Creative Builders Get Rural Housing Done

Here’s a statistic to be unhappy about: Colorado and Utah host the fifth and sixth most expensive housing markets in the country, according to Bankrate.com. Montana is not far behind as the ninth most expensive.

But here’s the good news: two rural housing champions in those states have found creative ways to build affordable housing.

Moab, Utah, sited along the Colorado River, draws at least 5 million tourists annually for mountain biking, rafting, four-wheeling, and visiting two nearby national parks. But the town’s real estate has long been pricey, and back in 2004, a Moab loan officer named...