Considering moving to Wyoming? (Cheyenne, Casper: home, school, university)

[settebella]

Hey, I grew up in Massachusetts my whole life. I'm not a fan. Every state has its negatives. I'm tired of everyone being in a rush, how congested it is and not exactly the friendliest people. I've been looking into Montana, New Hampshire, Vermont, Eastern Tennessee and Wyoming =). My list might be kind of random but anyway. I love the outdoors, I love to Snowmobile! I'm looking to move to a place thats great to raise a family some day, decent school system, safe, jobs that are out there(I'll be graduating from Cosmetology school), a cost of living that isn't as rediculous as Newton Massachusetts.

What can you tell me about Wyoming? Or your experiences living in different States.

[ElkHunter]

Just like Montana, it's a big state. Need to narrow down an area before people can answer your questions.

[sunsprit]

As will you have a trade that's fairly portable, you have a wealth of options to choose from for where you'd want to live ...

Perhaps you'd do best to come visit the places that interest you, especially in these winter months, and see what appeals to you about them. The diversity of your list is so widespread it's hard to point out what is more suitable for you in Wyoming.

Rather than running from something that you know you don't like, you may discover what you do like about a place that you want to move to.

Of course, there's a lot of info about living in Wyoming already posted in the threads. You might want to read through about this state, as well as the adjacent states and the ones on your list.

[settebella]

Yeah, sorry. I know I didn't give too much to go off of. I don't know much about Wyoming. I might have to do some traveling.

[NDak15]

I depends on what you want. I have lived in Montana and I currently live in Wyoming. What size of a town do you want? The biggest in Montana is Billings (I think around 100,000 people) and the biggest in Wyoming is Cheyenne with about 55,000 people. Both states are very rural areas and much more conservative. Wyoming is much more welcoming to outsiders and has much better wages. The northwest part of Wyoming is the prettiest. Western Montana is the prettiest part of that state but I find the people less than savory there. Eastern Montana and eastern Wyoming are prairies with rolling hills. Eastern Montanans are very down to earth but there is little in the way of jobs in that part of the state with an aging population. This is a start, if you specify some towns I might be able to give you more information. Also, be sure to travel in the summer and winter to these states to get a good feel for the seasons.

[settebella]

I've been reading some of the forums. I can say that I'm not a liberal bostonian. I feel like all that stuff shouldn't matter, but I guess these days it does. I come from an old school Italian family, my brother and grandparents are all hunters, so that whole thing doesn't bother me. I'm all for it! (Except wolf hunting, I have loved wolves since forever). I even have my Massachusetts FID. I really don't know that much about Montana or Wyoming. I'm definitely interested in taking a visit. I guess if I were to narrow some parts down, the Western part of Montana would probably benefit me as far as work. Perhaps Bozeman? Something around there. Honestly, I haven't got a clue, so just trying to do all the research I can. Then again, I kinda feel like you can get a job anywhere if you really want it. But an area that's open to employing an out of towner would be the best. I basically want to work in a nice town and maybe travel to the city for work. Hell I don't even mind living in a city, as long as it's nothing like Boston. I wish I was being more specific. Thanks for taking the time and responding.

[NDak15]

As far as politics, many people in western Montana will dismiss you as being liberal just because you're from "back east." I would also stay out of Bozeman. I can honestly say they are the most pretentious people I have met in any city I have visited or lived in. I lived there for five years. If I lived in anywhere in Montana it would be Billings. It's a good size and there are a pretty good assortment of people there. People I know in Billings tend to be a little more accepting as well. The scenery isn't as good but you aren't too far from it. Casper is very much like Billings. When you say city, keep in mind Montana and Wyoming's definition of city is anything more than about 30,000 people.

[rya700]

I was talking to a cosmetologist (who is not working as such) a couple days ago and she said she couldnt make it (lander) b/c people in small towns stay with one hair dresser that they like/ know so if you are new to town it is hard to build up clientele. She said she came from texas and made 80k last year and got $40/haircut. i personally am not out to impress anyone so i wont pay that much, lol....she also said there were 'to many' here in lander, dont know about other wyo towns but definately something to check into, imho

[jody_wy]

we got one barber for all of star valley , think it takes him less then 5 min for $11/hair cut, if you tip you get the hot lather and he'll shave your neck. Beauty shop charge guys $15, most are home based.

[some boring guy]

I just relocated to Wyoming from new england as well. A lot of people outside the area have misconceptions of what it's like here; it's not all trees and mountains like you would find at Yellowstone. Much of the state is open plains with not a whole lot to look at, and can feel very isolating with much space between towns. Winters are harsh, but in a different way than the east coast. The toughest part - at least in southern WY where I am - is the wind, which can cause ridiculous snowdrifts and make highway travel somewhat dangerous even on a sunny day. Highways also close relatively frequently during this time of year due to the weather.

From an east coast perspective, if you want to be in wyoming you might like the Laramie area . As the university town, it's a bit more liberal/diverse than the rest of the state and in close proximity to the snowy range, which is great for outdoorsy stuff. You're also relatively close to Colorado, which gives you more opportunity for shopping, recreation, and civilization in general.