Communities Push To Turn Out The Lights For Star Gazing

An estimated 99 percent of people living in the U.S. and Europe experience a form of light pollution, where they can’t look up at night and see all the stars.

Curbed reports that at least 15 towns and cities in the U.S. are enacting ordinances to preserve the night sky. True darkness at night makes it easier for people to see the Milky Way with the naked eye. It also conserves energy and helps nocturnal animals survive in the wilderness.

The blacked-out communities also lure buyers who want the peace and calm a lit-up sky brings.

About a third of the homes in Summit Sky Ranch, which start in the $600,000s, have sold. Trails, a private lake, and a 7,000-square-foot community center with a pool, hot tub, and yoga studio are no doubt attractive amenities. But Everist says that the dark-sky designation—and plans for a state-of-the-art observatory with a 20-inch refractor telescope—is a marketable asset. “We’re selling a way of life to our homeowners, and it’s resonating.”

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