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This is a case study analysis of how residents value the amenities of a small US city-Missoula, Montana. A measure of a community's amenity values is needed in city planning so as to protect those elements of urban communities that are highly valued. Missoulians favoured their local amenities against an average of 30 comparison cities. Results from this study's stated preference model indicate that Missoulians highly value amenities such as outdoor recreation, low population density and scenery; whereas, they are generally willing to tolerate less than average levels of job opportunities. The study's results raise questions about the appropriate methods for local governments to pursue when attempting to raise wage rates by 'growing the economy' of a city like Missoula.

This paper uses a contingent value survey in a Rocky Mountain city to measure the national income accounting value of leisure activities. Such direct measurement avoids shortcomings of the previously used labor value approach and individually values various types of leisure, e.g., napping and socializing. The results of the study indicate promise for this measurement approach but also raise some issues that require further research. Included are suggestions for overcoming problems discovered with this method and for future research. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 2004leisure, national income accounting,

This paper estimates household production functions directly, considers their characteristics, and compares them with previous indirectly estimated functions. Interviews with 135 Missoula, Montana area married couple households provided the data. The results suggest that endogeneity and a previous lack of output and capital data which led to the use of the indirect methodology are not insurmountable problems. The results tend to confirm the feasibility of directly measuring household outputs since the production function results are reasonable. Directly estimated household production functions offer the possibilities for estimation of short‐term household output changes and testing hypotheses about households' economic behavior.