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Jackson, WyomingJackson lies at the end of the great valley, known as Jackson Hole, that runs the length of the Teton mountain range. Grand Teton National Park lies in the center of Jackson Hole with Yellowstone National Park just further north. The town is the main gateway to both national parks.
The town is a unique blend of fashionable resort and the Old West, with designer boutiques and art galleries lining the cowboy-style boardwalks. Tourism is the most important industry in the area and spread across the valley are a sprinkling of million-dollar houses between the remaining
cattle ranches, which offer guest facilities to supplement their farming income. During the summer, vacationers swarm the shopping malls and fancy restaurants, and the town square becomes the stage for a performed shoot-out every evening.
Jackson Hole is primarily a winter and summer playground for outdoor enthusiasts, with hiking, mountaineering, biking and kayaking in summer. In winter it becomes a premier ski destination, home to two of the state's best ski areas. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has a massive vertical drop and skiing suitable for extremists, while Snow King resort offers family-orientated skiing and snowboarding.
CodyCody is entertainer William 'Buffalo Bill' Cody's hometown, and was founded by him in 1887. During summer it rivals Jackson as Wyoming's number one tourist town, at the same time retaining more of the bona fide appeal of a pastoral Western community than the resort sophistication of its contender.
Every summer the town turns up its Western charm for the thousands of visitors en route to the east gate of Yellowstone National Park with rodeos, the annual Cody Stampede, Buffalo Bill attractions and paraphernalia, and a cowtown circus. Cody's main attraction is the world-class Buffalo Bill Historical Center, encompassing five different museums detailing the history of the West.
The dusty main road is lined with souvenir and ranch-wear shops, and its reassembled Old Trail Town is a collection of ghost town shop fronts and cabins gathered from the surrounding region, housing artifacts and archaeological finds. From Cody, the 52 miles (84km) to Yellowstone National Park takes travelers through the superbly scenic landscape of the Wapiti Valley.
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