Perhaps “here they come” is more accurate. Situated in the very heart of Idaho, the picturesque resort city of Sun Valley will be welcoming the world’s most innovative and financially successful minds for a business conference focusing on finance, media, and technology. Dozens of self-made millionaires and billionaires — from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO — will be arriving in style in the coming week, as the local fixed-base operator prepares for a chaotic influx of private jets. There are more than 11,000 private jets currently registered in the US — and nearly 500 of them will be pulling into Atlantic Aviation’s base for the conference.
Sun Valley has made a name for itself as a celebrity haven, boasting guests such as Marilyn Monroe and Ernest Hemingway (and proudly displaying their pictures in the lodge), but the kind of luxury its become known for seems to exist in contrast with rest of the state. Boise, Idaho conjures the image of potatoes, especially as the origin of your most recent order of Five Guys french fries — it certainly doesn’t make you think of the beauty and brains associated with Sun Valley, yet they’re barely two and a half hours away from each other.
It would seem that Sun Valley is simply the diamond in the center of the Gem State, considering the affordability of the rest of Idaho — it has the fourth-cheapest cost of living in the nation, and seems to be growing as a result. Combining bustling, booming cities with a low cost of living pulls young people to the state as much as the idyllic views and seemingly endless pleasures of Sun Valley.
The juxtaposition of lifestyles in the two nearby cities just serves to show how much the state has to offer: possessing a truly dazzling array of landscapes — lava flows, hot springs, sand dunes, and mountains — you can enjoy the sights regardless of your humble beginnings or profound successes.