Victor Today

Victor’s motto is “A Town to Come Home To, since 1889,” and its greatest challenges are paradoxically the fact that so many youth choose not to come home to Victor, while so many new residents are flocking in. In the past 10 years, the real estate and recreation sectors have boomed. Teton County’s population increased by 142 percent from 1970 to 2000 and another 25 percent from 2000 to 2005, making it one of the fastest growing counties in Idaho, which is one of the fastest growing states in the nation. Victor itself has grown as well: while the population in 2000 was just 840, it increased 73 percent to an estimated 1,454 citizens in 2006—the first time it breached 1,000 in the City’s history. The rate of growth appears to have cooled in recent months, but both the City and the County are anxious to resolve issues related to annexations, impact area boundaries and delivery of services.

Many of Victor’s newest arrivals, like their historic counterparts, are drawn by the striking landscapes and open space. At the center of the Teton Valley, Victor sits at an elevation of 6,200 feet and is bordered on three sides by mountains: the Teton Range to the east, the Big Hole Mountains to the west and the Snake River Range to the south. Victor’s renowned outdoor recreation draws thousands of visitors annually and many chose to stay for its skiing, hiking, mountaineering, mountain biking, fishing and snowmobiling. The valley is rich with wildlife, including fragile species such as grizzly bears, bald eagles and Yellowstone cutthroat trout.

Victor lies along State Highway 33, the major north-south route that links it to the larger City of Driggs (pop. 1,100; 2000 Census), the county seat. Historically, agriculture was the foundation of Teton Valley’s economy and many of Victor’s residents are homesteaders’ descendents, some of whom still run farms and ranches. Victor has a large middle class and the typical family is financially somewhat better off than most in Idaho, but the City still hopes to attract new jobs and new businesses. The City’s current residents have a strong and historic connection to its founders, who were members of the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS), or Mormons. Long-time residents now mix with newcomers, including young entrepreneurs, artists and athletes, and the changing population is encouraging the City to consider new ideas about the future and new ways of planning.

Victor’s economic shift toward real estate and accompanying growth pressures have driven land use changes that threaten the area’s environmental integrity and rural character and concern some citizens. Numerous farms and ranches have gradually given way to subdivisions, in part because the City has been reluctant to discourage growth and infringe on landowners’ property rights. But the City is looking to grow and diversify again, and its 2006 Comprehensive Plan Update—“Planning for a Sense of Place”—set a path for growth that respects the region’s character and history while accommodating a changing population and challenges of the future. Support from the EPA’s Smart Growth Technical Assistance Program helped Victor develop an extensive public engagement process and identify policy changes and planning methods to support the Plan and community vision.

Victor approved a Traditional Neighborhood District overlay zone in 2008 with the intent of fostering elements that many Victor residents want: a vibrant community, walkable and bikeable streets, affordable homes, sustainable living, cultural events and close-knit neighborhoods. Innovative development is already springing up in the City, including Mountainside Village, a mixed-use residential community that won a 2006 Idaho Smart Growth Award and is a registered pilot neighborhood for the LEED for Neighborhood Design (ND) program of the U.S. Green Building Council. City officials hope that Envision Victor will help the entire city develop and realize a shared vision for a lively, livable community.

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