Some Park County real estate agents say they’re seeing an uptick in interest from out-of-state buyers. At a time when the economy is shaky, it’s surprising to see a strong market.

The interest from these buyers may be related to the rough year city folks are having. First, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 spread especially fast in populated areas. Many city governments enacted strict lockdowns, and after a few months of that, a series of riots took place in response to the death of George Floyd.

Before the recent events, cities like New York and San Francisco were losing people to other cities with lower housing costs and more business-friendly regulations. Cities still offered a large employment pool for businesses to recruit from, and they also offered residents a lot of employment opportunities. The pandemic, however, forced more businesses to utilize more remote working options, undermining that benefit to urban life to some degree.

It’s too soon for data to show if city residents are migrating to rural areas in greater numbers than previous years, but in Park County, some agents report a growing interest in Wyoming’s rural life.

“We’re definitely seeing it,” said John Parsons, co-owner of 307 Real Estate.

In general he’s had more interest in properties than he expected during tough economic times. For example, one high-end property valued at about $600,000 had three offers in two weeks. In that case, it was all in-state interest, but he’s also seen people who are looking to escape the challenges of urban life.

Holly Griffin, broker with The Real Estate Connection, said she’s seen a “remarkable increase” in interest from people who currently live in large cities and mention concerns about COVID-19 rates. She’s getting weekly calls from people from California, Florida, Washington and Minnesota.

They’re especially interested in homes with lots of land, and they want to move to a place that “still has values,” Griffin said. “Mostly what they say is they want to get away from crazy.”

Griffin said she’s closed on numerous properties from out of state interest and has more lined up.

“It’ll be a busy summer,” she said.

Eric Paul, broker/owner of Heart Mountain Realty, said he hasn’t seen a substantial increase in interest from urbanites looking to escape the city. Most of the people he’s working with are people looking to retire. He’s had a couple people from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. He’s also had some interest from Colorado residents, but he said that’s normal.

Even before the pandemic and riots, Paul said people were taking an interest in living out here, for the rural characteristics of the place. He’s had people specifically interested in living where there aren’t any “big box” stores.

“That’s why they’re looking at Powell,” Paul said.

If there is an influx of people from cities, Parsons said it shouldn’t concern those who are worried they’ll bring their big-city attitudes with them, resulting in the “Californization” of Wyoming. He said they’re coming here because we have a business-friendly climate, more outdoor recreational activities, and friendlier atmosphere.

“Wyoming would be a lonely state if it was just people from Wyoming,” Parsons said.