<p class="ingestion featured-caption">Business Insider's reporter visited Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for the first time and encountered a few surprises.Joey Hadden/Business Insider</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is a billionaire hot spot next to Grand Teton National Park.</li><li>I recently visited the ultrawealthy mountain town and was surprised by the airport and the housing.</li></ul><p>I grew up in the tri-state area, spent some years in Texas, and then moved back to the East Coast to start my life in New York City.</p><p>That was more than five years ago, and If I've learned anything about living in this gritty metropolis, it's that sometimes you need a break.</p><p>Enter <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jackson-hole-wyoming-where-billionaires-live-vacation-2024-10">Jackson Hole, Wyoming</a> — the 60-mile-long valley bordering Grand Teton National Park. This section of Teton County comprising the towns of Jackson, Teton Village, Wilson, and others, has fewer than 11,000 residents. The top 1% of those residents earn an average of $16 million a year — 132 times more than the rest — making Jackson Hole the most <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-unequal-place-america-jackson-wyoming-photos-2019-8">unequal place in the US</a> in terms of income, according to the <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.epi.org/multimedia/unequal-states-of-america/">Economic Policy Institute</a>.</p><p>It's essentially a luxury mountain town where billionaires and celebrities like <a target="_blank" rel class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kanye-west-wyoming-ranch-photos-2019-9"><u>Kanye West</u></a> and the Kardashians hide out from the fast-paced lifestyle dominating cities around the US.</p><p>I visited the Wyoming wealth enclave for the first time in September when I needed some time away from my bustling home city.</p><p>I got the nature getaway I expected but was surprised by many aspects of the region, from the luxe airport to the mansions in the mountains.</p>