to help people who have much less. Too bad none of those people had enough power to stop this development.