Teton Valley may soon understand itself a little better.

Powder Mountain Press will publish the first edition of the Teton Valley Almanac this week, a “comprehensive overview of Teton County, Idaho, Facts and Figures.” The almanac will be distributed in out-of-county issues of Teton Valley News as well as in the valley’s post office boxes.

There will be a public forum, including a Q&A, to discuss the almanac for the evening of Monday, Oct. 13 at the Driggs Senior Center, from 6:30 to 8:30.

“This is the first time I’m aware of that someone has tried to capture the demographics of this valley,” said Jonathan Schechter, contributing editor of the almanac. “I hope this document will help the community see itself in a way that will help shape the community’s future.”

The Teton Valley Almanac includes information such as the area’s tourism, changing demographics and job sector based on various studies.

Schechter has authored a column in the Jackson Hole News and Guide focused on patterns of growth and change in the Jackson Hole area for nearly 20 years. Since 2011, he has authored the paper’s demographic study, The Jackson Hole Compass. The Compass, he said, has helped Jackson Hole residents understand trends and make the best decisions for their city’s future.

“Teton County, Idaho, is a really distinct, vibrant and rapidly-changing community,” Schechter said. “And the conclusion I’ve come to is that these three counties—Teton County, Idaho, Teton County, Wyoming, and Lincoln County, Wyoming—are very interconnected. If the Teton Pass were shut down, people on both sides would suffer.”

The LOR Foundation, whose mission is to enhance “livability in the Intermountain West,” commissioned the project and donated the majority of funds necessary to make the almanac possible. In addition, the Community Foundation of Teton Valley gave the almanac a grant of $1,000.

“This almanac will give us a really good sense of where we’ve been, versus where we are now,” Carrie Mowrey, Executive Director of the Community Foundation said. “The amount of change that’s happened here within the last few years is just fascinating.”

“If this document can improve the decision-making process here, I’ll be thrilled,” Schechter said. “It’s a place to pay attention to.”

This article appeared on the Teton Valley News website on October 13, 2014.