I think a lot have probably become more touristy/busy and will get more so, since a lot of places have gotten more popular thanks to the hug of death that COVID-19 has brought to national parks, etc. Moab is a good example. I know there are lots more, like Bozeman, near me. I've only been in the area for a year and a half, but my grandparents lived here 15+ years ago and from my memories back then, it has changed a lot in a short amount of time. And I often hear longtime locals lament the loss of unique stores, bars, restaurants, etc. to places like Lululemon and Whole Foods. Fortunately, there seems to be strong support for buying local, so hopefully some of the uniqueness doesn't get edged out by big business. And the increase in population has brought some other interesting things to do in town, so I guess it's not all bad. The price of housing greatly dampens that though, since you can barely get by unless you're rich, in a double income household, or have lots of roommates.
What's too high? In 2010 a house across the street from me went for $175,000. This spring it went for $650,000 after about $50,000 in kitchen, exteior siding and appliance renovation. A .com white collar couple in their 30s from Seattle bought it. They have really nice toys and appear to live there 35% of the time. Haven't had the courage to introduce myself. I rent. What occupation can possibly be worth the income that is required to buy homes in my town? How can someone make what I make per hour in less than the amount of time it takes for them to go sit on the toilet or go to the office coffee room? The inequities of this economy never cease to amaze me. I probably should have learned to enjoy sitting in an office and enjoy looking full time at computers rather than labor outside. Those decisions have long since been made, and I otherwise can't complain.
