Little House in Jefferson County

As fans of the Little House series will undoubtedly remember, Laura Ingalls Wilder moved again and again as a child. Each time, the family struck out on its own, relying on its own resources and the help of a few far-away neighbors. Whenever a town sprung up or the surrounding land attracted too many other settlers, Laura’s Pa moved the family and its few belongings to another sparsely populated area farther west.

Were Pa alive today, he would probably try to use zoning restrictions to keep the new people out. That’s what’s happening in Jefferson County, where residents want to prevent the building of a Hindu education center and about 100 houses (which would not all be occupied on most days). No one suggests that the Hindu retreat would be disruptive or dangerous, but it wouldn’t be “rural” enough for the tastes of some Jefferson County residents. Here’s what one man said about the plan:

“What’s being proposed is anything but rural,” Fogarty said. “It’s going to create a significant amount of new traffic. And people like me and my family moved out here to get away from the city.”

Maybe it’s time to get out the covered wagon.