Despite development challenges, renewable energy policies suggest that the wind industry will continue to grow for many years, especially in currently rural, resource-rich areas that are thus far underdeveloped. This study highlights the need to examine expectation setting and eventual degree of expectation satisfaction to assess the factors such as perceived beauty, economic productivity and role cognitive dissonance plays in shaping wind energy attitudes. Attitudes towards wind energy will continue to change as residents compile positive and negative experiences with wind projects over time and research must continue to explore the lived experience of wind energy development from the perspective of residents who stand to be impacted.